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 SECRET BAR BANS SLEUTH
Sleuth's never been barred before. Not properly. He's been in a few scrapes in his time, sure, politely shown the door once or twice after one too many shandies. But Sleuth's never been barred. So imagine Sleuth's shock this week when he learnt he'd been banned from a new bar in Manchester... without even going.
A few weeks ago Sleuth heard that a new 'secret bar', Wash House, was opening in Shudehill. The new bar, Sleuth was told, would be decked out to look like a laundrette out front, with a bolted door controlled by a lone doorman leading to a small bar in the back. You got in via a password or something. Cute.
Wash HouseSo why was Sleuth banned? Because the owners, who also run The Laundrette in Chorlton (ah, see, clever), thought Sleuth might publish something, so gave the doorman strict instructions not to let in a man wearing a beige mac and a hat with a 'PRESS' card slipped under the band. Sleuth hears the doorman was even given a bloody photo (the one above, probably). Daft.
Anyway, Sleuth being Sleuth, managed to slip in days later regardless. It was handsome enough; dark, relaxed, pleasant. Sleuth drank a cocktail with blue cheese in it. Sleuth regretted it instantly but admired the artistry. Sleuth liked the bar manager, Chris (who after fifteen years behind the bar knows a thing or two about cocktails), and gave his word that he'd wouldn't let the cat out of the bag.
Shame ILoveMCR.com utterly missed the point this week. Tut. 'This is why we can't have anything nice'...
We kept it in the bag... ILoveMCR let it outMOTEL ONE'S RATHER FINE BAR
Motel One on Whitworth Street, in the shadow of Piccadilly Station, has opened. The room prices might be the equivalent of the Travelodge but the bar area has been given a five star spec. Sleuth went with a buddy and drank two cocktails, a Manchester Bee and a Manc-hattan, a couple of double whiskies and two bottled beers in 39 minutes and 44 seconds. They're not normally that slow but they were in a rush. There's a full review to follow from the editor but the cocktails were excellent and the service from barkeep Nathan, see picture at the top of the page, exceptional. Motel One is a German Group but here they've, as the cocktails suggested, Manc-ed it all up. As in last week's Sleuth the web publicity might make no sense but this slick operation is the exact opposite. Go, particularly if you like house colour turqoise.
Motel One barMOTEL ONE'S ODD COMMEMORATION OF THE TWISTED WHEEL
Sleuth was amused by the plaque on the outside of the anonymous hotel facade from Manchester practice Hodder+Partners. It says 'Site of the iconic Twisted Wheel club. Pioneer of Soul and R'n'B music. Birthplace of Northern Soul'. Sleuth remembers this article on Confidential where people went crazy mad about the decision to demolish the 'iconic' building to construct Motel One. Sleuth suggests the sign should read 'Site of the iconic Twisted Wheel club. Pioneer of Soul and R'n'B music. Birthplace of Northern Soul...er...which was utterly destroyed to build this hotel. Sorry.'
MCR's 'FIRST RETRO AMERICAN DINER'... EXCEPT THAT ONE... AND THAT ONE
Sleuth loved the PR-giddy story on Confidential this week about Infamous - 'Manchester's First Retro American Diner' - to open in the Northern Quarter's Basil Chambers this July. The group behind the new diner, MAD Ltd (Hula, Rosylee, Walrus), could rightly stake that claim, of course, if it wasn't for this lot: TGI Fridays, All Star Lanes, Archie's, Five Guys, Red's True BBQ, Almost Famous, Hard Rock Cafe, Dog Bowl, all the Dixy Chickens, that Fatty Arbuckles and all those past Wimpy burgers... yes, yes but apart from those.
Oh and there's also Harley's over the road...
Harley'sDRUNKEN BUTCHER'S VEGGIE SURPRISE
Sleuth got hoodwinked this week. Sleuth had heard good things about a certain Drunken Butcher's supper clubs at his gaff in Whalley Range for some time. He was a bit of a wizard, Sleuth was told, and very handy with a slab of oink. Great. But, quelle horreur, Sleuth's companion, Miss Meatless, had sold him down the river. "Oh, by the way," she said as she hopped out the taxi, "tonight is vegetarian night."
"But he's a bloody butcher!" cried Sleuth.
"Not tonight," she replied. Sleuth should have known.
Sleuth was mortified but needn't have been. It was a quite remarkable meal; the highlight being a goat's cheese roulade cased in crumbled hobnob and creamy tomato soup. Brilliant. And all in this bloke's front room with a bunch of strangers (some a bit odd) for whatever you think it's worth in pounds sterling (guests are handed an anonymous envelope at the end of the meal). Anyway, well worth it. Keep an eye out @drunkenbutcher for his next event.
Goat's cheese rouladeSLEUTH'S BIGGEST COINCIDENCE EVER
Now this isn't your everyday, run-of-the-mill 'oh we've got the same birthday, how funny' coincidence. This is a whopper. Sleuth joined his pal in Deansgate's new wine bar, Bistrovin, above Spirited Wines (it's really very good you should try it) earlier this week. Sleuth and his pal were greeted by a chipper young man, George (all big white gnashers and 'everything's aweeeeesome'), peddling his new premium rum brand, Duppy Share. Sleuth and his pal happily accepted a free Duppy rum punch from George, and continued an earlier conversation they'd had about Richard Nixon and David Frost
"I'm sorry to interrupt," said George, "but did I just hear you mention Nixon and Frost?"
"You did," said Sleuth.
"Well," said George sheepishly, "I don't usually bring this up... but this is too great a coincidence..."
"Go on," said Sleuth's puzzled pal.
"This may sound like a wind-up," said George, "but Sir David Frost is my Dad..."
Silence.
"Well I'll be fu...." said Sleuth.
He was as well (read here).
Well would you believe it...
Ah yes now I see itNEW NORTHERN QUARTER BAR OPENS
Slate Pool Bar opens this week in the Northern Quarter with a fine range of...eh...what? In Leeds? In the Northern Quarter of Leeds city centre? Sleuth reckons those damned Tykes will steal anything, how dare they nick the name of Manchester’s Northern Quarter and apply it to the area up the road from their Grand Arcade on the smelly side of the Pennines.
BROMPTON TALES
Part One
Sleuth was supposed to lead a group of journalists on a tour of Manchester on Brompton bikes from Brompton Dock at Piccadilly this week. This is the place where you can hire a bike for Sleuth's deal of the week - just £2.50 per day. There was an element of worry that some of the guests might turn up in lycra because lycra is totally unsuited to the gentle speed of the elegant fold-away bikes. “What if someone turns up in lycra?” Sleuth was asked by a horrified Bromptoneer. “I’ll refuse to let them ride with us and point them in the direction of the velodrome,” said Sleuth firmly, adjusting his tweed jacket.
Part Two
Sleuth was riding past Old Trafford just as the crowd was leaving the match between Manchester United veterans and Bayern Munich veterans. His lady cycling partner was on a typical Raleigh bike. As they passed a young family, a little girl said, "Have they got on the wrong bikes?" When ordering a bike from Brompton Dock you don't seem to get a choice of colours. So Sleuth, butch, manly Sleuth, received one that was largely pink. The gentlemen United hordes who'd been drinking all day had some fine fun with that. Sleuth likes to spread amusement among the people.
The pink love machine
