Starting from humble beginnings with its owner roasting jerk chicken over a coal fire on the streets of north and south Manchester, today Buzzrocks Carribean is one of Manchester’s most treasured institutions.
Named after its owner Buzzrocks Anderson and the tightly-packed dumplings for which he’s become especially famous, the family-run business has been feeding Mancs for over 30 years now.
Beginning with Jamaican-born Buzzrocks cooking up feasts on the streets at Manchster Carnival before graduating to an eight-foot trailer and then his very own takeaway shops, in those heady early days his food was a staple for clubbers pouring out of all-night Caribbean clubs and shebeens in Hulme and Moss Side.
Back then, his cooking was also said to fuel not just boozy and stoned clubbers but also gamblers playing cards in the area’s illicit dens.
Image: The Manc Eats
Image: The Manc Eats
Of course, in the space of thirty years things have changed, and whilst the original sit-in cafe and takeaway shop on Stretford has remained his second, opened on Moston Lane in 2013, is no more.
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Many of his loyal regulars remain though, including perhaps his most famous fan: Stone Roses’ singer Ian Brown.
Today, you’ll find Anderson cooking up feasts from his shop on Stretford Road – serving all manner of Caribbean staples including curry goat, jerk chicken, dumplings and lamb chops to hungry fans, who flock to Hulme in their masses for a taste of his food.
This unsuspecting-looking takeaway is probably one of south Manchester’s worst-kept secrets, championed by everyone who visits. Meat is marinaded all day, starting at 6am, and it’s not surprising to see a queue forming outside before the clock has struck noon.
Image: The Manc Eats
Image: The Manc Eats
Having started the business after serving a two-year prison stint for drugs offences, he then had a fight to remain in the country under threat of deportation (a battle that his wife Farida, herself now a campaigner for prisoner’s families, helped him fight and win).
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Nowadays, the pair often hire ex offenders and prisoners on day release to work in the Hulme shop alongside them as a way of giving back to their community.
At the start of January last year, the shop was featured in a Guardian editorial that looked at fifteen small venues, all run or founded by immigrants to Britain, that locals consider part of the fabric of their neighbourhoods.
Farida spoke about how far they have come since those early days, telling the paper: “Buzz and I have put in a lot of hours to get here.
“When they called the area ‘Gunchester’ we’d dodge bullets, serving food from our trailer. We fought for eight years to get our premises, experiencing racism as black shop owners.”
Whilst things have moved on considerably since the business was founded in the 90s, one thing that hasn’t changed is the recipes at the shop.
Buzzrocks still serves the same special recipe jerk chicken, rich and full gravy, salt fish patties and curried goat (actually lamb) that has he since day one. Perhaps that’s the secret to his success. That, and a lot of hard work.
We’ve partnered with Deliveroo to give you £5 off Buzzrockswhen you order a scran through the app this week. Just used the code BUZZROCKS5. Valid until 03/01/2023.
Feature image – Google Maps
Eats
‘Classy, clever, confident’ – New Manchester restaurant receives glowing Guardian review
Daisy Jackson
Winsome, one of the newest restaurants on Manchester’s dining scene, has gone and received a seriously glowing review in The Guardian this weekend.
Legendary restaurant criticGrace Dent said that the British bistro ‘may well be my new favourite restaurant’, lauding chef patron Shaun Moffat’s ‘elegant but plentiful modern cooking’.
She said that there’s even a teeny touch of Toby Carvery in their Sunday offering, with meaty and saucy dishes and ‘cartoon-esque XL yorkshire puddings’.
Winsome opened back in March under the steer of three hospitality heavyweights – ex-Edinburgh Castle chef Shaun Moffat, former Schofields head bartender Tom Fastiggi, and Belzan founder Owain Williams.
It’s a beautiful, stripped-back space at the foot of the Whitworth Locke aparthotel and Moffat’s first venture as a chef patron.
Based on this Guardian review, he’s doing a pretty good job so far…
Grace Dent said of Winsome’s nostalgic yet modern menu (featuring dippy eggs and puddings that sound like school dinner puds): “This is Cool Britannia wearing a napkin bib with a side portion of rhubarb jelly and custard for pudding.”
Novelty crockery at Winsome. Credit: The Manc GroupChef patron Shaun Moffat at Winsome. Credit: The Manc GroupDippy egg and asparagus. Credit: The Manc GroupInside WInsome on Princess Street. Credit: The Manc Group
She also wrote that it’s ‘far from a novelty restaurant’ in spite of its animal-shaped crockery.
And Dent added that while there’s an element of fine dining, it’s unpretentious enough that you’re happy to smear it all over the tablecloths and, indeed, yourself.
‘Deeply nostalgic’, ‘forward-thinking fine dining without any of the faff’, is how she described her Winsome experience.
“This is confident, clever cooking that stays just the right side of earnest, or at least as earnest as a chef can be when he also serves up a dessert that is essentially a 1980s school sponge pudding with a scoop of milk ice-cream flecked with multicoloured sprinkles, or hundreds and thousands as they will for ever be known in my heart,” she wrote.
Grace Dent’s Guardian review concluded with: “Winsome may well be my new favourite restaurant, and it’s the new, big, generous beating heart of Manchester hospitality. It’s classy but come-all – bring your gran, bring your baby, no one need feel conspicuous.
“There’s something about the place that makes me want to use it as a canteen, not least out of sheer curiosity as to what Moffat will put on the menu next. Great cooking, and forward-thinking fine dining without any of the faff.
“Bring your appetite and don’t wear pale colours. Aaah, Manchester, you have so much to answer for. Winsome will seriously impact your waistline.”
Winsome said in a post on Instagram: “It doesn’t get much better than that! We’re over the moon, full of pride and could not be more grateful to the team who’ve worked so hard to help us deliver this dream.”
Hidden Manchester bar Mala to offer unique ‘movie night’ experiences inside private cabins
Thomas Melia
You can have your own private film experience inside little wooden cabins at a popular Northern Quarter bar this summer.
Manchester city centre secret garden spot Mala is hosting an event where you and your friends can enjoy a private movie night with food, themed drinks, and bucket loads of free popcorn.
Listed as the ‘Cabin Movie Night’, get ready to sit back, relax and watch a cult classic, all from the comfort of your own personal wooden hut.
The film you’ll be watching is very on-brand too, as it’s none other than none than ‘Labyrinth’.
This secret garden spot is hiding right in plain sight over on Dale Street in Manchester’s Northern Quarter, and as well as hosting events such as these, they’re also home to some top tier eateries too.
Currently El Jefe, Doodles, Wok Bros, Christakis, D&X Caribbean, and Gulf are all serving up some cross-continental delights for you to enjoy in this marvellous space.
Some mouth-watering scran from El Jefe.Wok Bros have some delicious noodle boxes. Credit: The Manc Group
The Cabin Movie Night’ is the perfect way to round up your friends and watch a classic with a cocktail in hand.
There’s a handful of group packages available too at an additional charge, ranging from £30 to £50, which includes themed cocktails for each guest in the booking, and the cost of the ticket.