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
Castlefield Gets Eastern Choice
After the row over the former Choice restaurant in Middle Warehouse becoming a craft beer and good food bar Sleuth hears the debate is about to get spicy. After planning permission for the bar was turned down plans are being put together to create a high tone Asian restaurant with top-notch food amid high end surroundings. Sleuth reckons this use, centred on food, should work for the classy site, as long as the restaurant can curry favour with residents.
Choice
Speaking Of Castlefield - Bring Up The Bodies
Sleuth received word from AbbottVision, a company producing a Channel 4 drama, that they'd be filming in the Castlefield canal basin on Thursday and Mancunians shouldn't be alarmed or even take offence if they witness police finding a body in the canal and fishing it out. It'll only be showbusiness. Sleuth learns the name of the drama is No Offence and also that there are unconfirmed reports the plot revolves around a man who wished to open a craft and beer bar in Choice but the locals turned on him.
Fishing in the Bridgewater Canal can deliver strange catches
Tap For Manchester Piccadilly
Sleuth hears Manchester is about to get a new Tap at Piccadilly. Confidential's resident beer-swiller Neil Sowerby broke the news earlier this month:
"The folk behind the Euston Tap, only a Pendolino ride away are to open in Manchester Piccadilly at the other end of the line. This will be a serious addition to a station complex that is trying to up its food and drink game. If it replicates its Euston offering of eight rotating cask ales, 20 on keg, plus 150 bottled beers, it should make missing a train or two de rigueur."
There's no licence application submitted as yet, but having spent a good few hours in Euston's forebear, The Sheffield Tap, Sleuth is looking forward to a decent beer option around the station. Sleuth once wound up in Piccadilly station's Mayfield pub on the receiving end of a lasagne and lager that was enough to make a shy bald buddhist reflect and plan a mass murder.
Euston Tap
Speaking Of Licences...
Sleuth mentioned this one back in September, but plans are kicking in for another new wine bar OR wine-lead restaurant (didn't you know wine bars are the new indie coffee shops which were the new burger joints?) at 225 Deansgate, the site of Bake Station at the entrance to Great Northern. The new wine bar will be called Pane Vino and should open before Christmas, all being well with the council's licensing department. Of course, 'pane' being the Italian for bread and 'vino' for wine, Sleuth is expecting wine and nibbles. That or a play on the words Sleuth has muttered red-faced and crapulent following a heavy night on the grape... "Pain"... "Vino"... *slump*.
Bake Station to turn Pane Vino
Screwed Up Joy
Sleuth was on an Haunted Underworld tour this week led by the Confidential editor. There was one young woman who from beginning to end had her fingers in her ears and her eyes tight shut and was being guided round by her friend. When the terrors of the underground had been negotiated and the screams had died, Sleuth asked the woman whether she'd enjoyed it. "Oh yes," she said keenly in the fresh air above ground. "But you didn't see or hear any of it," said Sleuth. "I know but I still thought it was brilliant. I love ghost tours in the dark," she said. "Eh?" said Sleuth.
I've Never Enjoyed Anything More. Pardon? Who said that?
The Library Walk Enquiry
Sleuth attended the Library Walk inquiry last week which has been adjourned until next week because there were too many people who wished to make representations to the inspector. The inquiry revolved around the council needlessly chucking away £3.5m to close the public right of way and destroy one of the most elegant spaces in the city with a grim, dark box, linking the Town Hall Extension and Central Library. Confidential's been on top of this from the start - click here. Some evidence has been odd to say the least, Sleuth loved it when the council stated Central Library needed a 'more legible entrance' so he went outside to have a look.
Today's puzzle children is this. In the picture above which is the 'more legible entrance'? Is it a) that big columned thing on the left? Or is it b) that dark glass blob thing between the buildings?
Glass Water Music
Sleuth popped over to Washington D.C. last week (Sleuth invented the world's first real Star Trek teleport transporter machine so that he could 'pop' to places 3,500 miles away for an afternoon, but hasn't told anyone yet because he's greedy) and came across this lovely old fella playing the crystal glasses in Old Town Alexandria - George Washington's adopted hometown. "Hey, are you guys Brits?" said the lovely old crystal glass fella. "I was in Britain once," he continued. "I came over to play the Paul Daniels Magic Show." And with that he broke out into Rule Britannia followed by, well, what else... Star Wars.
Saucy Russians
In March 2013 Sleuth's colleague David Blake went for an eye-full at the Killing Kittens Sex Party, an elite sex club which had just touched down in Manchester. Needless to say, the story proved a popular read. "That Killing Kittens story has taken off again," said Confidential's social media guru, Helen. "Again? Why this time..." asked Sleuth. "Well," said Helen, "looks like we're big in Russia now, Killing Kittens has had thousands of reads in a few hours. Those saucy Russians." Confidential publisher Mark Garner comes darting out the office: "We're big in Russia? Right. Quick. Get on that domain checker, now type 'Россия Конфиденциальная' (Russia Confidential)...
Killing Kittens party
Sleuth's Gross Food Of The Week...
Splendid Sausage on John Dalton Street have outdone themselves. Their Halloween special (this Fri to Sun), the Halloweiner, features spicy sausage, bacon, onions, pumpkin and squash croquettes and REAL crickets and meal worms cooked in garlic, chilli and ginger wrapped in a briche bun (£8). Crickets AND meal worms. Yummy. For dessert Anc & Dec will appear from the kitchen with a couple of juicy Kangaroo nads to finish things off...
The Halloweiner... mmmm
