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. 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
SOLITA NQ PIZZA PARLOUR
"You know what really bugs me," said Solita owner Franco Sotgiu as he talked Sleuth through his latest plans for Solita III in the former-Aumbry in Prestwich. "That I can't get a decent pizza in Manchester." (this is no secret, Sotgiu on average, sends 2,743 tweets a day, half of which are about not being able to find a decent pizza - he's Italian you see) "So do something about it," Sleuth replied, "you're the ruddy restaurateur."
Little did Sleuth know that Sotgiu (the only person ever to have been diagnosed with Sotgiu's 'busy-arse-itus' - meaning he can barely sit still longer enough to eat a biscotti) had already secured a site for a new wood-fired pizza parlour in the Northern Quarter to open late-summer 2015.
"Think trestle tables, Italian beers, wood fired Neapolitan-style pizzas and a first for the North, pizza al metro - pizza be the metre," Sotgiu told Sleuth. He wouldn't give up the location, but told Sleuth it's within 200m of Solita NQ. Hmm, Sleuth's spotted a few empty sites by Shudehill of late...
Solita planning a pizza parlour
ROOM SINGS A CARROLL
British Belgian brothers Bernard and Francis Carroll have been designers and restaurateurs that have done much for the Manchester dining scene. They have been - separately or together - behind the late lamented Brasserie St Pierre, Lounge Ten and the once upon a time Reform. This became Room and sadly closed last week - click here. So Sleuth was interested to learn that the brothers took time out to visit the site this week. Could the boys be thinking of re-inventing the space, reforming Room so to speak into the big glamorous beast it was as Reform?
Room
ROAST & CONCH
Sleuth was sad to see that Steve Pilling, the man behind numerous successful Manchester operations (Sam's and Thomas's Chop House, Damson, Dockyard, amongst others) had given up on his Roast & Oyster restaurant idea for Deansgate's Courthouse buildings after Hawksmoor stole his thunder (see here). Sleuth loves to shuck more than most.
Sleuth was talking to a pal with a pal (stick with us) involed with Henry Boot Developments - owners of the building. He told Sleuth that before Hawksmoor were announced as flagship tenants, a new restaurant called Roast & Conch (fair bit roasting going on in the Courthouse, eh?) were to open in the space. Roast & Conch is a restaurant by British chocolate brand Hotel Chocolat - there's a big Roast & Conch in Leeds, Sleuth's told, plus one in London and one in St Lucia, of all places. According to Sleuth's pal Hotel Chocolat may now look at the site again. Sleuth's had a quick look and found that every dish includes cocoa, including Yorkshire pudding filled with pulled pork and cocoa gravy... reconsider, Mr Pilling?
Courthouse Deansgate
UNDERLIT LOVELINESS AND THE MOST BORING RANTING IN THE NORTH
Sleuth loves these benches in St Peter's Square. Sleuth loves everything about the St Peter's Square redevelopment and the relocation of the Cenotaph. Sleuth especially loves the lighting such as the illumination under the aforementioned benches. Sleuth doesn't love being stopped every nine point eight seconds by people throwing up their arms and saying, "How can the council leave all this tarmac here?" They're not leaving it here folks but there's no point putting paving down until the lines for the second city Metrolink crossing are in place. So please stop ranting on about it and stop coming up to Sleuth and going on about it. Sleuth feels like standing there with an A-board.
Underlit delight
MANCHESTER ARENA IS WORLD'S THIRD BUSIEST
A report conducted by Pollstar placed Manchester Arena as the third busiest concert venue in the world. UK venues took all three top spots in the survey, with London's O2 arena first with 1.8m tickets sales in 2014, Glasgow's SSE Hydro second with 1.05m and Manchester Arena close behind with just over 1m tickets sold last year. What's perhaps most surprising is that the United States' flagship venue, New York's Madison Square Garden, was so far behind Manchester with only 790k tickets sold. Sleuth thinks this is great news for the city, and can't wait to catch S Club 7 at the arena on Friday 8 May. Best £50 he's ever spent - S Club tickets here.
Phones 4u Arena
ALBERT HALL GRANTED WEDDING LICENSE
Ever wanted to get married in an old Brannigans bar? Sleuth knows he has, he's oft dreamt of groomsman in Guinness tophats, big bottles of Hooch on the tables. Well the Trof Group's expensively refurbed Albert Hall on Peter Street (formerly Brannigans) has just been granted a wedding licence, meaning you can share vows on the stage where Goldfrapp, Sam Smith and Bombay Bicycle Club have all performed. A huge organ comes included, the same can't be said of the wedding night...
Albert Hall
Albert Hall 's huge organ
JIZZDOG, SIR?
Now Sleuth understands the 'dirty food' trend has become an excuse for provocative marketing and filthy one-upmanship, what started with 'slut sauce' has fast descended into 'Go-Fuck-Yourself Burgers' and 'Stick-It-Up-Your-Arse-Pal Burritos'. But Sleuth draws the line at Deansgate Locks bar Lola Lo's 'JizzDogs' (For the sake of decency Sleuth has removed all jokes about explosions, chin drips and salty aftertastes... because, as one ranter pointed out in last week's column, Sleuth is 'better than that'....... spooge).
Sleuth's ok thanks
...AND IN BEZ NEWS
Sleuth thinks the first bit of 'Bez News' for 2015 is a cracker. The Happy Mondays' maraca man's much-publicized push for a MP's seat in Westminster and revolution has stumbled at the first hurdle. He barely made the first hurdle, actually, more broke his ankle coming out of the blocks. While Bez rememembered to turn up to the launch of his Reality Party in Salford on Monday, what he did not remember was to actually register his party with the Electoral Commission - read here.
Sleuth's now on the look out for another revolution and hears some bloke called Russell has started one to change the world and definitely not just to sell some books - you can buy your own 'Revolution' here for £17.
Bez: 'registering is for The Man, man'
