Eats

Why this Manchester restaurant is STILL the undisputed king of the Sunday roast

Hawksmoor's roast has always been up there, but the addition of new sides like roasted bone marrow with onions and Madiera shallots seals the deal.

Georgina Pellant Georgina Pellant - 27th April 2023

When it comes to Sunday roasts, everyone likes theirs done in a particular way – normally however their mum cooks it.

Sometimes this leads to weird and wonderful combos. Sweetcorn, baby corn, mashed potatoes AND roasties (served together) all count as crimes against the roast in our book, as does adding ketchup and mayo.

Thankfully, there’s none of that to be found at Manchester restaurant Hawksmoor – one of the only London brands to launch in Manchester during the 2010s and successfully stay the test of time.

Image: The Manc Eats
Image: The Manc Eats

Housed in the former Victorian Courthouse on Deansgate, the steakhouse manages to be chic, glamorous and entirely unpretentious all at once, which is – we assume – how it’s become such a hit with Mancs where other London openings have, sometimes brutally, failed.

Whilst it’s pretty hard to beat the way your mum does it, I think it’s fair to say that Hawksmoor’s roast is a pretty strong contender for the best in the city. Even better, they won’t ask you to help with the washing up.

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Designed to share, roasts here can be split between two or three people – with starters, mains, sides and puddings all included and priced from just £50.

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Image: The Manc Eats
Image: The Manc Eats

Mains choices include perfectly-pink cuts of bone-in prime rib, chateaubriand and sirloin, as well as Dartmouth lobster with garlic butter, whilst sides span the likes of creamed spinach, macaroni cheese, grilled bone marrow, carrots, roasties, cabbage and – or course — giant Yorkshire puddings.

We’re talking Yorkshire puddings bigger than your face, crispy beef fat roasties, unlimited jugs of bone marrow gravy, and an oozing skillet of cauliflower cheese made with a four-cheese blend of Ogleshield, mozzarella, Stichelton and ‘good Cheddar’.

Read more: A petrol station in Oldham is going viral for its incredible snack selection

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When we visit, we’re also treated to some gorgeous new sides including mouthwatering celeriac mash and sausage gravy, rainbow chard with anchovies and green sauce, shallots sweetened with Madiera, and giant hunks of roasted bone marrow with onions.

Read more: A new affordable steakhouse is opening on Deansgate – three doors up from Hawksmoor

Hawksmoor’s chefs have also recently created their own house stuffing, comprised of decadent bone marrow, onions, high-grade sausage and lots of fresh herbs, introducing an extra savoury bite to the party.

Image: The Manc Eats
Image: The Manc Eats

Washed down with cocktails from the bar including a Green Snapper made with Pod Pea vodka, green tomato, jalapeno and lime, followed by a glass of Pinot Noir and a box of Hawksmoor’s own salted caramel chocolate tributes, this makes for the perfect Sunday lunchtime outing.

Read more: Celebrity nightclub haunt Panacea to reopen in Manchester years after closure

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Frankly, you really can’t go wrong here. From the food, to the friendly service, to the bar offering, it’s not hard to see why this Manchester restaurant is the undisputed king of the Sunday roast – and then some.

Featured image – The Manc Eats

Eats

An Aldi billboard dispensing free rosé wine has appeared in Manchester

Georgina Pellant Georgina Pellant

A blush pink billboard dispensing free wine has appeared in Manchester’s St Ann’s Square today, and it is causing quite a stir amongst shoppers.

Set up by budget supermarket chain Aldi to celebrate the start of the rosé drinking season, according to the team the jazzy wine-dispensing billboard is something of a ‘world’s first’ – designed to dispense rosé only when the weather hits the perfect temperature (19.2C, apparently).

According to research from Aldi sales, the north west is the biggest rosé-loving region in the UK. In response, the team decided to celebrate the arrival of the perfect rosé weather by launching the billboard – which will dispense the summer tipple when the weather hits the perfect temperature.

With the North West identified by Aldi sales data as the UK’s biggest rosé-loving region, the supermarket set up the billboard in the centre of Manchester ahead of National Rosé Day (10 June).

After researching over 1,000 rosé drinkers, the taps poured out free glasses as temperatures hit the ideal 19.2C at around 1pm in St Ann’s Square.

Two-thirds of those surveyed describe rosé as the ‘perfect summer drink’, while almost half think it’s best enjoyed in shorts and t-shirts – and a quarter start drinking it as soon as the winter coat comes off.

Image: The Manc Eats
Image: The Manc Eats

But ice is a divisive topic, with the country split in half when it comes to cooling their rosé; 55% think it’s acceptable when the weather is hot, while 45% claim they would ‘never’ dilute their drink.

Julie Ashfield, Managing Director of Buying at Aldi UK, said: “Everyone’s heard the saying ‘it’s wine o’clock’ but we wanted to find out when it’s ‘rosé degrees’ – and according to the nation of rosé lovers, the ideal temperature is 19.2C.

“Setting up the world’s first billboard to dispense rosé at a certain warm temperature was a challenge in Manchester, which is noted for rain.

“But as the centre of the region which loves rosé more than any other in the UK, fortunately, everything came up rosé.”

Read more: Hit Stockport sandwich shop Rack is opening a second cafe in Sale

Research by the supermarket also found that rosé lovers enjoy an average of 63 glasses throughout summer, spending £11.34 a bottle, with the preference being a glass of Provence at 5.18pm.

Image: The Manc Eats
Image: Supplied

But despite a liking for Southern French vino, shoppers are decidedly more British when it comes to pairings, with over a third (34%) claiming crisps are the ultimate accompaniment to rosé. 

Unexpected answers also include a roast dinner (16%), cake (13%), curry (10%), ice cream (6%) and doughnuts (6%) – rising to 11% of 25–34-year-old rosé drinkers.

And one in three rosé drinking Brits claim to have tried last year’s ‘spicy rosé’ TikTok trend in which sliced jalapeños are added to a glass of pink – rising to over half of millennials, with 15% claiming to add one to every glass.

The activity comes as Aldi is fast becoming a destination for rosé wine. Last year, the supermarket saw a 134% uplift in spring/summer sales year on year – with the most successful day coinciding with the August heatwave.

Sam Caporn, Mistress of Wine, added: “Rosé is the ideal summer drink; it really does add a sense of summer fun and al fresco vibes to any occasion with friends and family.

Read more: A huge bowling alley with its own street food vendors is opening in Trafford

“When it comes to ‘whether’ to put ice in the glass or not, I’d advise rosé fans to be led by personal preference – which as ever – is all that really matters. Don’t worry too much about dilution as with rosé it’s all about refreshment and I love it being served super chilled.

“So let’s raise a glass to the nation’s favourite vino for summer sipping, a drop of pink!”

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Aldi’s Rosé Billboard will dispense free rosé when the weather hits 19.2C (approx. 1pm) until 7pm in St Ann’s Square, Manchester on Thursday 8th and Friday 9th June.

Featured image – The Manc Eats

Eats

A huge bowling alley with its own street food vendors is opening in Trafford

Georgina Pellant Georgina Pellant

A huge bowling alley is coming to Trafford next month, promising the ‘crown jewels of bowling’ with Ten Pin and Duck Pin bowling, plus ​​shuffleboard, quality street food, arcade games and more.

Called King Pins, the giant new venue will open at Trafford Palazzo on 17 July with two independent street food stands, a dessert kiosk and a full-service bar pouring cocktails, homemade slushies and 20 different beers.

Food traders have just been confirmed for the new opening, with city centre favourites PLY and Little Bao Boy both coming on board to serve up Neapolitan wood-fired pizzas and pan-Asian bao buns respectively.

PLY fans can expect to get their hands on all their Northern Quarter favourites, as well as digging into a brand new King Pins pizza topped with hot dogs, crunchy onion and a secret Goldeen barbecue sauce created exclusively for the new opening.

Image: The Hoot Leeds
Image: The Manc Eats

There’ll also be a selection of saucy PLY wings coated in buffalo, BBQ and chip shop curry sauce, classic fries, vegan options and a special kids menu, perfect for the whole family.

As for the menu at Little Bao Boy, originally founded in Leeds and voted the city’s favourite takeaway during Covid, expect to find the likes of beef beef brisket and salt and pepper aubergine-stuffed bao on a list that celebrates Asian food with a western, contemporary twist.

Meanwhile, King Pins’ dessert kiosk Royal Treats will serve a huge selection of sweet snacks ranging from donuts and soft serve ice cream to endless bags of Pick ‘N’ Mix.

As for the games on offer, players can try their hands at both Ten Pin and Duck Pin bowling – a variation on the classic using smaller pins and balls – as well as play arcade games, shuffleboard, ice-free curling and air hockey.

Image: The Manc Eats
Image: The Manc Eats

With a whopping fifteen lanes of Ten Pin bowling and six lanes of Duck Pin bowling (a shorter-laned, faster game of bowling that is completely new to the UK), up to 200 people will be able to play at once at the huge new venue when it launches next month.

Read more: Hit Stockport sandwich shop Rack is opening a second cafe in Sale

James Travis, Brand Manager at King Pins, said: “We’re looking forward to finally opening King Pins this summer at Trafford Palazzo.

“The offering at King Pins is like no other, we are all about quality as opposed to outdated family fun. We can’t wait to showcase everything on offer, including a truly state-of-the-art bowling experience and some top-tier local food vendors.

“King Pins will be a place for the whole family to have fun, but equally the space will transform by night into an entertainment venue with music, drinks and bowling which is also perfect for adults looking for something different.” 

Carl Fraenkl-Rietti, co-owner at PLY, said: “We are very excited about partnering with King Pins and are looking forward to the launch this summer.

“PLY will be bringing its fun, fresh food to the venue, which is the perfect fit for us. We are all about bringing great vibes, and who doesn’t love playing games, drinking beer and cocktails with a slice of pizza in hand.“

Read more: These are Manchester’s favourite takeaways, according to Deliveroo

James Ooi, owner at Little Bao Boy, said: “We are very excited to be opening our restaurant in Manchester alongside King Pins, especially after seeing such a huge success at our home site in Leeds and Manchester city centre.

“We can’t wait to start slinging out our Bao Buns from this amazing new venue and we are looking forward to being part of this exciting new launch at Trafford Palazzo.”Designed with all ages in mind, bookings are officially open now for the new kingsized bowling experience. Located close to Legoland® Discovery Centre,  SEA LIFE and the forthcoming Nerf Experience, to find out more and book visit the King Pins website here.

Featured image – The Manc Eats

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