One of the best things about pubs is that they come in all different shapes and sizes – there are fancy gastropubs, sit and drink in silence pubs, historic pubs with fireplaces, modern pubs with plywood and craft beer, and then those pubs that just take you back to your younger years.
One such delightfully traditional pub is The Baum, where cosy nooks meet nostalgic dinners and great beers.
Rochdale town centre gets a bit of a bad rap (the high street is a repeating pattern of charity shop, betting shop, vape/phone repair shop) but it feels like a new dawn could be on the horizon.
Firstly, Rochdale Town Hall’s transformation is almost complete, with the magnificent Grade I-listed building set to reopen to the public in a few short weeks.
There are some brilliant restaurants opening up here too that are worth travelling to the very edges of the tram network for, like Bombay Brew (Indian street food and craft beers) and Vinesteins (melted cheese heaven).
And then there’s all Rochdale’s history that’s being carefully preserved, like the Toad Lane conservation area in which The Baum pub is located.
Up on this cobbled street, with its green tiled front, its stained glass windows and its old-fashioned ironwork, it looks straight out of a museum.
Outside The Baum pub in RochdaleInside The Baum pub in RochdaleHow The Baum used to look
Inside, too, it feels unchanged, down to its vintage artwork and its wooden central bar.
On the menu you’ll find plenty of proudly northern nostalgia, like rag puddings, bangers and mash, and pot pies, but a little taste of the 21st century with an occasional katsu curry and a bit of hummus thrown in.
The Baum has also, like basically every food and drink establishment in the entire world, been infiltrated by small plates. There is no escaping small plates.
The Baum’s house-fried chickenHummus with flatbreadSmall plates at The Baum in Rochdale
Theirs are three for £19 and include garlic and herb mushrooms with such a powerful hit of garlic you can feel it in your lungs, creamy hummus with flatbread, and really quite exceptional house-fried chicken on a generous smear of lemon and thyme aioli.
When the weather is being the most Manchester weather imaginable (sideways rain and a sky the colour of pewter), there’s no better fix than a cheese and onion pie.
The Baum’s comes in a neat cube that collapses into a gooey mess, with thick-cut school dinner chips on the side and, of course, baked beans.
Fish finger sandwichClassic cheese and onion pie
And carrying on with our kid-friendly adult dinner, the humble fish finger sandwich has been kicked into a new gear with flaky battered fish balancing inside a warm ciabatta roll.
We’ve overdosed on carbs too much to even humour a pudding, but if you’ve left room you’ll find sticky toffee puddings, various tarts, and cheesecake.
With its cosy, old-fashioned interior and its well-executed menu, The Baum is sure to stand the test of time.
Hotel Chocolat to open viral chocolate Velvetiser Cafe in Manchester
Daisy Jackson
Hotel Chocolat is set to open a Velvetiser Cafe in Manchester city centre, and it’ll be absolute paradise for chocolate lovers.
The popular chocolate shop, which has stores across the UK selling delicious chocolate bars, boxes and more, is now preparing to branch out in town.
Hotel Chocolat then hit a new level of fame with its Velvetiser, an invention that creates velvety smooth hot drinks at the touch of a button.
They’ve been so popular, Hotel Chocolat is now opening Velvetiser Cafes across the UK – and Manchester is up next.
If it follows in the footsteps of the Meadowhall cafe in Sheffield, visitors will be able to customise their perfect hot chocolate from thousands of combinations.
There are 18 flavours, different milks, and a whole variety of toppings available.
Then you drink can be served hot, over ice, or as a choc shake.
Colourful hoardings for the Hotel Chocolat Velvetiser Cafe have now appeared on Cross Street, just next door to the new Joe & The Juice.
A planning application has also been lodged with Manchester City Council.
Drake-backed fried chicken brand Dave’s Hot Chicken is opening in Manchester
Daisy Jackson
The huge LA-based fried chicken brand backed by Drake is heading to Manchester for the very first time this summer.
Dave’s Hot Chicken is set to open in the Printworks this August – the first UK branch outside of London and Birmingham.
The cult chicken brand has said that its new venue will feature an ‘industrial design inspired by Manchester’s rave scene’ (if we had a pound every time a new venue used that design style, we’d be as rich as Drake…).
Dave’s Hot Chicken is famed for its signature Nashville-style hot chicken, which is served in seven different spice levels from No Spice to Reaper.
Expect sliders, tenders, ‘next-level’ top-loaded shakes and slushes.
It’s grown so quickly that in 2021, it caught the eye of none other than rapper Drake, who is a ‘significant investor’ in the brand.
The fried chicken spot will be moving into the large corner unit at Printworks, which has previously been Busaba Thai, and Floripa, with 139 covers.
Dave’s Hot Chicken is coming to Manchester
Inside, it will feature towering ceilings, exposed steelwork, and laser lights, claiming to be a ‘full-on sensory trip, where music, light and fried chicken will come together to create a high-voltage experience’.
There will also be custom graffiti inspired by L.A.-based street artists Splatterhaus and Dehm.
Dave’s Hot Chicken still has hour-long queues down in London, several months after opening on Shaftesbury Avenue – next up will be a Birmingham branch in July before Manchester opens later this summer.
And this is just the start of a nationwide expansion.
Jim Attwood, Managing Director of Dave’s Hot Chicken UK, said: “Printworks Manchester is the ideal setting for our next UK site – right at the heart of one of the country’s most exciting cities.
“The new restaurant pays homage to Manchester’s legendary warehouse rave scene, with an industrial-inspired design and bold, high-energy atmosphere to match our signature flavours.
“We can’t wait to bring something fresh to this iconic venue and its vibrant mix of entertainment, food and culture.”
Dave’s Hot Chicken will open at Printworks Manchester on 8 August.