Here in Manchester, ramen places have always been a bit like buses. For years, there’s hardly been any, then all of a sudden a load appears all at once.
Thanks to the arrival of Toyko Ramen, CBRB, and Lucky Ramen these past few years, city folk are now well-catered to – but for those in the suburbs, good ramen can still be a hard thing to find.
Thankfully Chorlton has just welcomed a brand new addition in the form of Shogun Ramen and Bar, where noodle fiends can slurp down umami-rich broth, nori, and gooey eggs to their heart’s content.
Image: The Manc Eats
Image: The Manc Eats
Opened inside what was formerly Peck & Yard, Shogun might be a new concept but it all still comes from the same team.
On the menu, you’ll find six different styles of ramen served in either a rich and flavoursome pork bone tonkotsu complete with a secret base, a 6-hour chicken broth for non-pork eaters, or vegan-based miso and shitake mushroom broth.
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The eponymous Shogun tonkotsu is the signature dish here and made even more indulgent with the addition of truffles, whilst the ‘owner’s favourite’ ike no tonkotsu features shitake mushroom, double nitamago eggs, sweetcorn, and chilli flakes.
Traditional tonkotsu fans, meanwhile, will definitely want to try the ‘original’ which combines thick slices of barbecue pork belly with kikurage mushrooms and a dusting of spring onions.
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Image: The Manc Eats
Image: The Manc Eats
In a nod to the site’s past as a beloved chicken shop, there’s also a chicken teriyaki ramen served in a 6-hour broth with radish. nitamago egg, mushrooms, spring onions, sesame seeds and sweetcorn.
As for vegans, they’re well looked after too, with a plant-based bowl featuring wilted pak choi, kikurage mushrooms, spring onions and sesame seeds.
Elsewhere on the menu, you’ll find nibbles like edamame, fried vegetable gyoza, chicken yakitori and stuffed bao buns to get your appetite going, alongside a selection of cocktails and Japanese beers.
The new concept sees the team behind Peck & Yard breathe new life into their restaurant as they give things one more shot after announcing a heartbreaking closure earlier this year.
In the summer, the team said they ‘did [their] best but unfortunately it wasn’t enough’, sharing a farewell video last month that showed staff members hugging one another and ‘holding back tears’
Now they’re back, reopening under a new name and switching up their concept from fried chicken to steaming bowls of ramen.
Having previously considered opening a ramen shop prior to launching Peck & Yard, owners said that now seemed as good a time as any to give things ‘one last shot’ – and we’re so glad they did.
Open from 5pm – 10pm Thursday to Friday, 1-11pm Saturday and 1-9pm Sunday, head down to the restaurant on Manchester Road to get your traditional ramen fix.
Feature image – The Manc Eats
Eats
Top Manchester restaurant ‘so chuffed’ after receiving glowing national review
Daisy Jackson
Top Manchester restaurant Skof has received a stunning review from a national critic, with the team saying they are ‘so chuffed’.
The acclaimed NOMA restaurant, headed up by chef Tom Barnes, has rapidly become one of Manchester’s most decorated restaurants.
Not only does it proudly display its first Michelin star – earned in less than a year after opening – but it’s also been named the coveted AA Restaurant of the Year.
And now Skof can add a rave Guardian review to the list too, with critic Grace Dent heaping praise upon the business.
She said that Skof is ‘well worth the hype’, describing it (much like its parent restaurant L’enclume) to be ‘one of those intensely relaxed yet still ferociously fancy restaurants’.
Dent praised ‘hugely scoffable’ snacks like a cheese biscuit topped with broad bean, pike roe and shiso, as well as a lightly set custard with truffle and mushroom dashi (‘a quiche filling on steroids’).
In her Guardian review, she also loved the final course always served at Skof no matter how much the menu changes with the seasons – the tiramisu served from a giant bowl, tableside.
“The final hurrah: that scoop of Tom’s dad’s tiramisu, served from a big bowl,” Grace Dent wrote.
“It’s a clunky, sentimental and, ultimately, glorious end to the meal. Many Michelin-starred restaurants bookend your visit with a gift of seeds, teabags or fancy chocolate, but at Skof they send you on your way with this tiny taste of boozy stodge that’s both incongruous with everything that went before but at the same time is also symbolic of Tom Barnes’ life and everything that went before.”
Grace Dent heaped praise on Skof in a recent Guardian reviewSkof placed 29th in the National Restaurant Awards
The amazing review also said: “Fine dining can at times be truly maddening, and leave diners hungry and hoodwinked, but Skof is proof that this often precarious blend of pacing, staging and portion size can be properly magical.”
She signed off by saying: “Skof is clever and emotional… It’s also well worth the hype, so do try to nab a table, if you can. It’s fancy, yes, but it also fills you up. This is fine dining that even a naysayer would like.”
Skof has said that it’s ‘so chuffed’ to receive the review, which landed in The Guardian on the restaurant’s second birthday.
They wrote: “Our 2nd birthday just got a quite a bit more special with an absolutely amazing review from @gracedent. We’re so chuffed with the write up. Hope the man from the traitors comes down, so we can serve him a crumpet.”
You can read Grace Dent’s full Skof review in The Guardian here.
The legendary Hulme community pub The Old Abbey Taphouse has been reborn
Daisy Jackson
The closure of The Old Abbey Taphouse was a real blow for Hulme and the surrounding university district area; the community pub was a bit of a local institution thanks to its grassroots music and inclusive atmosphere.
But now it appears that the spirit of the venue lives on, under the new name of The Abbey.
Some of the city’s most experienced independent operators – who have been behind venues like YES and The Deaf Institute, and music promoters Now Wave – will be the new custodians of this beloved local landmark.
The pub, which closed early last year, has now been carefully and lovingly restored ahead of its big relaunch, which will start in true Manc vision with an exclusive opening night gig.
The Abbey is reborn. (Credit: The Manc Group)
The vision for its new chapter will be ‘Old Pub, New Music’, creating a new home for grassroots live music and emerging artists.
There’s also affordable, hearty pub grub, including Pieminister pies, and a huge range of beers from local breweries and beyond.
Bringing The Abbey back to life are a core team of four: Ruth Hemmingfield, Wesley Jones, Jonathan Wickstead and Gareth Butterworth.
Ruth, Jon and Wesley are co-owners of YES; Ruth previously launched and programmed landmark Manc venues including The Deaf Institute, Gorilla and Albert Hall; while Wesley and Jonathan, through Now Wave, promote hundreds of independent gigs and live events each year.
As for Gareth, he’s the founder of the multi-venue festival Manchester Psych Fest, meaning that all of them have plenty of hospitality, late-night, live music and events experience between them.
The team behind The Abbey pub. Credit: Piran Aston
The rear of the site of The Old Abbey Taphouse will be extended to create a new dedicated live music and events venue, while the cherished beer garden is given a facelift with new decking and its own bar.
The Abbey has stood in Hulme since the 1890s, playing an important role in the area’s heritage – this is where activist Len Johnson managed to overturn the shameful ‘colour bar’ policies of the 1940s.
Its restoration and relaunch are part of the flourishing Manchester Science Park development.
Matthew Pazos, Senior Retail Commercial Manager at Bruntwood SciTech, said: “Ruth, Wesley and Jonathan are the perfect custodians to breathe new life into The Abbey.
“Their reputation for running independent spaces in Manchester, alongside their live music expertise, will ensure this much-valued pub once again becomes a beating heart for Hulme and the wider neighbourhood.
“The reopening of The Abbey will create an inclusive new hub that welcomes everyone – from the Hulme locals who have looked after the pub over the years, to the Manchester Science Park community, university students, and the many residents and workers across the Oxford Road Corridor.
“We are delighted that such a culturally significant and important pub is set to open its doors once again.”
Ruth from the new Abbey team commented: “We love a good pub. With The Abbey, we’re excited about bringing a brilliant old pub back to life, protecting what people loved about it, and creating something special: a great local, alongside a vital grassroots music venue for the area.
“We’re honouring the pub’s history while building its future.”
Georgina Pellant -
7th October 2022 
