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).
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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.
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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.
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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.
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With its cosy, old-fashioned interior and its well-executed menu, The Baum is sure to stand the test of time.
Giuseppe’s – the tiny Italian bistro that proves Stalybridge is fast becoming a dining destination
Daisy Jackson
Giuseppe’s in Stalybridge is a restaurant that’s putting in an enormous amount of effort to please just a very small group of people – this teeny tiny bistro has just 18 seats.
With such a small capacity no one would blame them for sitting back and scaling back to a concise little menu of pizza – but Giuseppe’s really said ‘no grazie’ to such an idea and committed itself to a full bistro menu.
It’s yet another exciting addition to the rapidly-booming restaurant scene here in Tameside, where neighbours include Cafe Continental, Gladstone Barber & Bistro, and SK15 Bar & Bistro.
Giuseppe’s arrival on the Stalybridge high street has created a cosy corner for locals, one which could quickly follow in the footsteps of Ornella’s to become a fully-booked-for-months-in-advance destination.
Inside its welcoming navy blue walls you’re welcomed by a room filled with trailing plants, ceramic lemons and a huge doodle map of Sicily.
The menu also hails from Sicily, specialising in wood-fired pizzas but also dipping a toe into pasta and small plates too.
Pizza at Giuseppe’s Italian bistro in StalybridgeA spread of dishes at Pizza at Giuseppe’s Italian bistro in Stalybridge
Giuseppe’s pizza dough is meticulously made fresh with Italian 00 flour, left to ferment for at least 48 hours, before being stretched and topped and cooked in the wood-fired pizza oven until it’s all puffed-up and charred around the edges.
At lunch times, those delicious pizza doughs are folded in half to make Italian panozzi sandwiches, the charred dough encasing fillings like Sicilian fennel sausage and friarelli, and mortadella with stracciatella.
These are strong contenders for the best pizzas this side of Greater Manchester, with a soft and chewy crust that stands up against much bigger names in the pizza game.
Rum baba at Giuseppe’sThe team at Giuseppe’s in Stalybridge
Giuseppe’s pasta bowls include a hearty paccheri with Sicilian sausage AND guanciale, all salty and rich and creamy.
And once you’ve eaten your fill in this tiny little spot, where the windows go all steamed up in winter and you’re nudging up against neighbours chatting over pizzas, you can polish off with Italian desserts too.
There’s a very respectable slab of tiramisu on offer, plus a rum baba soaked in syrup and packed with fresh cream.
Giuseppe’s in Stalybridge may be small in capacity but it’s huge on spirit.
French fine dining spot 63 Degrees confirms closure after 14 years
Danny Jones
One of Manchester’s long-standing French bistros, 63 Degrees, has now announced the business has closed its doors for good after nearly a decade and a half in the city centre.
The family-run fine dining destination first opened back in 2011, but after closing over the most recent festive period and despite all of us hoping and praying this year would be a healthier one for hospitality, they have become the sector’s latest casualty.
Having been one of the few classical spots of its kind left in central Manchester, not to mention boasting a spot on the Michelin guide, it’s a huge loss for Manchester food and drink.
The team have been silent on socials since August 2023 and no one needs any reminder of how challenging the industry is right now, so closures like these don’t exactly come as a surprise anymore, but it seems another big factor was at the heart of the decision.
It’s a logo most would instantly recognise.The initial plan was to stay open but it sadly hasn’t worked out.Credit: The Manc Group
Confirming the news to Manchester Confidential, 63 Degrees confirmed that their Christmas hiatus has now become permanent as many had suspected, with the highly-rated Northern Quarter spot closed permanently as of this week.
Founder Alexandre Moreau said that his parents, Head Chef Eric and mother Florence, have now returned to France following a period of ill health.
Speaking to the outlet, Moreau added: “I’m glad my parents have retired now. My dad was spending six days a week in the kitchen and got to the point where his whole body was hurting. He had a hard time finding people he could trust in the kitchen so he could not delegate that much.
“My mum’s health got worse in November last year so they decided it was time to stop and go back to France. Nothing you can do, unfortunately. Life will do that to all of us at some point.”
Revealing that the lease has now been handed over to the landlord, he signed off by stating, “They had a great run, but it’s a difficult job at that age.”
Shining not only as one of the few places left that still served traditional haute cuisine in our region but emerging as one of the spots that helped put NQ’s now thriving foodie scene on the map back in the day, we couldn’t think of a more fitting image to part on than this one:
We wish Alexandre and Eric all the best, as well as a speedy recovery to Florence back home, and sincerely hope they get to enjoy a slower pace of life after years of service and outstanding contribution to the world of Manc dining.
Unfortunately, 63 Degrees is just one of the most recent Manchester restaurants that have closed; we’re not even in mid-February yet and we’re already losing count of how many of these pieces we’ve had to write for various reasons.
That being said, the general consensus seems to be that it is impossibly hard for local businesses to keep afloat under the constant pressure of rising energy bills, business rates and a cost of living crisis that is preventing people from being able to eat out.
If institutions such as this and the likes of Almost Famous are struggling to survive, how on Earth can those much earlier into their journey be expected to survive? They need help and fast.