SleuthSleuth is a sideways glance at the city every week, it's the truth, but Sleuth's truth. He's several people all at once. We give £25 for every story/rumour and piece of absurdity you find for us to publish. Sleuth sometimes even gets serious. We ask for the money back if any legal action follows. Follow Sleuth on twitter @mcrsleuth
Manchester's Haunted Restaurant
Sleuth was in Kaleido, the top notch restaurant above the National Football Museum, with Mr Hyde on Friday. "Can you hear a woman screaming?" asked Sleuth. "Yes, she seems to be in terrible pain?" said Mr Hyde. "Can you hear a woman screaming?" Sleuth asked the waitress. She shook her head. "You can't? Really? Maybe it's an exhibit in the museum, or kids down there?" said Mr Hyde. A few minutes later she came back. "I think it's the door to the kitchen," she said. "What, the door is inhabited by the lost soul of a dead woman?" said Sleuth. Mr Hyde went and videod it. Click on the link below and be afraid, be very afraid.
Sleuth And Very Nice Food
The scream was only a tidsy distraction in Kaleido from some A1 food. An appetiser of scrambled egg ice cream, with chive and bacon was simply genius (top picture), the lamb amazing - review this week. The food made Sleuth want to scream for joy, but he didn't want to compete with the door. Or 'Munch's Portal' as a passing chanteuse (click here) with knowledge of Norwegian expressionist art labelled it.
What? The olive oil's not extra virgin - that means I'm going to have haunt this door for eternity
Another Bowling Alley To Open
Sleuth hears Dog Bowl is opening on Tuesday 2 April. Dog Bowl comes from the team behind the famed Black Dog Ballroom bars and occupies the site of the old Cocotoo restaurant opposite The Ritz on Whitworth Street West. The main attraction here will be the five lanes of bowling but there’s also a typical Black Dog Ballroom style speakeasy and diner. The venue will be open 12pm- 3am Monday to Thursday, 12pm- 4am Fridays, 10am-4am on Saturdays and from 10am-3am on Sundays. Strange how for years there's no city centre bowling alley and now we are getting two in as many months. As Sleuth revealed here first comes All Star Bowling in the Great Northern complex.
Food in Dog Bowl
Sleuth is hungry now, hungry for Tex-Mex. The Dog Bowl menu makes for saucy reading and includes pork cracklin’ served with spiced apple sauce, hot smoked nuts, quesadillas, BBQ grilled steak, fried chicken and fajitas. Sleuth is particularly looking forward to partaking of the Pile of Links – a house sausage collection smoked and grilled, served with creamed potato or fries. Sleuth wants to eat that right now letting the juice run down his chin.
Sleuth’s Sledgehammer Advertising Of The Week
Sleuth is grateful to Yakub Qureshi (https://twitter.com/yqshi) for this picture from Twitter of the car park near the Minshall Street courts. Tuckers, Criminal Solicitors, seem to be making a point. Making it very hard. Litigate! Compensate! Claim! Fee! Fee! Fee!
We get the message
Basement Surprise
Sleuth had a show round the new Icelandic bar on Tariff Street in the Northern Quarter this week - click here. It used to a photography gallery. In clearing out the basement the manager Philip Hannaway found some snaps the snappers had left behind - in certain clammy magazines. Those naughty photographers had clearly been focussed on all kinds of exposure down there.
Basement photography hobby
Washington Admissions
Sleuth is going to DC soon as part of a trip with Manchester Cathedral called ‘Volunteering in the City’. There are receptions in the British Embassy, trips round Congress and a meeting with a man called Rock Harper (Sleuth’s favourite American name of the week). Seasoned travellers will know that prior to going you have to fill out an Electronic System for Travel Authorisation form. Sleuth loved this question: ‘Have you ever been or are you now involved in espionage or sabotage; or in terrorist activities; or genocide; or between 1933 and 1945 were you involved, in any way, in persecutions associated with Nazi Germany or its allies?’ There are 'yes' and 'no' boxes. Sleuth wonders how many people have ticked the yes box.
Are you terrorist? Yes or no?
Sportsman’s Carvery
Confidential is massively fascinated by the strange Northern Quarter restaurant R House at the junction of Hilton Street and Port Street. It’s got a carvery, a very curious sense of style and seems a little quiet. Speaking of style, Nobby Stiles, Manchester United legend, will be paying a visit soon. To hear him speak and to get fed and watered will cost you £60. “It’ll be like a Sportsmen’s Dinner probably,” said Sleuth’s friend before pausing and adding, “or rather a Sportsman’s Carvery.”
Sleuth's Weirdest App Of The Week
The Greater Manchester Police app launched last week is a curious one (click here for more info and how to download the app). To quote from the official press release: 'The app provides access to information about the nearest police station and neighbourhood policing team information, officers' details, meetings, student safety zone in Manchester and an ‘around me’ feature that plots news, appeals and wanted people nearby the user'. It's that last feature that intrigues Sleuth. How can it track 'wanted people', have they been tagged? Are we supposed to form vigilante groups to go after them. There's even maybe something akin to a criminal's lonely hearts website about the facility - 'wanted people' indeed.
Sleuth And The Best Sunrise Ever
Every seven days or so Sleuth is stopped in the street by policemen, firemen, concierges, haunted doors, American immigration officials, Edvard Munch, Nobby Stiles, and the complete cast of Les Miserables, and asked "Where can we see the best sunrise in Manchester, Trafford, Salford and perhaps the world?"
"Why," says Sleuth, "that would be on the swing bridge over Manchester Ship Canal." And to prove it he showed this picture to all the policemen, firemen, concierges, haunted doors, American immigration officials, to Edvard Munch, to Nobby Stiles, and the complete cast of Les Miserables.
Sunrise at the Quays
