Former MasterChef contestant opens fine dining pop-up inside Ancoats wine bar
Canapes disguised as succulents, beef fat 'candles' and puddings that look like lethal mushrooms are just a few of the surprises in store at the Sao Paulo Project
A new fine dining pop-up by a former MasterChef contestant has landed inside the kitchen of Ancoats wine bar Blossom Street Social.
Called the Sao Paulo project, it’s the brainchild of former Brazilian MasterChef contestant Caroline Martins.
Offering a British-Brazilian fusion menu that draws on her experiences working in Michelin starred kitchens around the world, she’s only in residency at the bar for the next three months – running from now until 19 March 2022.
Operating on a walk-in basis only (and just a stone’s throw from Mana, Manchester’s only Michelin starred restaurant), she’s serving up Michelin-style food for a tiny fraction of the price.
Here, canapes disguised as succulents, beef fat ‘candles’ and a pudding that looks like a lethal mushroom are just a few of the surprises in store for visitors to the Sao Paulo Project – and unlike most fine dining settings, there’s no set menu obligation.
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The ‘Romeu & Julieta’ pudding plays cleverly with appearance and reality, combining guava parfait and jam, parmesan Genoise sponge, Sangiorgio’s Minas cheese, Dormouse chocolate and lime crumble and edible flowers from Platt Fields Market Garden. / Image: The Manc Group
Rather, you can pay per dish, ordering what you like and leaving what you don’t.
There are seven different options on the menu to choose from, each distinct and interesting in its own way – with the bar currently working on a matching (optional) wine pairing list.
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Standouts include the ‘Romeu & Julieta’ pudding (£7.50), a combination of guava parfait and jam, parmesan Genoise sponge, Sangiorgio’s Minas cheese, Dormouse chocolate and lime crumble and edible flowers from Platt Fields Market Garden; and a terrarium of cheesy, meaty and fruity canapes simply titled a ‘selection of threes’ (£5.50).
A terrarium of canapes simply titled a ‘selection of three’ combines earthy cheeses and chicken liver with fruit purees, nuts, Exmoor caviar and more. / Image: The Manc GroupA hand-dived scallop served with tropical Brazilian ingredients like heart of palm and nutty, starchy cassava root mousseline. / Image: The Manc Group
Elsewhere, you’ll find a beautifully soft hand-dived scallop served with tropical Brazilian ingredients like heart of palm and nutty, starchy cassava root mousseline (£5.50); a sumptuous dry aged picanha from the Butcher’s Quarter (£12); and several cheese courses that combine punchy English cheeses with fruity chutneys and relishes made from banana, mushroom and more (£10-20).
Her ‘Bread Course’ (£6) surpasses all expectations, too.
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Switching out the tired old sourdough and bold butter format we’ve become used to, Caroline’s version features light, Calabrian sausage-laden brioche, textured caramelised onion butter and, just for a touch of theatre, an edible beef fat ‘candle’. Exquisite.
The beef fat ‘candle’ is served with light, Calabrian sausage-laden brioche and a textured, caramelised onion butter. /Image: The Manc Group
The final course on the list, a designated sharer, is great for groups – combining baked Tunworth cheese with guava paste, mixed nuts, rosemary and thyme in such a way as to revive a love of gooey, hot cheese (no mean feat following a Christmas spent stuffing ourselves with unreasonable amounts of the stuff).
Flanked all around by soft, buttery tearaway brioche rolls, it’s recommended for four but can easily feed plenty more – more than justifying the hefty-ish £20 price tag.
‘To Share’ combine baked Tunworth cheese with guava paste, mixed nuts, rosemary and thyme and is served with a mountain of brioche. / Image: The Manc Group. A cheese course combines punchy English cheeses from the Crafty Cheese Man with fruity chutneys and relishes made from banana, mushroom and more. / Image: The Manc Group.
Previously, Caroline has worked at the two Michelin star Trenkerstube at Hotel Castel in Tyrol, and in London at various kitchens including the two-star Kitchen Table at Bubbledogs in Fitzrovia and the one-star Galvin La Chapella.
Most recently, here in Manchester, she hosted a supper club pop-up at Manchester Union Lager brewery. Now she’s bringing those stand out dishes to Ancoats.
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When many think of Brazilian restaurants, they might think of all-you-can-eat steakhouses like Fazenda, Bem Brazil and Jardim Rodizio. Whilst Caroline does nod to this with a stunning dry-aged picanha course, ultimately this is not what you’ll find at the Sao Paulo project. Far from it.
Image: The Manc Group
Instead, the Cordon Bleu graduate Caroline’s menu showcases popular tropical Brazilian ingredients in a fine-dining style, combining them with local produce sourced from a wealth of independent Manchester suppliers like Flawd’s Cinderwood Market Garden, the Crafty Cheese Man and fellow Ancaots’ Brazilian the Flat Baker.
Assisted in the kitchen by former Mana and Lowry Hotel chefs, she’s headed for great things – no doubt about it. Not to be missed, make sure to pay her a visit – that way, when she’s on the telly later this year, you can say to your family with pride, ‘I’ve eaten that dish, it was amazing.’
To find out more, visit the Sao Paulo Project’s website here.
Feature image – The Manc Group / The Sao Paulo Project
News
Luxury Manchester gym Blok confirms permanent closure after weeks of uncertainty
Daisy Jackson
Blok Manchester has announced its permanent closure, weeks after the doors to the premium fitness facility mysteriously closed.
Around a fortnight ago, members began to arrive to their classes to find the gym on Ducie Street locked up and a forfeiture notice on the door – but at the time, Blok said that it was fighting to reopen.
Sadly, in an email sent to members today, its founder has confirmed that the studio is now permanently closed.
Blok – which has several very successful sites down in London – said that its relationship with its landlord has ‘broken down to a point where trust has been lost’.
The gym wrote that it’s been left with ‘no workable way forward’.
They said: “BLOK Manchester was a space built by our loyal and dedicated community. Whether you joined us for one class or one hundred, we are deeply grateful. You helped create something genuinely special in an incredible city.”
In the immediate future, they said they’ll be supporting the team of fantastic trainers who worked here, as well as looking after members.
Members will be contacted within a few hours with options and refunds owed.
Blok Manchester has announced its permanent closure. Credit: The Manc Group
CEO and founder Ed Stanbury said: “While this marks the end of a chapter, we don’t see it as the end of our story in Manchester. We’re already speaking with developers about potential future sites and remain committed to returning to the city when the time is right.
“Thank you for being part of our story so far. Let’s shape the future of wellness. The mission continues.”
Commenting on Blok’s Instagram post – its first in almost a fortnight – people have been sharing their sadness at the closure of its Manchester site.
One person wrote: “beautiful space, beautiful staff and beautiful community.”
Another said: “Sending love to all the instructors !! :(((( gutted”
Someone else commented: “THE BEST CLASSES. I’m gutted.”
‘The average cost of a pint’ in the UK by region, according to the latest data
Danny Jones
Does it feel like pints keep getting more and more expensive almost every week at this point? Yes. Yes, it does, and while you can’t expect a city as big as Manchester to be one of the cheapest places to get one in the UK, we do often wonder how it compares to other parts of the country.
Well, as it happens, someone has recently crunched the numbers for us across the nation, breaking down which regions pay the most and the least for their pints.
The data has been examined by business management consultancy firm, CGA Strategy, using artificial intelligence and information from the latest Retail Price Index figures to find out what the ‘average cost of a pint’ is down south, up North and everywhere in between.
While the latest statistics provided by the group aren’t granular enough to educate us on Greater Manchester’s pint game exactly, we can show you how our particular geographic region is looking on the leaderboard at the moment.
That’s right, we Mancunians and the rest of the North West are technically joint mid-table when it comes to the lowest average cost of a pint, sharing the places from 3rd to 8th – according to CGA, anyway.
Powered by consumer intelligence company, NIQ (NielsenIQ) – who also use AI and the latest technology to deliver their insights – we can accept it might seem like it’s been a while since you’ve paid that little for a pint, especially in the city centre, but these are the stats they have published.
Don’t shoot the messenger, as they say; unless, of course, they’re trying to rob you blind for a bev. Fortunately, we’ve turned bargain hunting at Manchester bars into a sport at this point.
We might not boast the lowest ‘average’ pint cost in the UK, but we still have some bloody good places to keep drinking affordable.
London tops the charts (pretends to be shocked)
While some of you may have scratched your eyes at the supposed average pint prices here in the North West, it won’t surprise any of you to see that London leads the way when it came to the most expensive pint when it came to average cost in the UK.
To be honest, £5.44 doesn’t just sound cheap but virtually unheard of these days.
CGA has it that the average cost of a beer in the British capital is actually down 15p from its price last September, but as we all know, paying upwards of £7 for a pint down that end of the country is pretty much par for the course the closer you get to London.
Yet more reason you can be glad you live around here, eh? And in case you thought you were leaving this article with very little, think again…
Georgina Pellant -
19th January 2022 
