Over in Chorlton, there’s a new coffee and bagel shop that’s making waves amongst south Manchester foodies.
Called Smoak, it opened its doors next door to cocktail bar Henry C a couple of months back and has been on our to-visit list ever since.
The brainchild of owner Johnathan Barnett, a self-proclaimed coffee obsessive and former finance professional, the shop has a laidback atmosphere despite being busy when we visit early on a Friday afternoon.
At ground level, it’s all airy plywood with blue and orange accents, a sleek barista countertop and local artwork hanging on the walls, but it’s out the back of the cafe that the real magic happens.
For the past few months, John has been making his own pastrami in the basement from scratch – leading Smoak to develop something of a reputation as the new go-to for any and all New York-style bagel fans.
Now, though, he tells us, he’s built a purpose-built smoking area out the back – it no longer being practical to do it downstairs.
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Not one to do things by halves, he’s curing his beef brisket in-house for a minimum of seven days before dry rubbing it with a host of spices, then hot smoking for a minimum of six hours.
The team here is also making their own harissa in-house, and it’s some of the best we’ve tasted – punchy, zesty and fresh, all at the same time.
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The coffee here is stellar, and there’s also a bakery counter filled with fat salted caramel and oreo crumb doughnuts from local baking sensation DGHNT. But it’s really the pastrami-stuffed bagels that we’ve come to try.
On the menu, you’ll find an array of six different options: all packed with home-smoked meat and veg. There’s chunky aubergine, smeared in that bright, zingy harissa (or available on its own) for veggies and vegans, with spinach, red onion, and aubergine and garlic puree.
As for those who don’t eat beef, there’s a harissa chicken bagel or a chicken and aubergine option. Both come served with added spinach, red onion, mayo and butter.
We opt for a harissa chicken, alongside the main attractions: a ‘PLT’ packed with thinly-sliced pastrami, lettuce, tomato and mayo, and the ‘Pastrami’ with added sauerkraut, gherkins and mustard mayo.
In the case of the latter, the pastrami comes thickly sliced and hot, with an acidic freshness from the various pickles spilling out of it.
All are very reasonably priced at £6.50 for meaty bagels and £6 for vegan options. You can also opt to double up on your aubergine, pastrami or chicken for an additional £1.50, and buy bags of Smoak’s own coffee blend beans to take away.
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Well worth a look in, to find out more and see the full menu you can follow Smoak on Instagram here.
Feature image – The Manc Eats
Eats
Manchester’s smash burger and ice cream legends Big Licks launch huge crowdfunding effort
Daisy Jackson
Big Licks, the Manchester restaurant that’s found the ‘sweet spot’ between amazing burgers and delicious desserts, is sailing through a huge crowdfunding campaign.
The restaurant, which has an eye-catching location down on Liverpool Road as well as two sites in Scotland, has already raised a whopping £135,000 for its expansion dreams.
It’s now pushing to hit £150,000 so that it can open new restaurants and franchises across the UK.
Big Licks was first launched by two teenagers in 2009 as a takeaway – it’s now gone on to be a rapidly expanding name bringing in £3m in sales and more than 400,000 customers in the last 12 months alone.
On their menu you’ll find incredible smash burgers (with up to four patties in each bun) made with free-range grass-fed beef that they source directly from farm, or buttermilk chicken topped with their signature ranch sauce.
There’s also an impressive menu of house-churned ice cream made with quality local ingredients, and cakes, cheesecakes and brownies all baked in house daily.
All that is alongside fried chicken, loaded fries, and other mouth-watering sides.
Next on the agenda for Big Licks is expansion across the country, offering up the chance to become a shareholder in this bright young business.
They want to use the money raised to prepare the business for franchising, with a target to open 18 restaurants by 2027.
Then any extra money raised will be used to open more company-owned restaurants.
And there are rewards on offer for those who choose to invest in Big Licks.
If you invest £100, you’ll get a Big Licks White Card which gets you 10% off in store, as well as owning a share of the business.
Then the rewards continue with other things like free burgers and shakes all the way to merch and much bigger discounts.
Co-founder Anees Ahmed said: “It is clear that the potential is great.”
He added: “We believe one of the key ingredients to a successful restaurant is creating a hangout spot, a vibe. That will always be our aim when you come to Big Licks.”
The businessman then said: “We won’t compromise on quality. We will always keep sourcing within head office. This means we keep producing our own ice cream using locally sourced organic milk and the finest Italian flavours.
“We’ve found that sweet spot. The combination of sweet desserts and smashing burgers that opens up audience’s doors, covering off every craving.
“We want you to be part of the journey and become a shareholder in Big Licks.”
You can find out more about the Big Licks crowdfunder through Crowdcube here.
*Don’t invest unless you’re prepared to lose all the money you invest. This is a high-risk investment and you are unlikely to be protected if something goes wrong.
Eats
Electrik Bar in Chorlton is giving away 100 FREE frankfurters to celebrate their latest kitchen collab
Danny Jones
We all love a freebie, so we thought we’d spread the good word of the scran lords by letting you know that Electrik over in Chorlton is giving away 100 free frankfurters to celebrate their newest menu takeover.
The popular neighbourhood bar and kitchen on Wilbraham Road in the South Manchester suburb has had a couple of different foodie collaborations over the past couple of years, with local residents Paramogeddon and Four Side Vegan Pizza being the most recent, but now they’re doing hot dogs.
Welcoming their latest vendors Tisch Und Teller, Electrik will be giving away a total of 100 free frankfurters to the first century of people there this evening.
Bringing a taste of Berlin, Bavaria, Frankfurt and more (with a Manc twist, of course) to the popular pub for the Thursday launch party, all you need to do is order a drink upon arrival to get your hands on a free frankfurter sandwiched between a lovely fluffy roll.
Who doesn’t love a hot dog? Especially when they’re giving them away.
As for Tisch Und Teller (TuT), they’ve been serving up German-inspired favourites from the likes of The Shakespeare in Manchester city centre and Nip and Tipple in Whalley Range since September last year, including some very impressive brunches and Sunday roasts.
But the brand just keeps gaining more traction and now they’re setting up shop in Electrik, we’re sure the word will continue to spread – and fast.
Better still, as advertised on the promo poster, not only will TuT now be serving up their delicious food from Electrik every Thursday-Sunday for the foreseeable but the launch party will also live music by local legend and DJing veteran, Abigail Ward of Ghost Assembly.
Free food, pints and top tunes – what more could you ask for on a random weeknight?
The offer will be available from 6pm tonight and, once again, you have to be among the first 100 people to buy a pint to be eligible for a free frankfurter.