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. Sleuth sometimes even gets serious @mcrsleuth
NEW BARS SHOCK
Sleuth has no new bars to tell you about.
NEW BARS SHOCK PART TWO
All Bar One opens in the Trafford Centre. It opened on Thursday. A nation fell asleep.
BRASSERIE BLANC SITE TO BE FILLED AT LAST
Sleuth understands the Orangery restaurant in the Peak District is to come into town. It will take over the long forgotten unit that once contained Brasserie Blanc, on that curious half square between King Street and Marsden Street. Brasserie Blanc was noted for its ok food and regular appearances from the eponymous Raymond Blanc. Blanc would lecture his guests in an accent he seemed to have developed in conjunction with the 'Allo 'Allo team. The new restaurant from Paul and Katheryn Roden appears to be focusing on a quality British food voice and will also feature a broad terrace.
Brasserie Blanc before it closed
Raymond Blanc (centre) chats about himself to guests THE NAMING GAME AT BRASSERIE BLANC SITE
The most curious fact about the new restaurant for the Brasserie Blanc site is the name. Sleuth hears it's going to be called Grafene. Ok, Manchester was the place where this new potentially super-material was discovered but that's spelt graphene. Sleuth is imagining a scenario: "Waiter, waiter, this soup is a bit thin." "Indeed sir, it's one atom thick, with the atoms arranged in a honeycomb-shaped lattice. It's the world's most conductive soup."
HARRY POTTER JOINS THE HALLE
Come on some people say this is Jonathon Heyward of the Halle (click here) but surely it's the promo from a new Harry Potter film?
Jonathon HeywardNaked Coffee Bar Owner Shock
This is Mark Flanagan, a fine man, a fine rugby player, but he really should wear some clothes in his coffee shop, Pot Kettle Black, in the Barton Arcade. And he should put down that ball, he might hurt someone, it's pretty tight in that space.
Skinny de-caff single shot Americano please with a dash of underwear 
Mark Flanagan, now clothed, in Pot Kettle BlackDUKES 92 REOPENS
Sleuth attended the press lunch of Dukes 92 this week. It was lovely and James Ramsbottom and team have done a fine job (click here). As for the food, Sleuth loved the bone marrow with blue cheese and the £40 Motherboard (for 8-10 people) of British nibbles, meats (including tongue), cheeses and so forth.
James Ramsbottom was on very quotable form but perturbed Sleuth by asking: "Could you fork me some tongue?" Urgh. Ramsbottom was feeling proud about his new decor as well and drifted off for a while, coming back with, "Sorry I was ignoring you and watching my new gold trim being applied on the mirrors." They should put it on Sky. One of those weird sports along with Brazilian hog-wrestling.
The Motherboard THREE STRIKES AND YOU'RE OUT
There was a curious conversation between a couple at Dukes 92. The man in question said: "I was tested when we first met. Before she'd go out with me I had to answer three questions and get them all correct." "They were on the arts, sport and politics," continued the woman. "I had to make sure I wasn't getting into something with someone who was stupid." Ah, yes, thought Sleuth, the practical ways of love.
SLEUTH'S MOST BEAUTIFUL ARTEFACT OF THE WEEK
This is the fore-edge painting on an 1849 edition of poems by Samuel Rogers. It's in Chetham's Library and it's a cunning process by which the pages are clamped at an angle and then a scene painted on the edges of the pages. Then when the clamp is removed the book reverts to its normal shape and the image can only be seen when the pages are tilted again. The process is discussed in more detail here. It's a lovely thing this rare book, as is Chetham's generally. Get down there if you can or go on one of the Editor-at-Large's tours.
Fore-edge painting at Chethams Powered by 
