Food & Drink

Peru Perdu unveils ‘adventurous’ festive menu with supercut steaks, champagne and ceviche for Christmas and NYE

Princess Street's glorious South American restaurant is going big for December - serving up a special menu and bumper New Year's Eve party.

The Manc The Manc - 9th December 2021

Manchester’s famous South American resident Peru Perdu is rolling out the red carpet for a bumper programme of interactive dining experiences to celebrate Christmas and New Year.

The Cotton Factory’s wildly-popular, bright-pink Peruvian concept restaurant is hosting a glorious mix of special events for the holidays – ranging from exclusive festive menus and guest dishes to drag brunches and Doggy Christmas Dinners. 

A full month’s worth of dining events come to a head on December 31 – with an action-packed event ringing in 2022.

A spectacular Veuve Clicquot Champagne tower will take centre stage at Peru Perdu on NYE / Image: Peru Perdu

For New Year’s Eve, Peru Perdu is inviting private dining specialists PAMPAS into the Princess Street venue for a decadent night of champagne, supercut steaks and festive-infused dishes with Peruvian and Uruguayan twists – including “the UK’s first ever mince pie empanada”. 

PAMPAS’ Bring Me Christmas menu is described as an “adventurous selection of experimental dishes served family style” – featuring wet aged steaks, ceviche with three types of fish, tiger milk fried chicken, and hearty potato pie with black truffle gravy and greens.

Peru Perdu will be dressed to the nines for the occasion – with a spectacular Veuve Clicquot Champagne tower taking centre stage whilst a party soundtrack booms out from the DJ booth. Guests can also pre-order a tall glass of bubbly to enjoy for the New Year’s chimes at midnight.

Spots for the NYE dinner at Peru Perdu cost £85 per person and include a glass of Rochbouet Argentinian sparkling wine on arrival. You can also upgrade and pair a wine with each course for an extra £40pp. 

There’s a chance to win four FREE seats at the NYE event (with a glass of Veuve Clicquot from the champagne tower) by entering Peru Perdu’s Instagram competition. Keep your eyes peeled for details over on @peruperdu_mcr. 

Peru Perdu is hosting a dazzling range of festive events this December / Image: Peru Perdu

Peru Perdu has also announced an eclectic mix of interactive dining experiences in the countdown to 2022 – including menu specials, a Veuve Clicquot Festive Drag Brunch, and a furry friends Sunday Christmas dinner.

From Tuesday to Sunday right throughout December, a variety of Christmas feasts will be available – priced £85 per person including paired wines, as well as two-course menus at £30pp and three-course menus for £35pp. 

On Saturday 18 December, Peru Perdu will host the intoxicating festive-themed Veuve Clicquot Drag Brunch from midday to 4pm – with a tasty two-course set menu and a glass of Veuve Clicquot on arrival (£35pp). 

Doggy Christmas Dinner events invite guests to bring along their pets / Image: Peru Perdu

The venue will be open to pet pooches every Sunday before NYE – with Doggy Christmas Dinner events inviting guests to bring along their furry friends to tuck into meals alongside them. Whilst owners enjoy a South American inspired roast, pooches can get stuck into a complimentary dog Sunday roast and bone gravy (available when two or more guests are dining). The Doggy Christmas Dinner on December 19 will be a particularly special occasion, as Peru Perdu hosts the ‘Best Dressed Christmas Pooch’ competition – with the three smartest dogs winning free meals for their owners! 

It’s all happening down on Princess Street this month… 

To get yourself booked in for NYE or any December event at Peru Perdu, email [email protected], call 0161 549 0005 or use the website contact form. 

Stay-up-to-date with menus, announcements and competitions by following @peruperdu_mcr on social media. 

Read more about what’s happening in Manchester’s food and drinks sector here. 

Featured image: Peru Perdu

Food & Drink

Manchester tapas spot Maricarmen open second city centre site

Danny Jones Danny Jones Maricarmen opening second site in Manchester

Affordable Manchester tapas spot Maricarmen has just finished launching its second site in town, doubling its city centre presence with the official opening on Thursday, 4 September.

Maricarmen launched on Great Ancoats Street back in June 2023 and quickly became a firm Manc favourite, famous for their £3.50 dishes

When it comes to their small plate approach, they serve up some of the best tapas in Manchester, and even the shopfront seats at their popular roadside location are regularly full regardless of passing traffic.

However, if there’s ever been one gripe we’ve had with the place, it’s that the outdoor area isn’t the most peaceful, even if it is a stunning suntrap on a warm day – that’s where the new restaurant comes in.

tapas in ancoats
Ancoats…
tapas in nq
… vs NQ
New but familiar (Credit: Supplied/The Manc Eats)

We’ve been semi-regular visitors of Maricarmen ever since it started out life as a pop-up just around from Cutting Room Square, and they’ve gained speed and reputation ever since.

Known not only for authentic, value-for-money tapas, but welcoming plenty of punters for a simple drink as one of the best places for a sangria in central Manchester, they’ve managed to stay relatively just not just when the weather is bright but throughout most seasons.

Overhauling the old 63 Degrees bistro in the Northern Quarter, which sadly had to shut its doors back in February, we’re glad to see that the building has now been reborn.

While the Ancoats restaurant is known for the aforementioned roving ‘El Tableo’ style of service inspired by southern Spain, the newest location will be slightly different, revealing not only lighter colours and Alicante beach influences with a focus on alfresco eating, but lots of new specials.

All we’ll say for now is bring on the pintxos, pints, patatas bravas and pretty much anything we had for their first birthday celebrations.

Created by Marian Diaz and Jose Nunez, who previously owned a tapas restaurant in Madrid, La Porcineria, which was sadly curtailed by Covid.

On the bright side, Manchester has been the greatest beneficiary of their fresh start, and we can’t wait to see what venue number two delivers.

Co-founder, Diaz, said of the new opening: “Maricarmen is about compassion, hard work, strength, reinvention, opening our minds & hearts and connecting with people. It’s more than just food, for us, it is the beautiful moment when we see our customers and our coworkers smile because they are here.” 

She went on to add, “To us, Manchester signifies the ability to reinvent and grow. The people here support you without expecting anything in return. It’s really beautiful. I have never felt this before in my life. […] We’ve built up such a loyal customer base of locals – many have become dear friends. 

“And to be in a position to open a second site within two years and share our love of good food and great times with Manchester’s Northern Quarter is quite unbelievable.”

Read more:

There really is a Costa Blanca beach house vibe to this bright, new yellow-accented corner of NQ and having tried some of their dishes, we can’t wait to get stuck in.

Be sure to follow them on socials too, not only for more announcements and updates but because it’ll give you an even better flavour of the vibes over there.

For now, best get building your appetite.

21 of the best tapas places in Manchester city centre and beyond
Yes, of course, they featured on the tapas round-up, and we’re sure the second Maricarmen site will too.

For all the latest news, events and goings on in Greater Manchester, subscribe to The Manc newsletter HERE.

Featured Images — Maricarmen (supplied)/The Manc Group

Food & Drink

Popular Manchester cafe and bakery Gooey brilliantly responds to ‘2/10’ TikTok review

Daisy Jackson Daisy Jackson Popular Manchester cafe and bakery Gooey brilliantly responds to '2/10' TikTok review

Gooey, easily one of Manchester’s busiest bakeries and brunch spots, has clapped back at a negative review on TikTok with a refreshingly honest statement.

The local business shot to fame initially with its chunky, gooey cookies, but has since expanded from its hatch to have its very own cafe, famed for its enormous French toasts and its sandwiches made with baked-in-house Shokupan bread.

Generally, Gooey gets an incredibly good rap, with queues that speak for themselves stretching from its doors down High Street.

But one TikToker has shared a less favourable video review of the business, slamming it as ‘one of the most disappointing food experiences I’ve ever had in my life’.

The reviewer in question specialises in finding places you could eat comfortably as a solo diner, and ranked Gooey an overall 8/10 – but slated the food at a 2/10.

And now Gooey has shared their side of things, defending themselves against the reviewer’s claims that the food is ‘expensive’ and ‘tastes like it could have been made at Greggs’.

“Not everyone is going to like what you do and that is absolutely fair enough,” they wrote in a statement.

Gooey continued: “We’re not usually in the business of responding to negative reviews.

Gooey clapped back at the review that said its sandwiches were 'too expensive'
Gooey clapped back at the review that said its sandwiches were 'too expensive'
Gooey clapped back at the review that said its sandwiches were ‘too expensive’

“What has made us respond to this review is how often I’m seeing local businesses like ours targeted on costs.”

The cafe then justified the £10.90 cost for a bacon and egg sandwich, pointing out the bacon is cured in-house and cut thick every day by hand; the bread is also baked in-house daily; even the ketchup and brown sauce are made from scratch.

“With all that said, yes, we do have to charge more than you would pay for a bacon butty at Greggs.

“Listen, I understand this criticism. I used to get a bacon and egg butty before college for £1.95 from my local butty shop.

“We cannot do that here. We are paying Manchester City Centre rent. We employ a team of chefs, bakers, front of house, and more.

“And we are trying to make the best version of a bacon sandwich that we could.”

Chunky cookies at Gooey
Chunky cookies at Gooey
Popular Manchester cafe and bakery Gooey brilliantly responds to '2/10' TikTok review
The Gooey French toast that the review claimed was ‘too sweet’

As for the complaints that the French toast is ‘too sweet’, Gooey clapped back: “Yes, our French Toast is sweet. It’s filled with dulce de leche and topped with maple syrup.

“We personally love it and it’s our most popular item but if you don’t like sweet things, you might not like it!”

Finally, in defence of rising prices across the hospitality industry, they signed off with this brilliant piece of insight.

“Every single independent cafe, restaurant and bar across this country is charging more than they would like to be doing for their dishes.

“In 99.99% of cases, this is not greed, or us being thick, or trying to rip people off. It is simply the only way to survive with the costs we are facing.

“Even then, many of us are struggling to make it work.”

Anyone fancy meeting at Gooey for a bacon sandwich later then?

Read more

Featured image: The Manc Group

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