A family-run deli in West Didsbury is serving a special cost of living breakfast menu to help its customers struggling to make their paychecks last.
The Boulevard Deli is a little gem of a cafe tucked away in the middle of a newly built housing estate. Beloved by locals, it’s something of a word-of-mouth spot – as if you don’t happen to wander past (and you probably wouldn’t) the chances are you’d never stumble across it.
Luckily, we walked by this week – and so we’re here to spread the good news about the cosy little spot and its awesome 8am breakfast club, where you can get your fill of brews and barms for under £3.
Running from 8am to 8.59am daily, choices available on the breakfast menu include egg barms, bacon barms and sausage barms, with prices starting from £2.
Other options available on the deal include a steaming hot portion of hash browns for £1.50, a brew or coffee for £2, and a combo deal with tea or coffee and a hash brown for £2.50. You can also add a hash brown to any barm for 50p.
ADVERTISEMENT
Available for takeaway and eating in, the deal has been designed to help locals struggling to make ends meet as the cost of living crisis continues to drag on.
Image: The Manc Eats
Image: The Manc Eats
It’s symbolic of the welcoming and friendly nature of the family-run deli, which has nothing but five-star reviews on its TripAdvisor page.
ADVERTISEMENT
One person reviewing the cafe wrote: “Absolutely beautiful cosy place with amazing food and a lovely chilled atmosphere, awesome customer service and luxury feel through and through all whilst being very affordable. Love it here xx”
Another reviewer said: “Excellent cafe, wide range of food and drinks, family run and fantastic atmosphere. I’ll be going more now I know it is there.”
ADVERTISEMENT
A third wrote: “We called in here yesterday for breakfast. A couple of years since we’ve been as no longer work in Didsbury but was in the area and so happy to see this business is thriving.
“The food is first class, excellent quality. I had scrambled eggs on toast with sausages, my husband had bacon and sausage bap, plus 5 drinks only £22. The staff are lovely. Would love to go back in an evening to try their meals and cocktail menu, highly recommend, wish we lived closer x”
A fourth called it a ‘jewel in the crown’ in their review, as they said: “I absolutely love this place. The food is great! Home made soup is always good. Pizza’s tasty! Everything I’ve ordered has been great! I’ve even been after closing time and the Amazing owner went out of his way to make us something to eat.”
Aside from breakfast dishes, Boulevard Deli also serves up a wide range of salads, alongside burgers, pizzas, light bites, omelettes and hot sandwiches.
ADVERTISEMENT
Menu highlights include the hot carvery barmcakes with sauteed onions, potatoes and gravy, the minute steak barm and roast pork loin with a choice of apple or stuffing.
Featured image – The Manc Eats
Eats
Inside The Black Friar as Salford pub unveils incredible floral display
Daisy Jackson
Spring has really sprung in Salford – legendary pub The Black Friar has just revealed a sensational makeover, with gigantic flowers sprawled across its frontage and a new seasonal menu to go with it.
The historic pub is celebrating the changing of the seasons with both a striking floral installation and a menu that celebrates spring and Salford in equal measure.
Most Mancs will by now have spotted the 4,000 flower-strong installation that now adorns the front of The Black Friar, with bright pink, yellow and purple flowers spilling from a gigantic pink tap.
And all those florals continue inside, with the pub’s Tavern – previously a cosy winter hideaway – now filled with trailing blooms and woodland installations, just off their award-winning garden.
Cheshire-based artist Kelly Louise Chapman is the woman behind this sensational transformation of the much-loved gastropub.
As for the pub’s kitchen, they’ve crafted a new very seasonal and very British menu, with plenty of nods to Black Friar’s Salford roots.
There are dishes like a Boddingtons braised ox cheek (the pub still proudly displays its Boddingtons sign outside), aged beef tartare, butternut squash and ricotta tortellini, and pan-roasted cod fillet.
Spring small plates at The Black Friar pubDelicious spring drinksInside The Tavern at The Black Friar
A popular item from the Valentine’s Day menu – the Cornish crab vol-au-vent – will be sticking around on the spring menu, along with an enhanced grill section that includes a lamb Barnsley chop cooked over coals.
Then for desserts, you’ll be spoilt with a banoffee knickerbocker glory, and passionfruit panna cotta.
And for drinks (because this is a pub, after all), The Black Friar has put together a range of seasonal drinks like a rose sangria sharer, and non-alcoholic sodas like kaffir lime and coconut.
Ben Chaplin, head chef at The Black Friar, said: “This new menu is all about celebrating the best of spring produce.
“We’ve carefully crafted each dish to highlight fresh, seasonal ingredients and bold flavours, adding new depth to our offerings while still delivering the comfort that will always be associated with The Black Friar.
“My top recommendation and personal favourite dish is the Slow-Cooked Boddingtons Braised Ox Cheek.”
Neil Burke, owner of The Black Friar, commented: “We wanted to bring a taste of spring to The Black Friar, inside and out. This floral installation will transform the space and bring sunshine and smiles, whatever the weather!
“My top recommendation on the new menu is the Cumbrian Spiced Lamb Scotch Egg. It’s EXCEPTIONAL.”
To find out more about The Black Friar and to book a table, visit HERE.
Team behind award-winning Higher Ground to open new Bar Shrimp seafood bar in Manchester
Daisy Jackson
Higher Ground, one of Manchester’s very top restaurants, is to open a brand-new seafood bar later this year.
With Bar Shrimp, they’ll be bringing a brand-new offering to town, with cocktails, beers on tap, British seafood and snacks.
Bar Shrimp will come from Daniel Craig Martin, Joseph Otway and Richard Cossins, who at this point are a well-oiled operational machine.
They’re the team behind proudly British bistro Higher Ground, which grows much of its own produce at its Cinderwood Market Garden and earned a Michelin Bib Gourmand within a year of opening.
The same team are also behind Flawd, the beautiful waterside wine bar at Ancoats Marina.
And they’ve cemented themselves as one of Manchester’s most widely acclaimed hospitality teams – even Rick Stein says Higher Ground is one of the best places to eat in the entire country, which is high praise indeed.
Bar Shrimp, set to open in Manchester this winter, aims to be a ‘relaxed and focused bar with delicious food’.
They say: “Whether it’s a beer after work, some food with friends or after dinner drinks late into the night, Bar Shrimp will be a dynamic space where the music and energy evolves throughout the evening where everyone and anyone can come together for a memorable experience.”
They announced the news this morning on Cerys Matthews’ BBC 6Music Show.
British seafood with a side of cocktails? Sounds alright to us.
A location, opening date and more info on Bar Shrimp will follow – stay up to date with their latest HERE.
Georgina Pellant -
12th September 2023 
