A new street food offering has opened in Manchester, serving some of the city’s most outrageous loaded fries and hot dogs.
Diamond Dogs is hidden away in the courtyard of Green Arches – itself a hidden taproom – situated inside a graffiti-covered van.
There’s a surprisingly lengthy menu for a business who have carved a niche out of the humble hot dog, with various toppings, sides and fries on offer.
One of the biggest selling points is that every hot dog on the menu can be made totally vegan, from the classic Porky New Yorky to the fancier offerings.
So what exactly can you expect from Diamond Dogs?
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How do deep-fried black pudding bits, drizzled in curry ketchup and a dusting of curry powder, sound?
Das Deutsch – venison and pork bratwurst, sauerkraut, sweet German mustard and pretzels. Credit: The Manc GroupCurried black pudding bites. Credit: The Manc GroupCurrywurst from Diamond Dogs. Credit: The Manc Group
What about piping hot fries glued together with a double cheese blend, topped with crispy onions, blitzed beans, salsa, and chilli hot sauce?
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Or you could take it full Berlin street food-style, with proper currywurst and sauerkraut piled on top of skin-on fries.
Diamond Dogs have gone to the effort of making almost all the sauces on the menu from scratch, leading to one of the best dip-and-drizzle experiences in the city.
There’s the Pineapple Power hot sauce, which is slathered on the Shaka Aloha hot dog – a particular sandwich so messy, they have to serve it tightly-wrapped in foil to stop cheese running down your arms. Fans of a Hawaiian pizza will want to order this one.
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Fire fries at Diamond Dogs. Credit: The Manc GroupInside Green Arches. Credit: The Manc GroupThe Diamond Dogs van. Credit: The Manc Group
Another house sauce star is the House Kebabby Tomatah sauce, usually found drizzled over a lamb and beef kofta hot dog with fresh salsa.
On the side of every hot dog you’ll find a little pot of accessories, from salted pretzels to pork scratchings to pickles.
Diamond Dogs has parked itself proudly behind Green Arches, a relatively new addition to the city’s brilliant craft brewery and taproom scene.
The brewery taproom itself is nearly placed beneath one of the railway arches of the Green Quarter, and takes its green credentials seriously – the bar is almost entirely decorated in white and wood, but is covered in plants.
There are potted plants that are taller than most people and vines crawling up the curved walls.
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The green-tiled bar serves a brilliant range of flagship ales.
Diamond Dogs is open from 5.30pm to 9pm on Wednesdays and Thursdays, and until 10pm on Fridays. On the weekends it opens at 10.30am, closing at 10pm on Saturdays and 6pm on Sundays.
Featured image: The Manc Group
Eats
A restaurant in Ancoats is serving up plates of crispy fried squirrel
Georgina Pellant
A Manchester restaurant is serving up plates of crispy fried squirrel – and their customers absolutely love it.
Taking game dishes to a whole other level, the wild crispy buttermilk fried squirrel at Ancoats restaurant Street Urchin comes served atop a creamy pulled ham hock cassoulet, with hazelnut bread croutons and nettle pesto and costs £22.50.
Sourced from their game supplier in Cumbria, it might sound nutty but owner Rachel Choudhary told The Manc that the dish has proven incredibly popular – and that the team has been ‘really surprised’ at how much of a hit it has become with customers since adding it to the menu.
She said: “We were looking for something new for the game options on the menu. Kev was speaking to our game supplier and randomly asked if he had any grey squirrels. Happily, he did.
“The whole team tried the dish the day it went on and the majority thought it was really good.
Wild crispy buttermilk fried squirrel with creamy pulled ham hock cassoulet, with hazelnut bread croutons and nettle pesto. / Image: Street Urchin
Image: Street Urchin
“We weren’t sure if it would sell, but have been really surprised. So many people have tried it and given good feedback. We’ve recommended that they eat it like chicken wings and pick it up, that way you get most of the meat.
“I’d never tried squirrel before and I absolutely loved it, it has great flavour, rich buttery texture, and it’s wild, free-range meat.”
The gray squirrel currently has an estimated population of 2.5 million in the UK according to the Game and Wildlife Conservation Trust and is considered a good sustainable alternative to factory-farmed meat.
It is legal to control grey squirrels by shooting or trapping them in the UK in a humane manner and even helps protect the UK’s endangered native red squirrel population.
Whilst some might find the idea of eating squirrels a tad unappealing, many chefs argue it is better to eat them when culling as it means the meat does not go to waste.
Fresh clams, homemade chorizo, fennel and white bean cassoulet, garlic crouton. / Image: Street Urchin
Whole red mullet, warm red pepper and olive salsa, battered potato scallops. / Image: Street Urchin
English market diner Street Urchin was first opened on Great Ancoats Street in 2019 by husband and wife team Rachel and Kevin Choudary.
Prior to opening in town, the couple ran The Victoria in Altrincham for eight years before deciding that it was time to move on.
Their Ancoats market diner has made its name on being one of the few city centre restaurants specialising in fresh fish, with everything from clams and mackerel to cured chalk stream trout, king scallops, and whole grilled red gurnard regularly available on the menu.
Whilst the fish board is the main attraction, however, there are other dishes to explore on the daily-changing menu too – with game meat a popular choice whenever it is in season.
Featured image – Street Urchin
Eats
Gary Neville comes to woman’s rescue at Manchester restaurant Fazenda
Georgina Pellant
Gary Neville has proven himself the utmost gentleman after coming to the rescue of a disabled woman who was struggling to walk to a restaurant in Manchester on Mothering Sunday.
The football pundit spotted Ann Knowles, 67, struggling to walk to Brazilian steakhouse Fazenda in Manchester’s Spinningfields and took it upon himself to come to her aid.
After approaching her and offering a lift, the former Manchester United star helped her into his car and then provided door-to-door service to the restaurant, walking her the last part of the way.
Ann had been on her way to meet daughter Samantha Ward, who was inside the restaurant when she received a phone call to tell her how the ex-footballer had saved the day.
She told BBC News: “I was upset thinking we’ll have to forget dinner, but then my daughter rang and said ‘it’s ok Gary Neville the footballer is taking her’ and I was like ‘what?'”
Image: Fazenda
Image: Gary Neville
“I said the actual footballer? Where did he come from? And she said he just appeared out of nowhere, obviously saw them struggling and said ‘you need help’.
“So he physically picked her up and gave her a lift to the door in this car.
“He delivered her to the restaurant and saved Mother’s Day.
Daisy Jackson -
17th February 2023 
