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
LONDON COMING
Sleuth hears two more London brands are on their way up the M40.
Healthy fast food chain Leon - set up in 2004 by Henry Dimbleby (yes the son of David) and John Vincent - are reportedly close to nailing down a site in Manchester. The chain - which has 26 outlets across the South from Carnaby Street to the Eurotunnel - plan to expand into cities with a high density of health-conscious 'cultural creatives'. So if you like hummus, the Whitworth and Macs you're in, sonny.
Next up is London-based crowdfunded burrito pushers Chilango, founded by former Skype employees Eric Partaker and Dan Houghton. Last year the pair raised over two million quid to fund the expansion via their self-styled 'Burrito Bonds', which for £10k afforded the investor 8% interest and one free burrito each week - meaning you're up £400 worth of burritos each year, but down £200 on new pants.
Chilango's heading for ManchesterSTEAKS ON A PLANE
Sleuth's just had to rub his eyes. Then again. Once more. Right...
There's a new steak restaurant opening in Bolton within the fuselage of a disused Boeing... and they're calling it 'Steaks On A Plane'.
According to Bolton News, the new restaurant on Deane Road - a homage to the Samuel L Jackson film Snakes On A Plane - was bought from a base in the Cotswolds and will replace The Steak Out (which was built into an old red double-decker bus... course it was).
Once Steaks On A Plane becomes established, owners plan to open a chain of Samuel L Jackson-themed venues including: Jurassic Pork (nose to tail), Snacky Brown (any snack, must be brown), Gulp Fiction (coffee/book shop), Deep Blue Cheese (stinky French cheese store), Tea Avengers (tea shop, superhero themed), Mango Unchained (juice bar), Fry Hard with a Vengeance (greasy spoon), Out of White (wine bar that only serves red) Grill Bill (barbecue place) and Jungle Fever-schnitzel (veal cutlets marinated in Um Bongo).
Time for steak off
DRUNK IN THE MARBLE ARCH
Sleuth loves the Marble Arch on Rochdale Road, a proper pub with great beers, good food and the most ridiculously superb mosaic and tilework in the main bar area. The architect back in the 1880s was Alfred Darbyshire, a dandy and a thespian, who also designed the interior of the Palace Theatre. But Sleuth isn’t sure all this is shown off to best advantage on the first slideshow image on the webpage.
Marble Arch: It's A Right Laugh 'EreNEW NQ RESTAURANT
Sleuth's also fond of Hyde's new Abel Heywood boozer on Northern Quarter's Turner Street, named after, well, Abel Heywood (1810-1893), the prolific Prestwichician polymath: printer, publisher, politician, policeman, protester, postie, park ranger, panel beater and paleontologist. Ok Sleuth made the last four up but truth should never get in the way of an amusing allitertion accumulation. Enough.
The problem with this charming Hyde pub and boutique hotel is that the first floor (pictured below) has always been so idle - a penitentiary for woebegone furniture. Good news then that bosses are planning to launch a new restaurant, Abel's Dining Room, serving plenty of British meat, game and seafood from Friday 18 September.
By the way, the main hour bell in Manchester Town Hall is known as Great Abel after Abel Heywood. Good name for a bell, Abel.
Some life for Abel's first floorLAMENT THE MANCHESTER ARMS
Sleuth walked past the site of the Manchester Arms close to Victoria Station the other day. A year or two ago he was given the witty 1975 Manchester Pub Guide by Gwen, who was then landlady at the Briton’s Protection. The book proved again that the recent past is far weirder than the distant olden days. The book describes the attractions of the pub. ‘There are nightly and free stripshows. Amidst bright green lights, a series of ladies perform to an attentive audience of itinerant Scotsmen, sweaty middle-aged gentlemen and British Rail porters. Those of a somewhat nervous disposition should beware of the first room on the right, where mine host appears 90 per cent topless (where does one put one’s eyes?). There’s a choice of pool and football tables, together with a fruit machine, which has been known to smoulder.’ Mind you on the outside the pub was a cracker of an eighteenth century house and was where James Sadler, recently honoured with his own square in Manchester, made balloon flights in the 1780s.
Manchester Arms: a haven for itinerant Scotsmen, sweaty middle-aged gentlemen and British Rail portersLINCOLN HOUSE, A DYING PIONEER
Lincoln House is for the chop as reported on Confidential here. The Holford Associates building was a glass pioneer in its day and marked a sea change from the odious brick apologies for buildings that had been the fashion such as Heron House and Centurion House. One of the stories is that when the proposal appeared in the Planning Office in 1986 a deputy to the then chief planning officer, Ted Kitching, is reported to have said, “Hey Ted, look at this before we turn it down.”
Lincoln House
Let's hope the finished scheme is better than this renderSLEUTH'S DISH OF THE WEEK...
This has to be the sliders (American for mini-burgers) at Spanish restaurant La Bandera on Ridgefield. Sleuth giggled with glee as he stuffed his face with fried squid burgers with tomatoes, alioli and caramelised onions. This was all packaged in a bun infused with squid ink but done so delicately it induced a somewhat metaphysical elation.
The SliderSLEUTH'S NAUGHTY DISH OF THE WEEK...
Yard & Coop's new burger... oh what are you like...
BEST RESPONSES TO ANOTHER MANCHESTER MICHELIN SNUB...
Warehouse project founder Sacha Lord-Marchionne...
Chef Michael 'Hair Metal' O'Hare of newly Michelin starred restaurant Man Behind The Curtain...
Michael O'Hare
The Michelin ManSLEUTH'S NOT-AS-EASY-AS-IT-LOOKS OF THE WEEK...
This is the new AirRunner (£499 from Selfridges) and this is not how it's done...
How it should be done...
