‘CHICKEN & CHUNES’ FOR OXFORD ROAD/MAN READS TO SIGN
Sleuth has word that Liverpool bar restaurant, Pattersons, is close to securing a unit off Oxford Road. The Liverpudlian ‘chicken and tunes’ venue, which serves chicken in fifteen varieties, will open in ‘The Quad’…. next door to a Nando’s. Of all the places eh? Sleuth reckons they should open a KFC next and call it the ‘Chicken Run’. What Sleuth loved most about this news though, was that when he went sniffing for Pattersons on Liverpool’s Gradwell Street via Google Street he found a bloke in a pink vest and flip-flops on a swivel chair reading the newspaper to a car park sign. Sleuth later found that ten years previously the sign had fallen into a coma after a Suzuki Jimny nudged it off the pavement, and the sign’s best and only pal had been turning up every single day to read him the footy scores…
NEW CHORLTON BAR
New bar restaurant Palate launched in Chorlton last night, between Tiny Tipple’s and the Chorlton office on Wilbraham Road. The new venue comes from the team behind Northern Quarter’s Castle Hotel, Chorlton’s Parlour and Salford’s Eagle Inn. Palate will serve up sharing platters of charcuterie from Cannon and Cannon, cheeses from Neals Yard, as well as a hot menu including mussels, pig’s cheeks, English white onion soup and raclette. There will be three draught beers to choose from by the Camden Brewery, Prosecco on tap and in tankards, Orchard Pigs ciders and a 60 bottle winelist. According to the owners, all light fittings are made from recycled cardboard, all furniture is hand-built from repurposed pallet wood, while all tables are served by fork lift trucks.
ITALIAN RESTAURANT AWARDS LAUNCH IN THAI RESTAURANT – EH?
Sleuth gets confused. On Thursday night he missed the launch party of the Italian Awards. Sponsored by Maserati, Frescobaldi and S Pellegrino amongst others, it was hosted by Aldo Zilli. The event was held at Thai restaurant Chaophraya on Chapel Walks and featured ‘a selection of Thai delicacies’. Eh?
Within a good cricket ball throw from Chaophraya Sleuth reckons there are at least eight Italian restaurants. The website for the awards is www.italianawards.co.uk and the first line says ‘Italian communities across the UK are a vital and integral part of our hospitality industry’... apart from in Manchester it seems. It continues with ‘everyone has their own personal favourite (Italian restaurant)’...again, apart from in Manchester where the favourite Italian seems to be Thai.
Sleuth thinks maybe we are witnessing the birth of a new cuisine: Eye-Thai.
...AND IN MORE AWARD CONFUSION
2015 will see the first ever Manchester Awards, 'aimed at celebrating everything that is great about the city'... in Glasgow.
SLEUTH’S ROMAN TEARS
Sleuth was in a tour party with the editor the other day. The editor was explaining the origin of Manchester’s name. It was a bit complicated but involved the Latin word ‘castrum’ for fort becoming corrupted over time by the Anglo-Saxons to ‘chester’, or ‘caster’, or ‘cester’. “Thus,” said the editor, “all towns and cities in Britain with names such as Manchester, Colchester and Lancaster are Roman in origin.” Sleuth was surprised to hear a sob from the guest on his left. “What’s the matter?” asked the editor. “My dog was called Chester and he died yesterday. You’ve just reminded me of how much I’ll miss him,” said the man. Awkward.
SLEUTH’S MONIKER MAYHEM
Sleuth is getting concerned about the naming of buildings in the city. We currently have HOME, and Hello in the city centre and at MediaCityUK, Tomorrow. Sleuth overheard a man talking to three men on the tram the other day. “Where do you three work?” he said to the first. “Hello,” came the reply. “Hello to you too, but where do you work?” he said in exasperation. “Tomorrow,” came the reply from the second. “No, not when are you working, but where?” he said. “Home,” said the third. “At last! A real reply,” exclaimed the man. At least Sleuth imagined he overheard this.
SLEUTH’S SHOULD BE A T-SHIRT...OF THE WEEK
Overheard in Manchester: ‘I like hangovers, they give me a sense of accomplishment’.
Accomplishment
