Northern Quarter institution Koffee Pot has just launched a brand new breakfast plate, and it’s not for the faint of heart.
The Oldham Street greasy spoon, which has been serving some of the best breakfasts in Manchester since all the way back in 1976, is proudly presenting ‘The Flopper’.
This monstrous new £28 brekkie features all the usual bits of a Full English, but multiplied. There are no less than six different forms of pork on your plate.
It’s so big, it spills over a normal place setting and is on a plate I’m pretty sure is actually a sharing platter they’ve nabbed out of their Aunty Shirley’s Christmas crockery collection.
Koffee Pot has never been one to disappoint with portion sizes – you only need to have ordered a full English or ‘Manc Muffin’ before to know that — but this thing is an absolute beast.
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Thankfully, they called in the demolition crew, a.k.a. The Manc office, to give it a proper go. Good job we’ve developed massive stomachs in this job.
We’ve come across plenty of ridiculously large items on Manchester menus over the years but we’ll admit, this one was quite something.
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Koffee Pot’s huge new breakfast, ‘The Flopper’Koffee Pot’s huge new breakfast, ‘The Flopper’To anybody already cockily saying ‘I could smash that’: good — we dare you.
A lot of the NQ might be more for brunching than good old-fashioned brekkies these days but this absolute unit of a plate is a reminder that there are still plenty of gaffs in the city centre doing the no-nonsense early-morning eats.
Here’s what you have to contend with: four rashers of bacon, two sausages, one haggis, white pudding and black pudding; one Lorne sausage, a big slice of spam; eggs, beans, tomato, mushrooms, fried bread, one tattie scone, two hash brown and four rounds of toast.
They also cut them in half so it somehow looks like more — don’t ask us how, it just does and we’re convinced it’s more mind games on their part but we refuse to be wobbled.
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But we’re embarrassed to say we were well and truly defeated by The Flopper. It took two of us in the end, with Dean getting things started before tapping out and having to call in this wrecking ball (me) to finish things off. Between us, we got it done.
It’s also worth noting that it was utterly delicious and no matter how hard it got, we enjoyed every bite; it was also our first try of Lorne sausage (square Scottish slices of minced meat, rusk and spices) and Koffee Pot might be one of the select few places you’ll find serving white pudding in town.
Now, this isn’t technically a challenge and the only real prize is making yourself incredibly full, but having been among the very lucky few to have tried it first, it feels like you’re going into battle when you sit down to eat this. The question is, are you up to the £28 task?
Last but most importantly, the staff here are real grafters and always so sound no matter how busy they get morning, noon and night, so we sincerely hope some of you give it a go and even if not, you won’t be disappointed with your food, drinks or service.
We recently tried their new Birria Brothers specials and just like us on our bellies after just about managing to polish off The Flopper, they absolutely slapped.
Didsbury favourite Rustik has confirmed its will sadly be closing this month
Danny Jones
West Didsbury favourite Rustik has sadly announced it will be closing for food after a decade at the end of this month.
The beloved Burton cafe and bar has been a staple of the tight-knit foodie neighbourhood since 2015, but now the independent Irish eatery has confirmed that the business will be shutting down permanently in less than a fortnight.
Confirmed on Wednesday afternoon, 17 September, the casual Manc restaurant and hangout informed their loyal followers of the unfortunate news.
Unsurprisingly, their social media has been awash with condolences, collective sadness and support for the local institution.
Posting across all of their accounts, Rustik wrote: “After an unforgettable 10 years on Burton Road, the time has come to close our doors. It’s hard to believe how far we’ve come — never in a million years did we imagine Rustik would grow into what it became.
“From the bottom of our hearts, thank you to every single one of you who walked through our doors and supported us along the way. We poured everything we had — our time, our energy, our lives into making Rustik a space for everyone. And what a ride it’s been.
“From the chaotic, beautiful brunch shifts to late nights dancing on tables to ‘Wagon Wheel’, pushing through the challenges of COVID and helping our community with meals during hard times— we’ve done it all, together.
“To our amazing staff, past and present: thank you for your hard work, your dedication, and the love you brought every single day. You helped build something truly special, and we’ll never be able to thank you enough.
“To the incredible musicians who filled our space with life — keep doing what you do. The noise complaints? 100% worth the unforgettable nights.”
The team go on to detail that the official closing date is Tuesday, 30 September, reiterating that it is “business running as usual until then” and urging fans to “come down, grab your last Rustik fix, and raise a glass with us one final time.”
Signing off with an emotional farewell, they add: “Lastly, a message close to our hearts: please support your local cafes, bars, and independents. Hospitality is tough right now, and they need your support more than ever.
“Thank you for the most incredible decade of our lives. It’s over and out from us.”
It goes without saying that we’re gutted to see Rustik go and know how much it meant not only to the Burton Road community, but also to the Didsbury community, Chorlton and many other Greater Manchester natives.
A ‘saucy’ new Korean fried chicken restaurant is opening in the Gay Village
Daisy Jackson
A brand-new Korean fried chicken restaurant and cocktail bar is set to open on Canal Street this week.
CLUK is promising some big deals and amazing giveaways to celebrate its launch in Manchester, including free food and prize draws.
The newcomer in the heart of the city will specialise in Korean-style crispy fried chicken, but also warming ramen bowls, and salt & pepper classics.
Signature dishes will include Korean cheese-powder fried chicken, and Cheese Volcano Chicken.
CLUK will also serve dishes like kimchi cheese loaded fries, salt & pepper chicken, and huge sharing platters.
You can customise your Korean fried chicken order by size, choosing between wings and boneless and picking a flavour out of honey garlic, sweet and spicy, honey mustard, and honey and sour.
They promise it’ll all be ‘saucy, crunchy, and seriously addictive’.
That’s all washed down with ice-cold beers and creative cocktails, like martinis, spritzes and sours.
CLUK is now open in the Gay Village in ManchesterA spread of CLUK dishesInside CLUK ManchesterFried chicken with Korean cheese powderInside CLUK Manchester
The CLUK team are hoping to create a fun late-night dining option for this buzzing corner of the city centre.
To celebrate its launch on Thursday 18 September, CLUK have announced a whole heap of promotions.
This includes free chicken bao for the first 50 guests to visit during the first five days.
Over the two week launch period, visitors can spin the wheel whenever you spend £12 – spend £24 and spin twice.
And there are big prizes available – the top prize is a £100 gift card or £50 cash, with other prizes including free drinks, food and a £3 voucher as a consolation prize.
Plus, anyone who buys a gift card and tops it up with £100 will receive a free beer or cider.
When those two weeks are up, CLUK will run a £1,000 prize draw.
Danny Jones -
16th February 2024 
