A new vegan pasta restaurant has opened in The Royal Exchange, bringing entirely plant-powered plates to Cross Street as it takes over the former Vertigo site.
Called Pastan, inside diners can expect to find a variety of handmade pasta dishes and other delicacies, all made with premium ingredients and cooked in full view of the restaurant.
Serving a fully plant-based menu, favourites include the likes of loaded, deep-fried gnocchi, Dolce Vita (vegan carbonara), Green Velvet (a pea and shallot ravioli dressed in a salsa verde) and Catalonia (black cavatelli pasta made in a rich tomato sauce, spiced with apricot harissa and rosemary).
Image: Pastan
Image: Pastan
Elsewhere, pasta fans can dig into vegan Buffalo ‘mozzarella’ as part of its Portafina starter – a vegan spin on the popular Caprese, with added tomato, basil and olive oil – or opt for a shitake caesar salad, made with pulled exotic mushrooms, cashew ‘parmesan’, deep-fried gnocchi, Heura ‘chicken’ nuggets, lardons and vegan mayonnaise.
Dishes on the menu are set to change according to the season, and Pastan has partnered up with Carbon Free Dining – an environmental initiative that enables restaurants to mitigate the environmental impact of their meals by planting life-changing fruit trees in the developing world.
Speaking on the new opening, Pastan Co-founder Jerome Ibanzes-Fawcett said: “Our love for food, fresh pasta, our concerns about sustainability, and passion for the hospitality industry was the driving force behind the creation of Pastan.
“We think Pastan will be a great addition to the already thriving vegan community in Manchester”.
Image: Pastan
Image: Pastan
Co-founders Dean Fawcett and Jerome Ibanzes-Fawcett have worked in the hospitality industry for over twenty years.
After the success of their pop-ups in Neal’s Yard in Covent Garden, Notting Hill and Bristol, they opened their first permanent restaurant in Barbican, London. In addition to their brand new Manchester site, the pair plan on opening more locations in Bristol and Brighton towards the end of 2022/ early 2023.
Their new location, nestled in the heart of Manchester in The Royal Exchange, boasts a relaxed and cheerful vibe with aalk-ins and bookings both welcome.
To find out more and book a table, visit Pastan’s website here.
Manchester restaurant to give out FREE katsu curries to people called ‘Kat’ or ‘Sue’
Emily Sergeant
In what is a small stroke of genius, a restaurant chain has decided to give out free katsu curries to anyone called ‘Kat’ or ‘Sue’.
Throughout September, award-winning restaurant chain Banana Tree – which has a Greater Manchester site down at Salford Quays – is shining the spotlight on its popular katsu creations, and as a clever way of celebrating National Katsu Day on 27 September has announced a pretty unique giveaway.
That’s right – the restaurant will be serving up katsu dishes to people called Kat, Sue, and every delicious variation of the names in between.
Anyone named Kat, Katie, Katherine, Sue, Suzy, Susan, Suzanne – or close enough to qualify, the list goes on – can head to their local Banana Tree restaurant, and all they’ll need to do is show proof of name and they can enjoy a free katsu dish of their choice, worth up to £16.75.
The chain’s kastu lineup includes three star dishes.
First there’s the much-loved Katsu Curry, as well as the all-new Katsu Burger, which is made from either a crispy chicken or veggie fillet, spicy mayo, puffed noodle crunch, and a drizzle of Katsu sauce tucked into a soft Shokupan bun with a side of salt n pepper chilli chips.
Then there’s also the intriguing newcomer, the Katsu Carbonara – which is described as being a daring East-meets-West mash-up and ‘unapologetically’ Banana Tree.
Banana Tree is giving away free katsu curries to people called ‘Kat’ or ‘Sue’ / Credit: Banana Tree
With each of these dishes usually priced around the £16 mark, the giveaway isn’t just a way of marking National Katsu Day, but it’s also a way to sample the some of the restaurant’s biggest crowd-pleasers entirely free of charge.
To avoid any confusion on who makes the cut, Banana Tree will reveal the full qualifying list of name variations on Instagram soon, so keep your eyes peeled.
“Our Katsu range is one of our proudest creations, so National Katsu Day felt like the perfect moment to have some fun with our fans,” a Banana Tree spokesperson said ahead of the giveaway.
The free katsu offer is available for four days only from Monday 22 to Thursday 25 September, and you just need to head to the Banana Tree website to sign up to the Big Flavour Club here.
Featured Image – Banana Tree
Food & Drink
Bar Shrimp announces opening date as Higher Ground team gear up for new project
Daisy Jackson
Bar Shrimp, a new seafood and cocktail bar in Manchester from the team behind Higher Ground, has officially got itself an opening date.
The hotly-anticipated newcomer will be serving cocktails, beers, and British seafood and snacks from its spot on New York Street.
As well as confirming an October launch date, the team have also shared a glimpse of the menu Mancs can expect from next month.
Bar Shrimp will be offering an Oyster Happy Hour every weekday, as well as caviar with house-cut crisps, devilled eggs, and Sussex smokie fritters.
Expect shellfish over ice, Cornish crab cocktail, bar snack classics and even beef burgers.
It comes from the same team behind Higher Ground and Flawd, headed up again by hospitality dream team Joseph Otway, Daniel Craig Martin and Richard Cossins.
And they’ve partnered with Stockport-based MasterSounds, to install a state-of-the-art custom-designed sound system with music director Lukas Stankunas curating the music programming on a weekly basis.
They say the venue will be a ‘dynamic space where the music and energy evolves throughout the evening’.
The team behind award-winning Higher Ground are opening a new seafood bar, Bar Shrimp, in Manchester
Inside, it’ll be decorated with plush-red banquettes, floor-to-ceiling drapes, and table service throughout.
Matt Pazos, Bruntwood SciTech Retail Commercial Manager, said of the announcement: “Bar Shrimp promises to be another big success for the team and we can’t wait to welcome them to Faulkner House.
“This exciting new concept, bringing together the team’s exceptional knowledge and experience of food and hospitality combined with their passion for music, will further complement the thriving community in this part of Manchester city centre.”
Walk-ins will be welcomed for drinks but reservations are encouraged for dining.
Reservations for Bar Shrimp have gone live today ahead of its official launch on Wednesday 22 October – sign up HERE.
The Manc -
22nd November 2022 
