News

NEW MANC EATS featuring proper steak bakes and a Mancunian McMuffin

Plus a new taproom from Track, free oyster at Three Little Words and Manchester's first dedicated açaí bar

Georgina Pellant Georgina Pellant - 27th September 2021

Following Guardian critic Jay Rayner’s rave review of Erst as “one of the best meals of this year,” we expect there will be plenty of eyes on Manchester’s budding food scene this week.

Whilst Trove’s sister restaurant isn’t getting an inclusion, we felt it deserved an honourable mention – especially given the fact it was also recently ranked as one of the very best restaurants in the country.

That said, there’s plenty more to be talking about too as even more new openings land in the city and – who knows – Rayner could be visiting one of these next.

From indie bakehouse Batard, who have eyes from Chef Table on them as they open their new cafe at SEESAW this Wednesday, to Manchester brewers Track and their brand new taproom, we’ve some great spots for you to check out this week.

Keep reading to discover more.

Image: Track Brewery

A new Track Brewery taproom

Back Piccadilly has long been a spot filled with excellent local brewers. For those in the know, this also makes it a great place to head down and sample some of the freshest beer in the city given that many also have their own taprooms.

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Already well populated with the likes of Cloudwater, Manchester Union, Alphabet, Squawk, Beer Nouveau, Wander Beyond, this weekend the trading estate will also see Track Brewery open the doors to its new and improved unit, no. 18 to the public from 12 pm on Friday.

Expect 23 taps pouring different creations, including the 3.8% Sonoma – one of the brewery’s signature session beers.

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Find it at Unit 18, Piccadilly Trading Estate, Manchester M1 2NP. Track Brewery’s taproom opens Friday 1 October, 12 pm.

Batard’s babke french toast with red wine poached pear, poaching liquor, honey-tahini mascarpone, burnt white chocolate / Image: Batard

Indie bakehouse Batard opens at SEESAW

It’s an exciting moment for fans of Batard’s blackened bakes, as the indie bakehouse moves into a new permanent home on Princess Street. Taking over the cafe at SEESAW, co-founders Dorothy Jaffa and Lewis Loughman will be serving up hearty breakfast and lunch dishes using their own baked in-house breads.

Think porchetta and celeriac sandos, grilled cheese, and the return of their ‘proper’ steak bakes, plus breakfast babka, stout rarebit, and Batard’s signature take on the McMuffin.

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Find it at 86 Princess St, Manchester M1 6NG. Batard is open for coffee and breakfast from 9 am pm, lunch is served from 12 – 3 pm.

Mana and Three Little Words have collaborated on a new oyster gin in the name of sustainability, and there’s free oysters in it for all of us / Image: Three Little Words

Free oysters and gin martinis at this archway bar

Simon Martin, the chef behind Manchester’s only Michelin star restaurant Mana, has teamed up with distillers at Three Little Words’ Spirit of Manchester to make an oyster gin. All done in the name of sustainability, the gin has been distilled using oyster shells from Mana that would’ve otherwise gone in the bin.

To celebrate its launch, the Manchester Gin team has created two bespoke cocktails and they are giving away free oysters as a garnish – served either fried or fresh – at their archway bar and restaurant Three Little Words.

Choose from the mana Perfect Serve (£9), which pairs the Mother of Pearl Gin with lime, basil, and Franklin & Sons light tonic; or the Mother of Pearl Martini (£11), combining oyster gin with dry white vermouth, bergamot liqueur and lemon bitters.  

Find it at Three Little Words, 12-13 Watson St, Manchester M3 4LP.

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Image: Acai and

Manchester’s first dedicated açaí bar

A Brazilian dessert originating from Pará and Amazonas, açaí na tigela translates simply to ‘açaí in the bowl.’ Made of frozen acai palm fruit that is pureed and served as a smoothie, it’s become quite a trendy ‘health food’ breakfast option in recent years.

Whilst you can already find açaí bowls in Manchester, this new opening sounds set to become a go-to spot. Started by former pilot Connor and his partner Alisha, the pair discovered the treat whilst travelling and fell so in love they decided to create a business around it.

Eat your heart out Pret, because they also serve banana loaf, yoghurt and granola bowls and avocado toast.

Find it at the Arndale Market, 49 High Street Arndale, Manchester M4 3AH.

Feature image – Batard / Alex Proudfoot

News

How will the Government’s new digital ID alternative for alcohol sales work?

Emily Sergeant Emily Sergeant People on mobile phones

All licensed venues across England and Wales now have the choice to introduce digital proof of age for alcohol sales alongside physical.

Instead of having to hand over physical ID that contains personal information, such as names and home addresses, customers now have the choice to simply provide confirmation that they are 18 or over on their phone – helping to better protect privacy and personal safety in the process.

This means that, no matter whether you’re buying a drink at your favourite pub, heading to a festival, or enjoying a night out at a concert, you won’t need to worry if you’ve left your ID at home.

According to the Government, this new change will benefit businesses greatly too, as certified digital services are able to check that an ID is genuine and belongs to the person presenting it much easier than the alternative can, which therefore helps to reduce the risk of any fake or borrowed IDs going undetected. 

So, how will it work then?

Well, according to the Government, it could be as simple as a customer showing a QR code for staff to scan, or tapping their phone against a compatible reader, where staff will then receive a clear confirmation on their device that the customer has passed the age check.

This change follows a 2024 Government consultation where it was reported that 72% of respondents supported the use of digital identities for age verification when buying alcohol.

Digital Government Minister Stephanie Peacock reiterated that ‘it will remain an individual or business’ choice whether to use or adopt [digital ID]’ and that physical ID will ‘still remain a valid way’ for customers to prove their age.  

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“This groundbreaking change in the law will mean you do not need to carry a physical ID, nor hand over sensitive personal information such as your name or address just to prove your age, allowing everyone to feel safer on a night out,” she concluded.

Featured Image – Robin Worrall (via Unsplash)

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Manchester to host G20 Summit in 2027 with more than a dozen world leaders descending on the city

Emily Sergeant Emily Sergeant Manchester Central

Manchester has been confirmed as the host city for the G20 Summit next year.

It was already announced back in November last year that the G20 Summit would be coming to the UK in 2027, and plans were apparently already being discussed to host it in Manchester even before Andy Burnham became Prime Minister and Number 10 North was set up.

But now, ahead of this year’s leaders’ summit being held in Miami in December, it has been confirmed that the G20 Summit will arrive in Manchester in November 2027.

Manchester is said to have been picked to host the leaders’ summit because of its ‘cultural heritage’.

Bringing together 19 of the world’s largest economies and two major multilateral bodies – the European Union and the African union – G20 members who will be invited to attend the summit next year make up 85% of global GDP, 75% of international trade, and two-thirds of the world’s population as a whole.

Manchester has been confirmed to host the G20 Summit in 2027 / Credit: 10 Downing Street | Paul Kagame (Flickr)

G20 members are also some of the UK’s closest economic partners, the Government insists.

17 of the UK’s top 20 global export markets attend the summit, as do 18 of the UK’s top 20 sources of foreign direct investment.

The presidency of the G20 is currently held by the US but will pass to the UK after the leaders’ summit hosted by the president at his Trump National Doral Miami golf resort in December.

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The 2027 summit will be held at Manchester Central, it has been confirmed, and other locations across the UK will also host other G20 events as part of the year-long presidency, but these are yet to be announced.

Featured Image – Google Maps

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