Food & Drink

New ‘haute couture’ burger bar to open its first UK restaurant in Manchester

The Butcher will open as part of new entertainment complex Urban Playground inside the Arndale.

Georgina Pellant Georgina Pellant - 1st February 2022

A new ‘haute couture’ burger bar is planning to open its first UK restaurant in Manchester.

Called The Butcher, it will join as a part of the new entertainment complex Urban Playground – billed as a ‘revolutionary new entertainment venue in Manchester’ and will be located close to Selfridges on the top floor of the Arndale.

In what promises to be a UK first, popular European burger chain The Butcher will join the new complex in the Arndale to deliver its food offering.

Starting off with a secret kitchen called KIQ (Keep It Quiet) in Amsterdam, prior to its launch in Manchester the brand has opened a number of high-end burger bars in Holland, Germany and Ibiza.

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Image: The Butcher

Known for its high-end “haute couture” take on fast food, The Butcher promises to bring something a little different to the Arndale’s – and Urban Playground’s – food offering.

Committed to serving what they bill as the “world’s best beef burgers”, The Butcher prepares all of its components in-house, on the day, using prime Aberdeen Angus beef in its hand-shaped patties.

Burger buns and signature sauces are also freshly made on-site, whilst further produce – ranging from herbs to vegetables – promises to be the freshest available.

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Image: The Butcher

Bringing its global signatures along with it, hungry Mancs will be able to tuck into the likes of babganoush, avocado and truffle-laden burgers, alongside more kooky options like ‘The Benedict’ – a brunch-style burger loaded with hollandaise sauce, ham and a fried egg.

Elsewhere, veggies and vegans will find plant-powered buns like the Veggie and Vegan Delights, both combining fried mash chickpea patties with herbs, spices, lettuce, tomato, grilled onion and sesame paste. Vegan cheese is available as an extra, or cheddar for veggies.

As for drinks, think signature milkshakes and some boozy options too – like a ‘dark rum ‘n’ chocolate’ milkshake, which puts a milky twist on the signature dark and stormy.

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Read more: The deep-fried Manchester afternoon tea with super-cheesy Chicago pies and Wotsit mozzarella wedges

It will be opening within Urban Playground, which promises to be an “ultimate entertainment destination” and will bring an exclusive preview of ITV‘s The Cube Live experience to Manchester in what promises to be a world first.

The new entertainment complex will feature exciting games from the award-winning show, alongside a new crazy mini gold extravaganza with ‘unique technology’ called Putters.

Image: Urban Playground

Speaking on the new opening, Butcher founder and co-owner Yossi Eliyahoo says: “As a creative concept developer, I envision and feel the places I design before they actually exist.

“We knew that the UK was the next stop for our international expansion plans, and Manchester truly is a global hotspot. 

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“A city that is constantly evolving with many exciting happenings that command worldwide attention. This is the perfect city for our first UK concept, and it had to be The Butcher that we launched  – it’s fast, it’s sleek, it’s modern, but quality is never compromised.”

Feature image – The Butcher

Food & Drink

A retro arcade gaming bar is opening in Stockport ready for Christmas

Georgina Pellant Georgina Pellant

Stockport is set to get its first retro gaming bar this winter as the former Mama Sanctuary spa on Princess Street is transformed into an arcade haven.

Spreading across two floors, it comes from partners Joseph Patten and Amy Fletcher and will.

Already established in the local hospitality scene. Joseph has already made a name for himself in Stockport with venues including Cracked Actor, The Glass Spider and Dr Feelgood.

Now, he and Amy are workig together on a new venture that will celebrate some iconic arcade games from their childhoo,d including Super Pac-Man, Space Invaders, and Donkey Kong – all playable using tokens that can be collected from the bar.

Called Glitch, in an interview with the Manchester Evening News the pair described the new gaming bar as an “interactive museum for vintage arcade lovers”.

However, they also revealed that it won’t just be about retro games here.

The modern crowd of gamers will be equally well catered to, with 11 different high-tech gaming booths – all bookable by the hour – kitted out with 40 inch screens, Xbox, PlayStation 5 and Nintendo Switch, SEGA Mega, and Nintendo 64.

Elsewhere, the team is working on creating an experiential Star Wars ‘duelling room’ with light sabers available to rent. Although it doesn’t sound like this will be ready before its pre-Christmas opening, it’s something we’re happy to wait for.

Drinks-wise, gamers can expect to find a wide array of themed cocktails that nod to Glitch’s playful theme alongside a selection of local beers from Siren Brewery.

The pair also said that they hope the bar will “change the lay of the land massively for more bars of this type to invest in Stockport Town centre.

Read more: A bar in Manchester is throwing a 2000s-themed Myspace party

They continued: “It’s certainly the first of its kind in Stockport but it’s where the bar world is heading.

“We believe it’s the next big push needed to bring immersive interactive bars to Stockport, in the same way they do in the cities. It’s a chance to provide more than just a sit down with a beer, people want more of an experience when they hit the town now. GLITCH provides that.

Read more: This Indian takeaway in Prestwich has just been named the best in the UK

“It’s a hit of nostalgia like a interactive museum for vintage arcade lovers, whilst also offering the look into the future with all the latest consoles for groups to book out. I think it’s the perfect time of year to be opening with Christmas around the corner.”

Feature image – Google maps / Slackers

Food & Drink

This Indian takeaway in Prestwich has just been named the best in the UK

Georgina Pellant Georgina Pellant

An Indian takeaway in Prestwich has just beaten rivals up and down the country to be crowned the best in the whole of the UK.

Bombay Cuisine in Prestwich, Manchester won the accolade of National Takeaway of The Year 2022 at the annual Asian Restaurant and Takeaway awards, taking home the accolade at a celebrity red-carpet event.

Serving up a mixture of traditional dishes like jalfrezi and karahi alongside a wide selection of masala, pasanda, biryani and balti dishes, you’ll also find a long list of house and chef specialities on the menu at Bombay Cuisine.

From Indian cheese kofta to the popular Gujurati dish achari, plus shahi suria, chana walla and murgh musallam, the specials menu is packed with mouthwatering dishes.

Elsewhere you’ll find a special sizzling tandoori section with all dishes barbecued in a special clay oven, as well as a list of ‘Nice n Spicy’ specials for those who aren’t shy of a bit of heat.

Bombay Cuisine was not the only Greater Manchester restaurant to win big, either, with The Milnrow Balti in Rochdale also taking home the Regional Restaurant of the Year award for the North West of England – proving that we really are spoilt for choice in this part of the world.

Each year, the awards reveal the best of UK Asian cuisine selected from 2,400 nominations from South Asian restaurants, takeaways, chefs, and personalities across the country.

They celebrate the UK’s Curry industry, which contributes £5 billion to the economy annually and, as of 2015, has accounted for a fifth of the restaurants in the UK dating back to the 1800’s.

Image: Bombay Cuisine, Prestwich
Image: Bombay Cuisine, Prestwich

The Lifetime Achievement Award was conferred to Mr Muquim Ahmed, a renowned
British entrepreneur who was a successful restaurateur and has spent over 40 years in
building a rapidly growing business empire. He is also known as the King of London’s Brick Lane.

The winners were selected by an esteemed panel of expert ambassadors and judges, and restaurants were awarded based on three key factors: quality of food, quality of service, and value for money.

This was followed by the ARTA score, which includes food hygiene rating and reviews from websites like TripAdvisor and Google.

Restaurants that made it through the gruelling first phase were judged and invited to participate in a cook-off competition where they were scored once again on various factors including: flavour, appearance, texture, hygiene and aroma.

Speaking about the Asian Restaurant & Takeaway Awards 2022, Salik Mohammed Munim, Founder of the ARTA Awards, said: “The ARTA Awards 2022 are a celebration and recognition of Britain’s vibrant Asian restaurants, takeaways, and chefs.

“Since the inception of ARTA, we have clearly seen the phenomenal quality of entrants, and the bar set
by each, and every nominee has been increasing each year.

“I am truly blown away by the standards set by the competition and having been privy to exceptional quality and service extended by the nominees, I can confidently assert that Asian culinary industry in Britain is in safe hands.

“Every nominee and winner should be proud of their work.”

The awards also offered solidarity and morale for the industry which is currently facing headwinds including with the high cost of energy, inflation, and the ongoing impact of the pandemic.

Salik Mohammed added: “ARTA 2022 is extremely special for us, as it has returned after a two-year hiatus due to the pandemic. The gathering was emotional and symbolic, as it brought together members of the Asian cuisine industry during an exceptionally difficult and testing time.

“The cost of energy crisis is a real threat to the sector, and many are faced with the prospect of closing doors after having served their local communities and patrons for decades.

“This has been a back-to-back assault on the sector, which was recently reeling and recovering from the pandemic, and staffing shortages post-Brexit.

“It was a poignant moment for us all, to be together and extend moral support and well-wishes. I truly wish us all the very best.”

Feature image – Bombay Cuisine

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