Food & Drink

The Manc Eats: This week’s food and drink hit list feat. a record store moonlighting as a bar

New additions include black forest gateaux martinis and a Tex Mex spot in the former Walrus site.

Georgina Pellant Georgina Pellant - 20th July 2021

Today, “freedom” is technically upon us. But for Manchester’s bars and restaurants, things feel less “free” than ever – with the industry caught up in the midst of what’s being referred to as a ‘pingdemic’.

With many hospitality staff forced to isolate even with negative tests and no symptoms, questions are being asked if there’s a better way to run things – especially as other guidance is being dropped and new test programmes are piloted as an alternative to isolation.

This week, pub giant Greene King has had to close thirteen sites due to staff shortages.

But amid the chaos, there is a silver lining, at least. From today, you’ll be able to go to the bar with no need to sign in at venues or order via an app. And there’s some good news close to home, too.

Gary Usher’s Kala is finally reopening its doors after a prolonged period of closure – and we’ve tipped the restaurant as one of our places to go this week for that very reason. They’ve recently launched a fab new bar menu, but haven’t really been able to serve it much yet.

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Keep reading to find out more about what they’ve got going on, plus our other top picks for this week.

Movement Bar is a new addition to Tib Street where you can grab a top craft beer and the latest 12″ / Image: Movement Bar

A Northern Quarter record store that moonlights as a bar

A new craft beer and wine bar in the Northern Quarter that also sells records? Or a record store selling booze? Either way, we’re here for it.

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Recently opened by the duo behind Manchester record label Small Moves Records (including Jez Kerr, of A Certain Ratio fame), the drinks selection here is actually pretty extensive with European breweries like Paulaner, Siren and House Party on draught, plus some rarified craft bottles and a decent wine and Japanese whiskey collection.

Find Movement Bar at 84 Tib St, Manchester M4 1LG, open Wednesday to Saturday.

Kala recently launched a new bar menu that includes this gorgeous peppered feather blade steak sandwich / Image: Kala

King Street favourite Kala emerges from isolation

Gary Usher’s Kala has been beset with track and trace problems of late, having to close repeatedly – or so it feels.

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As of this Wednesday, the team is back with all the usual menu favourites – plus a new bar snack menu that includes some mouthwatering additions, like £10 peppered feather blade steak sandwiches served inside a sesame roll.

If you visit, make sure to get the pistachio and raspberry Bakewell tart too. It’s a revelation.

Find Kala at 55 King St, Manchester M2 4LQ. from midday on Wednesday 21 July

The Mews is a new opening from the team behind Alvarium in the Northern Quarter / Image: The Mews

Black forest gateaux martinis and sexy charcuterie from the Alvarium team

Brand new opening The Mews comes from the team behind the popular NQ spot Alvarium. They are collaborating with The Crafty Cheese Man, aka Jonathan Pearcey, to produce some super sexy charcuterie and cheese boards – creating a new killer food and drink combo in this often forgotten section of town.

Think nibbly treats like whipped goats cheese and mascarpone with chilli jam, served alongside top-quality seasonal cocktails like black forest gateaux martinis and a Japanese ‘forest bathing’ inspired Old Fashioned with Nikka and fennel syrup, plus a banging wine list and beer selection.

Tucked away on Deansgate Mews (on the elevated walkway between Deansgate and the GNW), if you’re looking for a chilled spot to enjoy a few quality drinks in the sun you can’t go wrong here.

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Find The Mews at The Mews Bar and Charcuterie, Deansgate, Manchester M3 4EN.

The Higher Ground team will bring a natural wine pop-up to Pollen later this month before opening their own site / Image: Flawd

A natural wine pop-up from the team behind Higher Ground

Flawd Wine is a new concept from the team behind Higher Ground. Serving low-intervention wines and small plates of British cheese as well as charcuterie and ferments from the award-winning Curing Rebels based in Brighton, it is set to open a new home in New Islington this September.

Ahead of that, though, the team – which includes Joseph Otway, formerly Head Chef of Where The Light Gets In – is running a series of pop-up events at Pollen throughout July and August to give the neighbourhood a taste of what’s to come.

Find Flawd popping up at Pollen every Friday, Saturday and Sunday from 23 July until 15 August, before they open their own space in September.

Man With Fish is influenced by America’s southern saloons and is being opened inside what was formerly Walrus / Image: Man With Fish

A new Tex Mex bar in the former Walrus site

Named by the owner’s daughter, Man With Fish is influenced by America’s southern saloons and is being opened inside what was formerly Walrus.

Brought to Manchester by the same team that brought us Quarter House on Stevenson Square, think Tex Mex-style food with a big BBQ pull courtesy of charcoal grill nerd Jason Latham, plus a whopping 17 different beers on tap.

Find Man With Fish at 78-88 High St, Manchester M4 1ES from July 19 at 5pm.

Food & Drink

The New Didsbury Dozen: the definitive list of boozers on this legendary pub crawl

Danny Jones Danny Jones Didsbury Dozen pub crawl - The Didsbury

Whether you’re a born and bred Manc or simply visiting, ‘The Didsbury Dozen’ is an absolute institution of the Manchester drinking scene.

However, the sad reality of going out post-pandemic is that not every watering hole survived, and unfortunately, some of the original Didsbury Dozen didn’t make it through lockdown. Rest in peace, The Stoker’s Arms (now Dockyard), The Sanctuary (now Head of Steam), The Slug and more.

That being said, while we will certainly miss them, they say every ending is a new beginning; as one door shuts, another one opens — and when we say door, we of course mean the door to a pub.

So, without further ado, we decided to formalise The NEW Didsbury Dozen. At least one drink in each, those are the rules. You can argue all you like, this is the definitive list from here on out, so you’ll just have to deal with it.

1. The Didsbury

Didsbury Dozen pub crawl - The Didsbury
Didsbury Dozen pub crawl – The Didsbury
Didsbury Dozen pub crawl - The Didsbury
Didsbury Dozen pub crawl – The Didsbury

Where else to start but the beginning? Lucky for us, the consensus has always been that a pub crawl called The Didsbury Dozen should obviously start at The Didsbury. Kicking off the crawl on the curved corner of Wilmslow Road, this traditional pub offers little surprise but signals the start of a great night.

2. Ye Olde Cock Inn

Didsbury Dozen pub crawl - Ye Olde Cocke Inn
Didsbury Dozen pub crawl – Ye Olde Cocke Inn
Didsbury Dozen pub crawl - Ye Olde Cocke Inn
Didsbury Dozen pub crawl – Ye Olde Cocke Inn

The best part about the opening two pubs on this list is that not only have they remained literal cornerstones of this crawl, but they are genuinely spitting distance from each other – i.e. just five yards, there’s another old English pub that offers the same as next door, plus a ping pong table. Easy.

3. The Famous Crown

Didsbury Dozen pub crawl - The Famous Crown
Didsbury Dozen pub crawl – The Famous Crown
Didsbury Dozen pub crawl - The Famous Crown
Didsbury Dozen pub crawl – The Famous Crown

Ok, so now you’ve had a couple of pints, you’re ready for the short walk down the road as you begin the first mobile part of The Dozen toward The Famous Crown. What’s it famous for? Coming back from the dead with solid beer, a cosy interior and some mint food to line your stomach for the bulk of the boozing.

4. The Royal Oak

Didsbury Dozen pub crawl - The Royal Oak
Didsbury Dozen pub crawl – The Royal Oak

Had some pub grub or at least a butty from the Co-op up the road? Good. Sod that ‘eating is cheating’ nonsense, this is a long old night and we don’t need any heroes — you’ll all be heroes at the end. Next up, another non-nonsense boozer: The Royal Oak. Small and cosy; beer, wine and the rest of it. Simple.

5. Fletcher Moss

Didsbury Dozen pub crawl - Fletcher Moss
Didsbury Dozen pub crawl – Fletcher Moss
Didsbury Dozen pub crawl - Fletcher Moss
Didsbury Dozen pub crawl – Fletcher Moss

Now we move on to one of our favourites and arguably one of the best bars in Didsbury, let alone on The Dozen, Fletcher Moss. Just 75 yards off the Village high street and offering up live sports, craft beers, plus the beloved beer garden, this hidden gem is just as pretty in the winter as it is in the summer. Iconic.

6. The Nelson

Didsbury Dozen pub crawl - The Nelson
Didsbury Dozen pub crawl – The Nelson

Back toward the high street now; just on the corner of Barlow Moor Road, you’ll find The Nelson. Yes, named after the Admiral and yes, another no-frills boozer owned by Craft Union Pubs. Often serving up Moorhouse beer as its guest and playing host to the local darts league, it’s everything you’d expect.

7. The Dog and Partridge

Didsbury Dozen pub crawl - The Dog and Partridge
Didsbury Dozen pub crawl – The Dog and Partridge
Didsbury Dozen pub crawl - The Dog and Partridge
Didsbury Dozen pub crawl – The Dog and Partridge

Ok, halfway there and we’re definitely into the busy section now: pubs every couple of yards and, before you ask, yes, we’re skipping The Botanist (formerly Pitcher & Piano), there are loads of ’em. We’re moving on to The Dog and Partridge for some classic ale, Pieminister pies, cheese plates and more.

8. The Salmon of Knowledge

Now, this one has changed hands more than the Dozen has changed barrels, but the latest iteration of number eight is Manchester’s second Salmon of Knowledge site, which replaced The Dockyard back in March; it’s been a hit in the Northern Quarter, and it’s proved no different in Didsbury. Try it for yourself.

9. The Station

Didsbury Dozen pub crawl - The Station
Didsbury Dozen pub crawl – The Station
Didsbury Dozen pub crawl - The Station
Didsbury Dozen pub crawl – The Station

Hopefully, you’ve soaked up the alcohol with some well-earned carbs as we’re now at a crucial juncture where many bow out. Make sure you’ve got all your belongings as we pull into The Station. This popular Irish pub has sports, live music three nights a week and a serious love of Guinness. Say no more.

10. The Woodstock Arms

Woodstock Didsbury
Woodstock Arms
Didsbury Dozen route
Credit: The Woodstock Arms

Still standing? Good, because we’re entering the final third of this drunken journey and you’ve gotta walk again. The fresh air might do you good. When you do stop, you’ll arrive at The Woodstock: a beautiful establishment with lots of room and lots of booze. If anything, it’s too nice for your raucous rabble.

11. The Metropolitan

The Met Didsbury
The Metropolitan Didsbury Dozen map
The Metropolitan Didsbury
Credit: The Metropolitan (via Instagram)

The penultimate stop on our alcohol-fuelled trip through Didsbury is The Metropolitan, or as it’s commonly known, ‘The Met’. Once a grand Victorian railway hotel, it’s now a massive bar and restaurant plating up banging Sunday Roasts and hangover-curing breakfasts. But you’re on a mission, concentrate.

12. The Railway

You’ve made it. One more drink and you’ve smashed The Didsbury Dozen. Starting in the Village and ending the night in East Dids, head over the road to The Railway, a simple, British, cask ale tavern, much loved by locals. We don’t need to sell it, you’ll love it too — that’s if you can remember it, of course.

Didsbury Dozen pub crawl - The Railway
Didsbury Dozen pub crawl – The Railway

Better still, you’re only stumbling distance from the Burton Road tram stop. You’re welcome. Now get yourself home, you absolute mess.

And just like that, you’re done. The only question is, did you make it to the end of the new and improved Didsbury Dozen in one piece? We sincerely hope you did and that there was no man left behind.

It goes without saying that you should always drink responsibly and luckily, the idea of The Dozen is you can pace yourself by spreading it out over the day and grab plenty of food on the way — we don’t need any heroes, only good vibes.

We’ll leave you to squabble among yourselves as to what locations we may or may not be missed off and how exactly you’re going to phrase your strongly-worded letters. If we don’t catch you in the comments, we’ll see you in the pub!

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Featured Image — Wikimedia Commons/The Station (via IG)/The Metropolitan (via IG)

Food & Drink

Hawksmoor issues statement after ‘kicking out’ Tommy Robinson from one of its restaurants

Daisy Jackson Daisy Jackson Hawksmoor issues statement after 'kicking out' Tommy Robinson from one of its restaurants

Hawksmoor has issued a statement after a viral video captured far-right activist Tommy Robinson being asked to leave one of its restaurants.

In the video, staff at the acclaimed British steak house told Robinson – real name Stephen Yaxley-Lennon – that he would have to go because members of staff feel uncomfortable serving you’.

The supervisor then politely told the party not to worry about the drinks and that they had been paid for, also handing over a business card for Hawksmoor CEO Will Beckett in case they wanted to discuss the matter further.

Robinson was dining in one of the group’s London restaurants with former prominent EDL member Guramit Singh Kalirai who challenged the staff and asked: “Is it because of the colour of my skin?”

The supervisor responded: “No, no, no. We have a duty of care to our members of staff. We like to look after our people, as I’m sure you can understand.”

After the video went viral on X, Hawksmoor went on to share a statement in response, saying that guests and staff ‘felt uncomfortable and complained’.

The statement, signed by CEO Will Beckett, added that the Hawksmoor team has faced ‘a huge amount’ of ‘quite concerning’ fallout from the Tommy Robinson incident.

He added that ‘this was not about politics or beliefs’.

Hawksmoor’s statement reads: “Our focus is always to give the best restaurant experience to the most people possible.

“On Thursday, a public figure was asked to leave one of our restaurants because guests and staff felt uncomfortable and had complained. The party left peacefully and politely on request.

“This was not about politics or beliefs. Hawksmoor is not a political organisation; we’re a group of restaurants. We want to welcome as many people as possible, regardless of background or views, to our teams or as our guests.

“We’re not trying to engage in a public debate. The team has had to deal with a huge amount of fallout from this, some of which is quite concerning. We would like to get back to focussing on looking after those people, and our guests. Thank you to them, and the many of you who have been so supportive.”

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Featured image: The Manc Group

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