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. Sometimes Sleuth even gets serious @mcrsleuth
NEW BAR NEWS
Sleuth has wind of new developments over at Great Northern Warehouse, three new bars in fact, which together will form the wet part of Beat Street’s ‘crazy new mashed-up food and drink street’ in Deansgate Mews.
Original plans for the Crooked Claw cocktail bar have been scratched, while Beer’d, a ‘homage to the British craft beer movement’, has been left back in 2015 with the chin fuzz. Instead, Sleuth is told the boys are drawing up plans for: a Japanese-themed Crazy Pedro-style attic bar with Kung Fu movies and stacks of Chinese Lucky Cats; a ‘banging’ wine bar and coffeeshop without the wanky artifices or either; a Czech beer den and a ‘massive’ mezzanine sun deck with rumours of a 7m long T-Rex.
Typically run-of-the-mill stuff from this lot then. More to follow...
Beat Street will take over Deansgate Mews at Great NorthernGORDO & THE CONFUSING CD
Sleuth and Confidential publisher Mark ‘Gordo’ Garner received an interesting invite through the post this week. The invitation was to the opening party of Red Door, the new subterranean music and cocktail bar opening in the former JW Johnsons site beneath Botanist (first look here). The new basement hangout is the result of long discussion between the late Living Ventures boss Tim Bacon and his long-term pal and business partner, Dave Hinds. In a fitting tribute to music-loving Bacon, the novelty invite came packaged as a cute mini-vinyl and sleeve listing ‘Tim Bacon’s Top Ten’, including hits such as Lynyrd Skynyrd’s Sweet Home Alabama, Folsom Prison Blues by Johnny Cash and The Snake by Al Wilson.
A few minutes later Sleuth hears a barrage of profanity coming from the corner of the office occupied by Gordo. “F**K S**T W**K I can’t get this f**king Tim Bacon CD to work on my laptop,” yelled Gordo. “It’s an invitation,” said Sleuth, “made of cardboard.” “Ah, yes, so it is,” said Gordo.
WARNING: This novelty invitation will not work in your laptopPUMP UP THE MILKJAM
Sleuth’s colleague, Deanna Thomas, took one for the team this week by selflessly working her way through a six course dessert menu with matching cocktails, crafted by those sucrose-pushing sugarbabes at MilkJam. She munched through a malted milk screwball, dispatched a donut made from sweet potato, devoured a double chocolate Clementine brownie ice cream sandwich, crammed in a coconut cheesecake profiterole, chewed through a chocolate marble beer and bolted down a box of brownies. Sleuth's decided to put her in charge of Land’s End Confidential and make her walk to work and back. She’ll thank Sleuth once she’s over her sugar crash.
'More chocolate, madam?'SLEUTH'S MOST TYPICALLY SEXY FRENCH MAN
Sleuth met the famous and very charming French chef Jean-Christophe Novelli at Manchester's Don Giovanni restaurant this week, where Novelli will be creating a special menu plus hosting a series of special one-off events from September. One of the marketing team told Sleuth that Novelli was once voted 'ze sexiest chef in ze world'. "Can't imagine why," said Sleuth, his knees buckling.
SLEUTH’S BURGER SHOCK
Sleuth hears the Corn Exchange restaurants are up in arms about a pending licence application for the area between them and the National Football Museum. The licence is for a burger van to be placed there. Honestly you try and bring some spick and span mid-range dining, conviently located all under one roof, and then along comes Mr Greasy Chops and his oily onions to mess it all up.
Burgers? At the Corn Exchange? Never!SLEUTH AND THE MODS
Sleuth was on a tour of King Street the other day and the group were gathered outside Jamie’s Italian. Suddenly there was an overwhelming noise, like a storm brewing and thunderclaps. It was impossible to hear the guide. Turned out it was the scooter boys, all Mod-like with shiny chrome. The reason they were gathering outside the old Reform Club was clear. Liam Gallagher’s Pretty Green shop is located in the building and Oasis are associated with scooters, while Pretty Green was a Jam song who were associated with Mods. Sleuth loves the little sub-cultures of Manchester. Well, mostly.
"How's it Fred, still riding scooters?" "Yep, you?" "Yep"SLEUTH IS BANNED FROM THE GENTS
Sleuth was telling the men on the King Street tour how the most gorgeous gentlemen’s toilets in the north of England are in the former Reform Club which hosts Pretty Green. They are beautiful, all green marble and mahogany, quite unrivalled for their elegance and craftsmanship. “Thing is,” he said looking at the ladies in the group, “only your sex gets to see them.” The beautiful gents is presently the fitting room for lingerie specialist Agent Provocateur and no matter how many times Sleuth asks to take a peek it’s always a no. Maybe he shouldn’t use the word peek.
The sight of Sleuth in the fitting room is too much for someSLEUTH'S VIEW OF THE WEEK
Sleuth was up on the Co-op's One Angel Square balcony this week loving the city view with the superb CIS Tower in front, the grand sweep of the new Victoria Station roof to the right and the climbing skyline of the Greengate area of Salford just behind. Oh, the Arndale tower too, I suppose.
SLEUTH'S MANCHESTER AS LOS ANGELES PIC OF THE WEEK
Sleuth loves how the current Cities of Hope street art convention going on around Northern Quarter and Ancoats (gallery here) has animated some forgotten corners of the city. Like these two giant murals on Oak Street, sorry, South Central LA, no, Oak Street...
SLEUTH’S FAVOURITE NEW MANCHESTER EVENT
Sleuth loves going along to John Dalton Street to watch batteries being fitted.
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