Madre, that exceptional Mexican restaurant at Kampus, has just launched a new Sunday feasting menu with an usual star attraction.
Diners at the Manchester restaurant can now tuck in to a whole pig’s head, served to the table with ears, teeth and snout still in tact.
It’s not every week you sit down to eat your Sunday dinner and realise your dinner is looking back at you – but here we are.
It’s nose-to-tail dining in the most literal, perfect sense, and if your dinner arriving with a face freaks you out, there are plenty of other options.
One is that the restaurant will actually just carve your pork cut in the kitchen and bring it to you ready to eat.
And there are plenty of other mains too, like a whole chicken cooked on an open grill, a Cochinita Pil Bil (pig shoulder), and spit-grilled cauliflower.
For us, it has to be that pig head special. A slightly shocked-looking pig is surrounded on our table by a whole host of Mexican sides and trimmings.
There are crispy fried potatoes, with slithers of spud so skinny they end up like crisps, or chip chop scraps.
Elote – corn on the cob smothered in chipotle mayo, lime and queso fresco – is a sweet and fresh antidote to that ultra-rich pork.
The Madre pig head once it’s been carved Roasted cauliflower at Madre’s Sunday feastThe Sunday feast at Madre
So too are the pickled slices of onion and jalapeno, ready to lay down on top of the corn and wheat tortillas.
There’s a pot of refried beans with a twinge of heat throughout, topped with a sprinkling of feta.
Cabbage is carved in half then grilled so its edges blacken, before it’s topped with a spread of pistachio pepian, where nuts and spices are blended into an earthy and vibrant sauce.
And in place of Yorkshire puds and gravy, you’ll get fresh tortilla and a pot of Birria jus.
Once you get over the novelty of your meat maintaining better eye contact than your Tinder date, you’ll have some very happy feasting indeed.
The Madre Sunday feast is £24 per person and available at their Kampus restaurant from now.
Manchester favourite Nell’s to open new site for New York-style pizza, karaoke and shuffleboard
Daisy Jackson
Much-loved New York-style pizza joint Nell’s has announced big plans for a brand new location – they’re heading to MediaCity.
Nell’s are stepping things up a notch with the move, adding in private karaoke booths, shuffleboard tables, and a huge outdoor terrace in their new site.
Nell’s MediaCity is set to open this autumn, promising 22-inch New York-style pizza (also served in gigantic slices), frozen margs, and ice cream sandwiches.
There are already several spots around Manchester where you can get a slice of Nell’s, including their restaurants at Kampus and in Altrincham, the OG Northern Quarter site in Common, and at The Beagle in Chorlton.
And now it’s Salford’s turn, with plans unveiled for the team to expand over to MediaCity’s quayside Orange Building.
Nell’s co-founder Jonny Heyes said: “We’ve been thinking about MediaCity for a long time, it’s such a great area and we’ve seen what brilliant operators like Kargo have achieved so when this space came up, we jumped on it!
“The venue is huge which has given us the chance to really play with the experience.
“This idea of karaoke and shuffleboard accompanying our made-for-sharing pizzas and great cocktails feels like a natural next step for us as a brand.”
Nell’s have also partnered with Deliveroo and Slerp to send 14-inch and 22-inch pizzas far and wide.
The new opening is expected to create more than 35 new jobs, and as Common & Co has twice been named in the Times 100 Best Places To Work list, you might want to check those out HERE.
These viral sensations are a plush toy created by Hong Kong-born, Netherlands-raised designer Kasing Lung, who drew inspiration from his love of fairytales to create a character with bunny-like ears, large eyes and big smiles.
They’re swinging off handbags all over the UK at the minute and people are queueing for hours for the latest Labubu drops.
At Sweet Dreams, they’re making edible chocolate Labubus using a special mould flown in from Japan.
Each one has a pistachio kunafa filling and is painstakingly painted by hand.
And that brings us neatly to the next viral craze at play here – Dubai pistachio chocolate.
An army of pistachio chocolate LabubuInside a chocolate pistachio Labubu
Kunafa is a staple in Middle Eastern bakes and pastries but hit the global mainstream last year when thick chocolate pistachio bars stuffed with it went viral online, spawning countless dupes and inspired specials.
And finally, chocolate covered strawberries – hardly a new invention, but this simple dessert has rocketed in popularity especially in food hotspots like Borough Market in London.
Head into Sweet Dreams and you can build your treat from the base up – choose white or milk melted chocolate for your strawberries, layer on pistachio kunafa, then top with either a milk or white chocolate Labubu.
A slightly daft novelty? Yes. But that doesn’t stop them being delicious.
This is the only place in the UK currently selling Dubai pistachio chocolate Labubus.
Daisy Jackson -
8th October 2023 
