A ‘sexy’ bottomless brunch is launching in Manchester next month, where the sushi will be bottomless and you can ring a bell for champagne.
The lavish new Sunday offering comes from the ultra-glamorous Sexy Fish in Spinningfields – that restaurant where giant blue mermaids, a sparkly octopus, and an aquarium full of real fish watch over the colourful dining room.
The Sexy Sunday Brunch might also be the most expensive in the city, costing a cool £52 per person… without drinks.
But for that price you do get a lot of Sexy Fish’s acclaimed food, including a bottomless sushi station.
Diners at the Manchester restaurant will be able to tuck into signature dishes served sharing-style, no limit on how many you order.
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Starters will include smoked salmon bao, chicken karaage, crispy duck watermelon salad, milk buns with miso butter, and crudites with kimchi.
The Sexy Fish ‘Sexy Sunday Brunch’ spread. Credit: Supplied
Then you can make your way up to the bottomless Sushi Station, where freshly-prepared sashimi, nigiri, maki and tartares will be on display.
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There’ll also be a ‘theatrical flying table service’, which sounds just like waiters carrying food around (?).
Sexy Fish says there’ll be platters of freshly prepared tempura, croquettes and more being circulated by their waiters.
Then as if that’s not enough fancy food, your booking includes a main course and side, which can include grilled seabass with shiso miso pesto, crispy pork belly, caramelised black cod (for a supplement) and sides of kimchi fried rice and spicy miso tenderstem.
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Sexy Fish Manchester is launching a lavish bottomless brunch
Finally, there are sharing desserts of cinnamon doughnuts, soft serve ice cream, and chocolate fondant.
And although drinks aren’t included in the bottomless brunch deal, each table is given a ‘Ring for Ruinart’ bell – ding it, and the sommelier will bring you a £64 bottle of fizz.
Special Sexy Brunch cocktails will include the mimosa thyme and the Sanguine Maria.
The whole thing will be soundtracked by ‘low-key entertainment’ from Sexy Fish’s signature DJs and live musicians.
The Sexy Fish Sexy Sunday Brunch will kick off on Sunday 10 March and run every Sunday between 12pm and 5pm.
Huge bakery chain Gail’s confirms move to Prestwich – but spells village’s name wrong in signs
Daisy Jackson
After months of swirling rumours, bakery group Gail’s has finally confirmed it’s moving to Prestwich – but locals have spotted a glaring error at the first hurdle.
The popular artisan bakery will be moving onto Bury New Road, right in the heart of the suburb and directly opposite the new Rudy’s pizzeria.
Prestwich locals have been hearing whispers of a Gail’s arriving for a few months, and finally the London-founded cafe has stuck up signs to confirm it’s on the way.
But the sign contains one crucial mistake – it’s spelled Prestwich wrong.
The red window displays now read ‘Hello Preswich. We’ll be baking here soon’.
One local messaged Gail’s to point out the error and to say it’s ‘not a great first impression for the locals…’.
Gail’s has since confirmed it’s in the process of fixing the signs.
The arrival of both Gail’s and Rudy’s has already caused a stir in Prestwich, which has always been fiercely independent and has only a handful of chains within it (Greggs and Costa are perched by the tram stop).
In fact, one local business-owner shared a moving statement about his concerns for the future of local businesses just a few weeks ago.
Gail’s has confirmed it’s opening a bakery in Prestwich. Credit: The Manc Group
First formed in the early 1990s as a wholesale-only operation, Gail’s opened its first cafe on Hampstead High Street in 2005.
Today the brand has more than 100 sites spread across London, Oxford, Brighton and further afield, and is known more as a customer-facing cafe and bakery.
It’s famed for its freshly-baked loaves, cinnamon buns, ham and cheese croissants and coffees, and is likely to go down a storm in Prestwich.
But the signs have been causing a bit of a stir in the wrong way this weekend – in a local Facebook group, one person commented: “Not locals who own it then.”
Another described it as an ‘epic fail’.
And one person said: “Oh the DRAMA of it all.”
Someone else joked: “I cannot wait for Gais to come to Preswich.”
Hot Blobs – Retro drink makes return to Manchester Christmas Markets, but what is it?
Daisy Jackson
It’s funny how we all turn a blind eye to the temperature outside when it comes to the Christmas Markets.
At a time of year where should probably all be hibernating inside, droves of us instead head out to brave the elements all in the name of the festivities.
Of course, the Manchester Christmas Markets sell all sorts of wares to take the edge off, and we’re not just talking about the stalls selling woollen mittens everywhere.
Our favourite winter warmers tend to take the form of a tray of piping hot garlic potatoes, or a mug of hot chocolate, or another boozy beverage that’s massively underrated.
The drink in question is a Hot Blob, which is listed on the menu at the Piccadilly Gardens markets as ‘legendary’.
A bold claim, but a lot of long-time Manc residents will understand why.
The Hot Blob is a jaw-clenchingly sweet concoction served piping hot at the Manchester Christmas Market, similar to a hot toddy.
It’s made with Australian fortified white wine, lemon, sugar, and boiling water.
Hot Blobs – Retro drink makes return to Manchester Christmas Markets, but what is it? Credit: The Manc Group
The drink was first invented by Yates, that well-known pub chain, which started life as Yates’s Wine Lodge up the road in Oldham.
According to Pubs of Manchester, the Hot Blob has a tendency to ‘speed up drunkenness to a young drinker’.
These days, it’s pretty rare to come across one on a menu, but back in 1990s it was a staple in a few pubs around town.
There even used to be a ‘Blob Shop’ on High Street, run by local legend Ged Ford (now in charge of the equally legendary Millstone pub), which found itself in a state of utter carnage when the IRA bomb went off.
The long-lost institution specialised in ‘cheap wine, cheap beer, and plenty of blobs’.
The old Yates Blob Shop on High Street, Manchester. Credit: deltrems@flickr
Ged sold 6,000 a week.
And while the drink may have fallen out of favour since then, there are still healthy numbers being sold at this time of year, even if they are a damn sight more expensive than they were in the 1990s (£6 a pop, plus a glass deposit).
Anyway. If you’re sick to the back teeth of the endless gluhwein being peddled across the markets, make a beeline for Manchester Winter Ale House at Piccadilly Gardens, where you can find Hot Blobs as well as boozy Vimto and cask ales.
The Manchester Christmas Markets officially end on 22 December.
Daisy Jackson -
22nd February 2024 
