The Blues Kitchen is teaming up with Manchester’s DevilDog Sauces to host a Flamin’ Hot Wing Eating Competition this month.
And if you’re feeling brave enough, you can stick your name down now.
For the fifty brave foodies who fancy taking part in the challenge, there’ll be five rounds of fiery heat in the path to crowning glory.
In each round, The Blues Kitchen’s infamous wings will be coated in one of DevilDog’s glorious spicy sauces, with a one-of-a-kind, fire-in-your-mouth sauce like you’ve never experienced before lined up for the grand finale.
The evening will be hosted by Manchester’s very-own Tilly Tillz, who will makes sure the audience are entertained while the competitors are tackling a range of chilli peppers.
The first round sees competitors munch on wings coated in DevilDog’s ‘Mango, Scotch Bonnet & Lime’ sauce, which is a nice, light 400,000 Scoville units to start. Round two will be the ‘Reaper, Scorpion & 7 Pot Chilli’ sauce, which is a blend of Carolina Reaper (around 1.6 million Scoville units), Trinidad Scorpion Butch T (1.2 million units), and 7 Pot Primo (up to 1.3 million units), which makes for an extra hot sauce that will most likely cause competitors to break a sweat.
Credit: The Blues Kitchen x DevilDog Sauces
Round three is the lethal ‘Naga Viper’, a fiery combination of the Trinidad Scorpion, the Naga Morich, and the Ghost Pepper, with Asian spiced plum and raspberry.
The legendary Caroline Reaper makes a comeback in round four, with a dash of blackberry, lemon and thyme. This pepper is red and gnarled, with a bumpy texture and small pointed tail – the devil embodied in the form of a pepper.
Not for the faint hearted, this one is super hot and the gateway to the last round.
Survivors will proceed onto the fifth and final round, and for this one, DevilDog Sauces have created a very special sauce especially for the occasion that’s made with Armageddon Chilli – clocking in at 1.3 million Scoville units, 400 times hotter than your average jalapeño – white vinegar and red bell peppers.
Credit: The Blues Kitchen | DevilDog Sauces
What will the champion get once they’re crowned the winner? Well, first and foremost, they’ll receive the grand prize of eternal glory – but they’ll also get a nice £50 tab to spend on food and drink at The Blues Kitchen.
Don’t worry if you’re not up for the challenge, then you can just go along and watch for free, and tuck into some not-so-spicy wings too while you’re at it.
Think you’re brave enough though? You can sign up to the challenge here.
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.
A long-standing Italian restaurant in Trafford has sadly announced its imminent closure
Danny Jones
Another day, another bit of unfortunate hospitality news, as long-standing Greater Manchester restaurant, Little Italy in Timperley, has announced it is closing permanently very soon.
The Trafford favourite, which has been serving locals for nearly 20 years, has informed regular diners that it will sadly be closing its doors for good, with Little Italy’s final service set for later this month.
Having earned plenty of praise in its time, including being one of the few spots in and around the Altrincham area to have won a TripAdvisor Certificate of Excellence in 2015, before the borough saw its foodie boom begin.
But fast forward a decade, and the Timperley institution is yet another culinary casualty to be confirmed of late, with Little Italy sharing a tear-jerking statement online.
Sharing the tragic news on social media this Friday (5 Sep), the restaurant wrote: “To all our lovely customers, it is with a heavy heart that we share some news with you all. After over 18 years of serving you all in Timperley, we will be closing our doors later this month.
“This has not been an easy decision. Unfortunately, rising costs and a significant increase in rental [costs] have made it impossible to continue in a sustainable way. As much as we love what we do, the reality is that it has become too difficult to maintain under these circumstances.
“Over the coming weeks, we will continue to cook with love and serve with the same passion as always. We would love to see you all and share one more meal, and raise a glass together.”
Safe to say that the post has been met with an outpouring of condolences and support from natives nearby and those who have travelled to enjoy their food.
Little Italy went on to add that they will detail more about their final week of business as soon as possible.
They can’t be accused of not keeping up with times and not trying to promote via social media either, as they small family-run team – headed up by Sam Cauchi, who bought the site back in 2008 – have always given things a go besides the day-to-day operation of the restaurant.
Being one of many saddened customers to respond underneath the announcement, we couldn’t possibly sum up things better than local Vanessa Nice, who said: “Look at all these amazing comments – you certainly made your mark as a home from home for the residents of Timperley.
“The end of an era will always be sad, but sometimes life and families have to move on.”
As for Cauchi and co., they signed off by simply adding: “From the bottom of our hearts, thank you for your support, kindness and friendship over the years. Timperley has been our home, and you have all been our family.
“Love from all the team at Little Italy.”
It goes without saying that we’re gutted for the gang and our thoughts are with everyone involved at this difficult time. For now, we can only say thank you to the countless Greater Manchester locations that continue to fall foul in the face of the rising pressures industry-wide. Case and point…
Emily Sergeant -
3rd November 2021 
