There’s a restaurant in Manchester’s Northern Quarter serving up giant pancake tacos stuffed with streaky bacon, fried eggs and sausage, and we’re officially in love.
Taking thick and fluffy American pancakes as the sturdy ‘taco’ base, chefs at Kong’s NQ are filling up these sugary sweet bad boys with lashings of maple syrup and all the salty breakfast goodness you could wish for.
Crammed full of crispy rashers of bacon and a hand-shaped sausage patty, drizzled with syrup then topped off with a fried egg, according to Kong’s owner Tom Potts and co-owner/chef Martin Stephens it’s the only dish of its kind here in Manchester – and quite possibly in the whole of the UK.
Image: The Manc Eats
Image: The Manc Eats
Priced at £11, for that you’ll get two massive pancake tacos loaded with all your breakfast must-haves. Combining salty and sweet perfectly inside thick, sweet pancakes, it’s everything we want in a breakfast dish.
That said, there are plenty more dishes to tempt on the menu elsewhere – not least, one of the most perfect specimens of fried chicken French toast we’ve enjoyed in some time.
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Read more: The new restaurants and bars opening in Manchester this month | April 2023
Think thick toasted brioche loaded with Kong’s signature fried chicken, which is brined for three hours, rolled in a secret spice mix, then double-dredged for a crispier texture, plus streaky fried bacon, maple syrup and a comforting dollop of Cheshire Farm ice cream.
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Fried chicken French toast at Kong’s NQ. / Image: The Manc Eats
Crispy pork belly and green harissa breakfast tostadas at Kong’s NQ. / Image: The Manc Eats
Elsewhere on the brunch menu, you’ll find the likes of pork belly and green harissa breakfast tostadas, vegan black pudding breakfast muffins with hash, spinach and spicy salsa verde, and the ever-classic steak and eggs.
Add to that free coffee refills, and more dishes like Chipotle pulled braised beef egg benedicts and a special Breakie Burger with pork patty, smoked streaky bacon, aged cheddar, fried egg, hash browns and bloody mary ketchup, and it’s safe to say this is one hell of a brunch menu.
Newly opened on Oldham Street inside the old CBRB unit, Kong’s is predominantly known for its epic fried chicken dishes and has hosted different pop-ups around the city at locations including Black Dog Ballroom, Dog Bowl and Hatch.
Vegan black pudding breakfast muffin at Kong’s NQ. / Image: The Manc Eats
Vegan fried ‘chicken’ at Kong’s NQ. / Image: The Manc Eats
On its main menu, diners will find a host of its must-try fried chicken burgers alongside some elegant small plates and larger sharing dishes.
Whilst still working for CBRB, back in 2021 Kong’s owner Tom took advantage of the furlough scheme to start his own specialist fried chicken sandwich business – even cooking and serving his first sandwiches out of CBRB’s kitchen whilst the restaurant was closed.
Now, everything has come full circle with him taking the keys to his old place of work and transforming it into his first permanent restaurant.
Featured image – The Manc Eats
City Centre
Michael Bisping announces second ‘Tales From The Octagon’ talk with Manc MMA star Tom Aspinall
Danny Jones
UFC legend Michael Bisping is bringing back his hugely popular Tales From The Octagon conversation series and he’s bringing Manc MMA star Tom Aspinall as well as Scottish fighter Paul Craig along for the latest Manchester talk.
Following the success of his first trio of live shows back in 2021 — then marketed simply as ‘An Evening with Michael Bisping’ — the Lancashire-raised fighter has invited along the two fellow Northerners to make this latest event more of a discussion surrounding MMA’s past, present and future.
Despite being born in Cyrpus, Bisping spent most of his life not too far down the road in Clitheroe and has spent a lot of time in Manchester, including winning multiple fights at the AO Arena and even meeting his wife, so there was never any question he’d be bringing the tour back to his second home.
Hosting just two shows this time, one at London’s Indigo at the O2 and the other at the Manchester Apollo, the talk promises stories spanning years inside the Octagon as well as the 44-year-old’s time commentating cage-side since retiring back in 2018.
The second Tales From The Octagon live show will also see the special guests chipping in with plenty of their own “wonderful, hilarious” and exclusive “behind-the-scenes stories” and they provide their own take on the MMA scene at large of today.
Craig, a former light heavyweight champion and Aspinall, a Salford-born heavyweight currently ranked fourth overall in the UFC, will both be joining the expert panel across the two dates this winter, bringing their own funny anecdotes, personal stories and unique takes on their careers and the sport as a whole.
Best of all, like sitting down to watch with a mate who also happens to be a vastly knowledgeable fight fan, Bisping style on stage draws both casual and new fans with the open, informal style, whilst still making sure to entertain the hardcore followers of the sport.
With Aspinall being not only a local lad but one of the UFC rising stars and next in line for a heavyweight, we’re also looking forward to hearing his thoughts on how fast-growing career. Here is Bisping speaking on just how excited he is by the 30-year-old fighter:
This won’t be the last time you hear Bisping talk up Manchester’s best new fighter.
Speaking ahead of the two new shows, Bisping said: “The last tour in the UK was epic, I was overwhelmed by the turnout and reaction of my fans old and new. I can’t wait to come back later this year with a new show and with Tom and Paul in tow.”
Given the popularity of these three and the fact the previous tour went down a treat, it’s fair to say seats to sit in on this conversation are going to go fast.
Now branching into acting, running a successful podcast and YouTube channel, not to mention a Sunday Times and Amazon Best Seller thanks to his 2019 autobiography, Quitters Never Wins, you’re getting a real value-for-money showing.
The Tales From The Octagon 2 talk in Manchester takes place on 16 December; tickets start from just £28.50 and you can secure yours HERE.
Featured Image — Supplied/Michael Bisping/Tom Aspinall/Paul Craig (via Instagram)
City Centre
Northern Quarter’s iconic ‘Big Horn’ could be coming back to Tib Street
Danny Jones
Manchester is famous for many iconic landmarks, with many of them situated in the legendary district of the Northern Quarter, and while it might not be there anymore, there is one that still stands firm and fondly in our memories: ‘The Big Horn’.
So much so, in fact, that it might even be coming back.
If you ever walked down Tib Street during some time between 1999 and 2017, you will have come across the rather odd-looking sculpture simply known as The Big Horn, created by artist David Kemp as part of his ‘Unsound Instruments’ series.
Erected just before the millennium, the unique piece of artwork was built as a symbol of growth in the Northern Quarter, an area of Manchester that has continued to be a melting pot for local history, culture and progress. Unfortunately, however, with that progress often comes the old making way for the new.
The trombone-shaped was sadly removed from its home on the corner of Tib and Church Street six years ago after it was announced that the land it sat on was to become a new apartment block developed by Salford-born billionaire and Betfred founder, Fred Done.
After the sculpture was pulled down, it was donated to Manchester City Council and has been sitting in storage ever since, but with NQ continuing to be a hive of art, creativity and industry — three things that are at the core of Manchester as a whole — many have been calling for it’s return.
It’s over half a decade since we last saw The Big Horn in this iconic part of town, but thanks to a new planning application by those passionate about maintaining and restoring local culture, it is now on the verge of making a comeback just around the corner.
Being driven by property developers Bruntwood and already in the consultation stage, a proposal, heritage statement and even details surrounding where the sculpture could be reinstated have all been drawn up and submitted — it’s now just a case of waiting for the green light.
At one point, The Big Horn was a signpost that let you know you had arrived in Northern Quarter. (Credit: David Dixon)
With the plan to reaffix the horn to the side of another nearby cultural hotspot, Afflecks, which bears just as much significance on the area’s music and art scene, The Big Horn’s return could be imminent and attract a whole new set of eyes, as well loom large in those that previously admired it once again.
Set to measure up at 5.3 metres off the ground and 12.8m above street level at its highest point, not to mention be attached to one of Manchester‘s most beloved buildings, the sculpture could be set to boast more pride of place than ever.
The council application was submitted on 15 September and those interested in having their say can get involved with the consultation right up until 13 October.
You can play your part in saving a piece of Manc history and bringing The Big Horn back to the Northern Quarter HERE.
Georgina Pellant -
5th April 2023 
