There’s a new bottomless brunch in Manchester with Middle Eastern-inspired small plates, and if you love a good Saturday afternoon out on the town then you absolutely need to put it on your list.
Hosted at former Michelin-recommended King Street restaurant Habas, for £38 per person diners can enjoy a ‘tipsy tapas’ with 90 minutes of non-stop cocktails, wine, beer, and a mouthwatering selection of punchy small plates.
Drink choices include the likes of fruit punch, Aperol and apricot spritzes, prosecco and bellinis, plus glasses of house lager and red, white and rose wine.
As for the food, you’re completely spoilt for choice with a selection of dishes that pulls out some of the restaurant’s dish highlights – spanning starters, mains and puddings.
Choices available with the bottomless brunch include the likes of harissa-roasted sweet potato, steaming chicken tagine, the most perfect crisp lamb pomme anna, garlic flatbreads and roasted cauliflower.
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Image: The Manc Eats
Image: The Manc Eats
Elsewhere, you’ll find mini Merguez sausages, salmon arancini, seared mackerel fillets, Israeli chopped salad, batata harra, Syrian lentils, Zalouk aubergine and Habas’s own Middle Eastern rice.
As for sweets to finish, think traditional honey and pistachio-drenched baklava, miniature donuts oozing with raspberry jam with a dollop of homemade vanilla custard on the side, zingy pineapple carpaccio, a Medjool date and orange cake, and beautiful cubes of Turkish delight.
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The third city centre restaurant from Simon Shaw (also chef-owner of El Gato Negro and Canto), Habas was added to the Michelin guide in 2021.
At the time, inspectors described it as follows: “Habas comes from the same owners as Canto and El Gato Negro and occupies what was once the wine cellars of the magnificent former Manchester Club building.
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Image: The Manc Eats
Image: The Manc Eats
“Arrive early for a cocktail in the bar before moving into the fun, slightly retro style dining room.
“Small sharing plates take their influences mainly from the Middle East but there are also hints of the Mediterranean to be seen.
“Must-haves include the homemade pita bread, stuffed filo cigars and vegetable dishes.”
Habas and its sister restaurant Canto have both since been removed from the Michelin Guide but Shaw’s original Manchester restaurant El Gato Negro continues to be featured as a Bib Gourmand recommendation.
The Greater Manchester book café serving literary afternoon teas and build-your-own bouquets
Daisy Jackson
If you like your afternoon tea with a side of good books, there’s a Greater Manchester café where you can quite literally have your cake and read it too.
Tucked inside this charming bookish spot, afternoon tea arrives with an unexpected twist. Rather than being presented with the usual three-tiered stand, you’re handed a stack of heavy hardback books.
But don’t start worrying that you’ve accidentally wandered into a very niche library club. The books are hiding something.
Lift the covers in Peony & Parchment – or, more accurately, open the book-shaped boxes – and you’ll discover a full afternoon tea concealed inside.
There are dainty sandwiches to get stuck into, including tiny egg mayo, herby chicken salad, ham and mustard, and cheese and tomato focaccia, alongside a little quiche.
Then comes the scone – classic, fluffy and ready for the obligatory dollop of clotted cream and jam. And, because no afternoon tea should leave you feeling like you’ve been short-changed in the cake department, there are five miniature slices to work through.
Afternoon tea concealed in a stack of booksSome of the other bakes on display
There’s a Victoria sponge with a dreamy vanilla cream, lemon drizzle, rich chocolate cake, a Bakewell slice and a pecan pie, all sourced from a local bakery just across the alleyway.
It’s all served with a pot of tea or coffee, with the option to add a glass of prosecco.
And the bookish theme doesn’t stop at the afternoon tea.
Downstairs you’ll find shelves packed with books, including the intriguing ‘blind books’. Instead of judging a book by its cover, you’ll be given clues and a short summary of what lies inside before taking a gamble on your mystery read.
Downstairs in Peony & Parchment‘Blind books’A role playing village for kids
There’s also plenty here to keep younger visitors entertained, thanks to a children’s area complete with a mini role-playing village.
And if books and cake weren’t enough, there’s another string to this café’s bow.
The Bloom Bar lets you build your own bouquet. Choose the size you want, then wander around selecting your own stems and foliage to create something that’s uniquely yours.
You can build your own bouquetThe Bloom Bar at Peony & Parchment
Of course, you don’t have to be visiting specifically for the afternoon tea. The wider menu includes tapas, full breakfasts and sandwiches, making it just as suitable for a leisurely brunch, lunch or coffee-and-cake stop.
So whether you’re there to discover your next favourite novel, assemble a bouquet, entertain the kids or simply eat your way through five different miniature cakes, this is one café where there are plenty of chapters to explore.
Major pop star crowns humble rice and three cafe as ‘Jewel of Manchester’ ahead of sold-out gig
Thomas Melia
A beloved city centre takeaway has been given the title of ‘Jewel of Manchester’ by chart-topping UK singer Sam Smith.
Known for hits like ‘Stay With Me’, ‘I’m Not The Only One’ and more recently ‘Unholy’, UK pop-ballad act Sam Smith also likes to drop a food review every once in a while.
Currently on the road with a run of shows in Manchester and London for their ‘To Be Free’ live shows, Sam Smith is stopping off at some of our city’s much-loved spots.
On their food-reviewing account titled ‘Sam Served’, where they adopt the aptly-fitting nickname ‘Ham Smith’, Sam has visited restaurants across the globe – and most recently turned their attention to Manchester’s own This & That.
Smith decided to pop in and grab a cheeky rice and three from long-standing backstreet food business This & That, and it certainly went down a treat.
After sampling their amazing selection of meat, vegetable and vegan curries, the musician crowned this family-run Indian takeaway a ‘Jewel of Manchester’.
The hitmaker described this Northern Quarter Indian eatery as ‘Everything food should be’ and definitely enjoyed all the curries on offer ‘leaving belly and heart full’.
This & That prides itself on affordable and comforting food with its ‘Rice and Three Curries’ starting from just £6 – not bad for a city centre foodie spot.
Sam has racked up an impressive 490k followers via their ‘Sam Served’ profile, with famous faces like Lily Allen, Denise Welch and CMAT all wanting to know the superstar’s foodie thoughts.
After enjoying a curry or three, Sam Smith also made sure to feed their soul to by venturing down to Afflecks and getting lost in the music at Mars Tapes.
Recognised as one of the UK’s only cassette and tape shops, Mars Tapes lets you flick through their crates of physical media and even preview tracks before you buy with its dedicated listening areas.
It’s safe to say that Smith has ‘Latched’ onto Manchester’s independent business scene and we’re here for it.
The London-born artist has just released their latest album Hazel Eyes and is currently amid a UK residency tour with two dates in Manchester’s Albert Hall and eight shows set for London Coliseum.
Georgina Pellant -
5th June 2023 
