Revered Manchester chef Simon Wood has announced that his fine dining restaurant will be transformed into a “tacos and tequila” joint next month.
As the MasterChef champion’s flagship restaurant, WOOD – on Jack Rosenthal Street in the heart of Manchester city centre – sadly will not be able to fully reopen to the public until 17th May, at the earliest, as per the government’s “irreversible” roadmap for lifting England’s current national lockdown, it will instead be launching a new month-long “taco terrace” from 12th April, when outdoor hospitality venues are allowed to get back to business.
The restaurant’s food offering will be available to take away from the WOOD Shack, or can instead be eaten on the terrace area on First Street.
🌮 Tacos & Tequila 🍸
For one month only we’ve created a ‘Signature Taco Range’ – each ingredient cared for, expertly paired with a range of Tequila cocktails & Mexican beers.
Running w/c 12th April ‘til 9th May (outside only) with an option to grab & go from the WOOD shack! pic.twitter.com/FfoyKyAICm
There’ll be three taco fillings to take your pick from when the new concept launches.
Simon has said that he will be working closely with the team from his more casual Cheltenham restaurant, WOODKRAFT, to develop a menu of signature tacos, with the limited-run of the traditional Mexican dishes all set to be served with fermented red chillies and Simon’s signature ‘Devils Tongue’ hot sauce.
When it comes to what’s on the menu, there’ll be a pulled chicken taco served with homemade pico de gallo, Devils Tongue hot sauce, guacamole, and shredded gem lettuce, as well as an Aleppo cod taco, again with pico de gallo, pepper, and lime sauce, and then for vegetarians, a charcoal-smoked oyster mushroom taco with chilli cheese tostada, and pink onion is on the cards.
WOOD’s new taco offering will be served alongside an extensive margarita menu too.
And if all of that didn’t sound brilliant enough as it is, they’re also promising a free taco with the first beer or margarita purchase to “get you going”.
🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥 EXCITING NEWS 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥
Throughout the pandemic the team here @WoodRestaurants have strived to deliver a quality dinner to your Door
Finally from 12th April we can deliver you one outside my Manchester restaurant
The Taco Terrace at WOOD is set to open its doors between 12th April and 9th May 2021 and you can find more information via its website here.
If you’re looking for something a little more affordable and in-keeping with a tighter food budget in the meantime however, then you can find more information about Simon Wood’s Feeding Families With Simon Wood initiative, with all recipes for £30 or less, here.
Manchester restaurant to give out FREE katsu curries to people called ‘Kat’ or ‘Sue’
Emily Sergeant
In what is a small stroke of genius, a restaurant chain has decided to give out free katsu curries to anyone called ‘Kat’ or ‘Sue’.
Throughout September, award-winning restaurant chain Banana Tree – which has a Greater Manchester site down at Salford Quays – is shining the spotlight on its popular katsu creations, and as a clever way of celebrating National Katsu Day on 27 September has announced a pretty unique giveaway.
That’s right – the restaurant will be serving up katsu dishes to people called Kat, Sue, and every delicious variation of the names in between.
Anyone named Kat, Katie, Katherine, Sue, Suzy, Susan, Suzanne – or close enough to qualify, the list goes on – can head to their local Banana Tree restaurant, and all they’ll need to do is show proof of name and they can enjoy a free katsu dish of their choice, worth up to £16.75.
The chain’s kastu lineup includes three star dishes.
First there’s the much-loved Katsu Curry, as well as the all-new Katsu Burger, which is made from either a crispy chicken or veggie fillet, spicy mayo, puffed noodle crunch, and a drizzle of Katsu sauce tucked into a soft Shokupan bun with a side of salt n pepper chilli chips.
Then there’s also the intriguing newcomer, the Katsu Carbonara – which is described as being a daring East-meets-West mash-up and ‘unapologetically’ Banana Tree.
Banana Tree is giving away free katsu curries to people called ‘Kat’ or ‘Sue’ / Credit: Banana Tree
With each of these dishes usually priced around the £16 mark, the giveaway isn’t just a way of marking National Katsu Day, but it’s also a way to sample the some of the restaurant’s biggest crowd-pleasers entirely free of charge.
To avoid any confusion on who makes the cut, Banana Tree will reveal the full qualifying list of name variations on Instagram soon, so keep your eyes peeled.
“Our Katsu range is one of our proudest creations, so National Katsu Day felt like the perfect moment to have some fun with our fans,” a Banana Tree spokesperson said ahead of the giveaway.
The free katsu offer is available for four days only from Monday 22 to Thursday 25 September, and you just need to head to the Banana Tree website to sign up to the Big Flavour Club here.
Featured Image – Banana Tree
Food & Drink
Bar Shrimp announces opening date as Higher Ground team gear up for new project
Daisy Jackson
Bar Shrimp, a new seafood and cocktail bar in Manchester from the team behind Higher Ground, has officially got itself an opening date.
The hotly-anticipated newcomer will be serving cocktails, beers, and British seafood and snacks from its spot on New York Street.
As well as confirming an October launch date, the team have also shared a glimpse of the menu Mancs can expect from next month.
Bar Shrimp will be offering an Oyster Happy Hour every weekday, as well as caviar with house-cut crisps, devilled eggs, and Sussex smokie fritters.
Expect shellfish over ice, Cornish crab cocktail, bar snack classics and even beef burgers.
It comes from the same team behind Higher Ground and Flawd, headed up again by hospitality dream team Joseph Otway, Daniel Craig Martin and Richard Cossins.
And they’ve partnered with Stockport-based MasterSounds, to install a state-of-the-art custom-designed sound system with music director Lukas Stankunas curating the music programming on a weekly basis.
They say the venue will be a ‘dynamic space where the music and energy evolves throughout the evening’.
The team behind award-winning Higher Ground are opening a new seafood bar, Bar Shrimp, in Manchester
Inside, it’ll be decorated with plush-red banquettes, floor-to-ceiling drapes, and table service throughout.
Matt Pazos, Bruntwood SciTech Retail Commercial Manager, said of the announcement: “Bar Shrimp promises to be another big success for the team and we can’t wait to welcome them to Faulkner House.
“This exciting new concept, bringing together the team’s exceptional knowledge and experience of food and hospitality combined with their passion for music, will further complement the thriving community in this part of Manchester city centre.”
Walk-ins will be welcomed for drinks but reservations are encouraged for dining.
Reservations for Bar Shrimp have gone live today ahead of its official launch on Wednesday 22 October – sign up HERE.
Emily Sergeant -
12th March 2021 
