Eats

A pop up cafe especially for sausage dogs is coming back to Manchester

Over 100 sausage dogs and their owners are set to descend on Revolution Oxford Road this September.

Emily Sergeant Emily Sergeant - 10th June 2021

Do you love Dachshunds?

Do you enjoy seeing many little sausages in the same place? Are you looking for your little pup to make some sausage friends?

Well you’re absolutely in luck, as after what can only be described as a smash-hit success when it first visited our city back in 2018, the dachshund pop up cafe – or we should say ‘pup up cafe’ – is returning to Manchester this September, with over 100 sausage dogs and their owners set to descend on Revolution Oxford Road.

The Pup Up Cafe: Dachshund Edition has managed to secure the the whole second floor of the spacious venue for all the dogs to roam free and enjoy some wholesome fun.

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Sausage dog owners and dachshund fans can mingle with many furry little friends – up to 50 a session – take part in a range of competitions, and stock up on dachshund-related goodies, all while the pups themselves enjoy unlimited dog treats, unlimited free puppuccinos, and play to their heart’s content with ball pits, tunnels, toys and many other fun props.

It already sounds like it’s going to be a pretty jam-packed day – and there’s even more fun to be announced over the coming months too.

If you fancy joining The Pup Up Cafe for “a sausage mad day”, then tickets will set you back £9 if you’re a sausage dog owner, and £12 if you’re just a dachshund fan who’s keen to go along for the fun anyway.

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Over 100 sausage dogs and their owners are set to descend on Revolution Oxford Road / Credit: The Pup Up Cafe

The Pup Up Cafe: Dachshund Edition will arrive in Manchester on Sunday 26th September from 10am – 5pm, with multiple sessions throughout the day.

You can grab your tickets here.

Featured Image – Pup Up Cafe

Eats

Siam Smiles, the authentic Thai cafe on a Manchester backstreet

Georgina Pellant Georgina Pellant

When Siam Smiles was still a little cafe in a Chinatown supermarket it received serious rave reviews. Since moving up to Deansgate Mews, however, it seems to have been forgotten about a little.

Most famously described as “the most exciting thing to happen since the days of the Hacienda” by Marina O’Loughlin in a 2014 review for The Guardian, owner May also made headlines for teaching herself to cook on Youtube after her chef left the business one month after opening.

National critics, like O’Loughin and others, were seemingly drawn in by the cafe’s novelty – not one review missed the opportunity to mention the supermarket, or tell you how the ingredients in the dishes were often the same as the ones on the shelves.

But since it has moved over to The Mews, an oft-forgotten back street within the Great Northern Warehouse complex, the reviews have gone suspiciously quiet – so we thought we’d pop in to see if it’s all still up to scratch.

Spoiler alert, it definitely is.

Stir fried chicken Pad Ka Paow with jasmine rice and a fried egg. / Image: The Manc Eats
Inside SIam Smiles on Deansgate Mews. / Image: The Manc Eats

Two years after that rave review from O’Loughlin, rising bills forced the cafe to close – but with a little help, May reopened in 2016 at the Great Northern Warehouse. It’s here that you’ll still find her cooking up a storm today.

With bills firmly on the rise once again, we thought we’d pop in to shine a light on this longstanding Mancunian gem and are happy to report her food hasn’t faltered one iota.

We went for stir fried chicken Pad Ka Paow with jasmine rice and a fried egg, and a steaming bowl of KuiiTiwe Moo Nam Tok with fresh egg noodles and roasted duck breast, with two glasses of Singha on the side.

Read more: The swanky new Manchester cocktail bar housed in an old bank vault

A hearty portion of green papaya salad with dried shrimps. / Image: The Manc Eats
A steaming bowl of KuiiTiwe Moo Nam Tok with fresh egg noodles and roasted duck breast. / Image: The Manc Eats

We also couldn’t help but opt for a hearty portion of green papaya salad with dried shrimps, a dish that’s hard to find but something of a speciality here, as well as a second glass noodle salad with plump prawns and minced pork.

The dressings, always made by May herself, completely hit the spot with their balance of hot, sour, salty and sweet. 

Read more: ‘We are facing extreme economical pain’ – District suggests it could be closing

We strongly recommend you pop in and show Siam Smiles some love. It’s not all just about the shiny new restaurants, after all. We need to treasure the veterans too – and this is one we need to protect at all costs. 

Find the cafe on Deansgate Mews Unit G Upper Level ,Great Northern, 253, Deansgate, Manchester M3 4EN.

Feature image – The Manc Eats

Eats

There’s a huge burger food fair happening in Manchester next weekend

Emily Sergeant Emily Sergeant

Burger lovers in Manchester should probably get themselves down to the city’s largest street food hub next weekend for a feast like no other.

That’s because GRUB is hosting its very-own burger food fair.

Perhaps it’s not the first city you’d think of when it comes to burgers, but Manchester is absolutely chocked full of an endless list of eateries and food traders serving up some of the most impressive patties you’ll quite possibly ever see in your life.

Whether you’re a meat lover, chicken fanatic, veggie or vegan/plant-based, there truly is something for everyone to tuck into in our city.

And a handful of those finest food traders are coming together all under one roof for the GRUB Burger Food Fair – which is taking over Manchester’s biggest street food venue and events space next weekend from Friday 30 September – Sunday 2 October, and is promising to bring “wall to wall burgers” to the hungry masses.

The Cheetham Hill-based venues’s annual celebration of all things burgers returns for 2022, with traders bringing a special menu inspired by their own take on the humble burger, as well as a whole range of different sides, snacks, and all-American desserts to go along with it.

BON Street Food, Spicy Baby, Thief Street Grill & Waffle, Charlie Mac’s, and The Cookie Smith are some of the traders you can expect on Friday and Saturday.

And then, as is the tradition at GRUB, everything that is served up on the Sunday of the three-day event will be completely “plant-powered”.

GRUB Burger Food Fair is taking over from Friday 30 September – Sunday 2 October / Credit: Thief Street Grill & Waffle | BON Street Food

Vegan vendors Boneless Brigade, and Dohlightful just some of the names lined-up to take part.

Read more:

GRUB Burger Food Fair is free to attend, and will kick-off from 4pm each day of the three-day event, with no need to book any tickets in advance.

It has to be said though, that GRUB’s themed food fairs are always very well attended, so for that reason, the venue recommends that any large groups planning on heading down next weekend should book a table here.

Featured Image – GRUB MCR

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