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.
ADVERTISEMENT
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.
ADVERTISEMENT
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.
Beloved Manc butty shop Bada Bing set for a sensational return to the city centre
Danny Jones
Sandwich lovers rejoice because one of the finest butty shops to ever grace Manchester is returning: that’s right, Bada Bing is bada-back!
The Sopranos-inspired deli and sandwich shop that took its name from one of the central locations featured in the iconic US drama (yes, the strip club), was a huge success when it first opened in Manchester a few short years ago, so it was a huge blow when it closed in February 2022.
Starting out by serving sandwiches out of a window at The B Lounge pub on Paton Street near Piccadilly, before moving to a small kitchen on Radium Street and eventually setting up their stall inside Ancoats General Store, they would regularly have lines around the block every lunchtime.
These Italian-American sarnies were so popular you’d often struggle to get your claws on one – and believe us, they really are a two-handed task – as they’d sell out on what felt like most days. But now, whether you were a regular or someone who missed out, there is hope once again:
Announcing their sensational return to a new site over in the Northern Quarter, which will now mark the fourth premises they’ve popped up at, Bada Bing is back with a bang and, as you can, they dropped the news with one of the best reveal videos we’ve ever seen.
If you know, you know…
Set to take over 125 Oldham Street, owners Sam Gormally and Meg Lingenfelter haven’t yet graced us with an opening date but the new unit should hopefully be open sooner rather than later.
The duo, who previously worked at fellow NQ favourite Another Heart to Feed, came up with the concept during lockdown and it didn’t take long for the idea to take off, nor for them to earn their spot amongst the very best sandwich places in Manchester.
Seriously, these things were so big and unwieldy (in the best way possible) that they even used to come with eating instructions: both hands and the trademark Tony Soprano hunch recommended, though the slightly stained wife-beater, boxer shorts and open dressing gown look is optional.
From slices of provolone cheese, all the thinly sliced Italian meats you could think of and the closest thing to actual ‘gabagool‘ as you’ll find in Greater Manchester, the menu was fitting of being served up to the iconic characters that once sat outside Satriale’s and a big approving grin from the man himself.
Simply put, we cannot wait and we will certainly keep you posted when we find out exactly when Bada Bing confirms their official reopening date.
Burger King is giving away free burgers to new drivers today
Emily Sergeant
Burger King will be giving away burgers to drivers who have recently passed their tests for free of charge today.
In case it wasn’t on your radar, tomorrow (Thursday 24 July) is actually National Drive-Thru Day, and in a bid to properly celebrate this unofficial holiday, Burger King has decided to hand out a bunch of freebies to newbies today.
The fast food chain is asking all new drivers to “buckle up”, head on down to their nearest Burger King drive-thru, and help themselves to a free burger.
All newly-qualified drivers will be able to take their pick from either the Whopper or Chicken Royale without parting ways with a penny, and all they’ll need to do the claim their freebie is simply show off their learner’s ‘L Plates’ to the staff at their local Burger King restaurant.
/ Credit: Burger King UK (via Instagram) | Supplied
Hundreds of Burger King drive-thrus across the UK are taking part in the one-day promotion – including several across in Greater Manchester.
Although it might seem a little too good to be true, there’s a reason Burger King has chosen to dish out the freebies, and that’s because the company says it knows that one of the first activities newly-qualified drivers like do once they’ve passed their test is make a pit stop at a drive-thru with their mates to show off their new wheels and skills.
Sometimes though, navigating a drive-thru for the first time can be tricky, and this leaves new drivers feeling a bit like a rabbit in the headlights.
Luckily with this one-day Burger King offer, new drivers’ first drive-thru trip couldn’t be any easier.
The offer is available nationwide today (Wednesday 24 July) at Burger King drive-thru lanes only, while stock lasts, and newly qualified drivers must verbally mention “BK Plates” at the drive-thru lane to unlock their free burger.