Sleuth 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
Sleuth's Dish (And Fishbird) Of The Week
Sleuth popped into the new Avalanche restaurant in the ex-Lime bar site to try out the 'Italian' food. In the fish section the menu surprisingly featured ‘Fresco Ostrich’. Sleuth loves a feathered landfish but thinks that Avalanche probably means ‘Ostriche Fresche’ or 'fresh oysters'. The 'chilly' must refer to the fresco. And Sleuth adores both on a 'bead of spinach'.
Interesting range of fish
ASDA Takes Off With Head Of Airport's Communications
At the Manchester Airport Media Reception event on Thursday, Russell Craig, the much loved Head of Communications of Manchester Airport, announced he was leaving to take up a post at Asda. The next speaker, said, "We tried to persuade him to stay but when he started to arrive in George suits we knew we'd lost him." Given the event had a free bar until the early hours, a friend of Sleuth's wondered whether Craig would be off his trolley by the end of the evening.
Russell Craig
Raffle Dazzle Backwards Phenomenon
Lots of the people at the airport's media reception - which consisted of three percent writers and broadcasters and 95 per cent media administrators and hangers-on - were keen to see who might win the famously excellent raffle prizes. These are made up of pairs of tickets to global destinations. On this occasion the prizes seemed to be given out in the wrong order. Somewhere in the middle a business class Emirates flight to Abu Dhabi was dished out. Then at the prize-giving climax, a trip to Moscow on Easy Jet appeared. Sleuth loves queuing up for a bus ride in the sky but surely the Abu Dhabi prize should have been given priority.
Airport reception, woman gets upset about not winning Easyjet prize
Welsh-Arab Confusion
Mark and Ben from Hanging Ditch wineshop, close to the Cathedral, were in attendance. Sleuth never got to the bottom of why they were at an airport media reception but enjoyed this exchange. "When I first heard the name Abu Dhabi," said Mark, "I thought it was in Wales. Turned out I was confusing it with Aberdovey." "Yes, very easy," said Sleuth, "one's lost in a wilderness of harsh landscapes under a boiling sun and the other's in the Middle East."
Abu Dhabi
The Consequences Of A Cocktail Frenzy
Another 'do' on Event-Mad Thursday was the opening of The Liquor Store, a new bar at the junction of St Mary's Parsonage and Blackfriars Street. Rambo and The Turk from the Confidential office, had been in the night before and ruined the place. The two ladies declared it a cracking new independent with the feel of a Northern Quarter bar. The Breakfast Martini was declared the best cocktail, but for one of the girls, getting up in the clothes she'd worn the night before, in someone else's flat, and then having to pick up her house keys she'd left in the bar the night before, wasn't so good.
The Liquor Store
Sleuth's Most Useful Noticeboard In Manchester
Sleuth is often asked by people in Manchester streets - policeman, firemen, concierges, dancing girls, contortionists, American football players, the complete cast of The Hobbit, "How much is a mini-cab to Cheadle?" Sleuth always directs them to the The Most Useful Noticeboard In Manchester. Here it is outside Venus nightclub on Blackfriars Street.
That useful board in full
New Kids On The Block - Neighbourhood and Costa
Not far from the Liquor Store on Event-Mad Thursday, Neighbourhood restaurant and bar was launching. The place, occupying part of the old Shimla Pinks' site, was packed to the gunnels with all manner of beautiful people all discussing very seriously the Leveson Enquiry Report - or something like that. Neighbourhood is going to be an absolute winner and is in Tower 12, on Bridge Street, which will also soon host Artisan Restaurant and Manchester House Restaurant, two ambitious Living Ventures' operations. It already has a Waitrose. "In which case," said Sleuth to one of the Spinningfields' people, "don't you think the installation of a humble Costa Coffee right at the Bridge Street entrance is a bit unfortunate?"
Party time at Neighbourhood
Sleuth's It's Not Right Moment Of The Week
This is an old woman about to be launched across the skating rink at Spinningfields in her wheelchair. It's not right.
Go on love, it'll be fun
Sleuth's Odd Birthday Song Of The Week
One of the world's most important political figures, Friedrich Engels, lived for 22 years in Manchester in the nineteenth century. He was the best friend of Karl Marx. The pair of them wrote The Communist Manifesto. Sleuth is no communist, but Engels is truly significant, so on Wednesday 28 November, Engels' birthday, Sleuth did a tour around the city. He finished at the Lass O'Gowrie pub. There he got the group to sing Happy 192nd Birthday to the dead German communist. Sleuth's phone sneakily and mysteriously decided to record this - and some people's knees - so here is the clip.
After the song Sleuth turned and looked at the curious needlecraft on the pub's walls. These featured animals with words next to them. An owl staring down at Sleuth, stitchily stated, "Knob." Possibly right, thought Sleuth.
Lass O'Gowrie needlework art
Back To Avalanche
There's something about the statement in the needlework in the Lass O'Gowrie above, that reminded Sleuth of the sausage and lentils dish he'd had with his ostrich at Avalanche - see top story on this page. Presentation is a very important element of food preparation. As Sleuth's dining companion remarked, "I wouldn't like to have been given this if I'd been dining with my grandparents."
Scary sausage
