The Botanist is giving one lucky person the chance to win free kebabs every day with their very-own ‘black card’.
Tucking into free kebabs 24/7 would undeniably be the mouthwatering dream of many a foodie, but now, it could actually become a reality thanks to the popular restaurant chain, The Botanist – which has a number of restaurants in Manchester and across the North West, and is known for its famous hanging kebabs.
By now, the concept of a ‘black card’ is well known.
It’s common knowledge that rapper Stormzy has an elusive Greggs ‘black card’ to his name, which gives him free pastries and baked goods for life, and chart-topper Ed Sheeran has proudly flashed his Nando’s ‘High Five’ card in the past that promises all the peri-peri chicken he could want for a whole year.
But while it seems that celebrity status has been the only ticket to free food up until now, The Botanist is thinks one of its customers would be more-deserving recipient to go where no famous name has ever been when it comes to food perks.
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The Botanist is giving one lucky person the chance to win free kebabs every day with their very-own ‘black card’ / Credit: The Botanist
The Botanist revealed a first look of its exclusive ‘Golden Leaf’ card on Instagram last week to celebrate hitting 100,000 followers, and explained that the card entitles the owner to free hanging kebabs at any of its venues across the country every single day for three years.
Only one Golden Leaf exists though, so how do you get your hands on it?
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The restaurant chain isn’t willing to give the card away to just anyone, so it’s not as easy as entering a competition and hoping for the best, as instead, you’ll have to prove your love for hanging kebabs by telling The Botanist team “what hanging kebabs mean to you” before the closing date of Friday 11 March.
10 people will then be taken through to the next stage of the vetting process, although the criteria for selection is mysteriously vague, and no details about how the lucky winner will be chosen at the next stage have been revealed either.
The Botanist is known for its famous hanging kebabs / Credit: The Botanist
To be in with a chance of snapping up The Golden Leaf, then you’ll need to head on over to The Botanist’s Instagram page here.
Enormous Manchester venue set to open (again) after brief rebrand
Daisy Jackson
A huge, glamorous restaurant and bar space looks set to reopen just months after it closed down and attempted to rebrand.
SakkuSamba announced back in June that it was closing for a short while to undergo a refurbishment.
That news came after two years hosting all-you-can-eat sushi dinners and star-studded parties in Spinningfields, like an afterparty with Ne-Yo following his show at the AO Arena.
They wrote at the time: “Exciting News! We will be closing our doors on June 2nd for an exciting refurbishment and upgrade. We’re sorry to be closing for a little while, but stay tuned for updates over the next couple of weeks as we begin this transition!
“We can’t wait to show you what’s coming next soon!”
But then SakkuSamba never reopened and the space instead became Raft, essentially Manchester’s most boujie buffet.
Raft had a huge dining room upstairs, a hidden club room, a ‘toilet disco’, 360-degree DJ booths, and a ‘coastal boozer’ on the ground floor.
The restaurant when it was previously SakkuSamba. Credit: The Manc GroupVs when it was Raft. Credit: The Manc Group
Raft was only open for three months when it was suddenly bolted shut, with a forteiture notice in the window that was apparently linked to a ‘historic dispute’.
And now, in an unexpected twist in events, SakkuSamba has shared that it’s coming back to Manchester.
Keeping up okay? Let’s continue.
In the first post since announcing the temporary closure and refurbishment of both of its restaurants (in Manchester and in Bradford), SakkuSamba wrote: “SakkuSamba 2025. Manchester keep your eyes peeled, major announcement coming soon.”
If it follows the same format it took previously, that means a fusion of Brazilian and Japanese cuisine together in a swanky all-you-can-eat setting.
And hopefully it’ll last longer than poor Raft did…
Northern Quarter craft beer bar Fierce Bar announces sudden closure
Thomas Melia
A much loved independent craft beer bar in the heart of the Northern Quarter is set to close before the end of the year.
Fierce Bar, which opened in Manchester city centre in 2020, has been a firm favourite for Mancs and visitors alike with their range of beers and IPAs.
The Fierce Beer company has established itself as a leading force within the beer community winning ‘Scottish Brewery of the Year in 2021’ and numerous Scottish Beer Awards.
Their wide range of drink flavours pay homage to varieties from the USA and offered people who frequented their Thomas Street site in the Northern Quarter were treated to a refreshing taste of the transatlantic.
The Thomas Street bar had previously been home to 57 Thomas Street, a bar operated by Marble Brewery, which also operates The Marble Arch.
In a post on social media which opens with, “Some sad news…”, the company have stated: “We face continually spiralling costs that unfortunately mean it’s going to be unsustainable to continue operating the venue viably going forward”.
There’s still some hope as beer brand have also announced: “This is not the end for Fierce Beer south of the border though; we’re continuing to keep an eye on the market and aim to get back as soon as we can with a new physical location.”
Anyone wanting to continue the bar’s legacy in Manchester can sport the indie establishment’s range of t-shirts, hats and funky glasses, some of which adorned the walls.
Being a Scottish born and bred brewery, if you’re still after your alcohol fix, you can still visit their two other locations in Edinburgh and Aberdeen next time you’re heading up north.
The last day of trade for Fierce Bar will be 20 December where the founders Dave and Louise will be heading to the Manchester site say a sad goodbye.
As it will be the final night of service ever, the team are urging anyone to pop down for a pint or two to commemorate the Manchester home.
It’s a shame to see such a well-used city centre social space shutting its doors, however Fierce Beer loyalists fear not as their online website is still very much alive and thriving here.
Emily Sergeant -
10th March 2022 
