Food & Drink

The Oast House is now taking bookings for outdoor reopening on 12th April

The ever-popular Spinningfields sun trap boasts one of the largest outdoor courtyards in the city centre.

Emily Sergeant Emily Sergeant - 1st March 2021
The Oast House

One of Manchester’s most popular outdoor bars and restaurants has announced that bookings are now live ahead of reopening next month.

Following Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s unveiling of the government’s roadmap to lift England’s current national lockdown – which has seen all hospitality businesses shut, with the exception of takeaway services, for the duration – beloved city centre hangout The Oast House has revealed that it will be reopening to the public once again on Monday 12th April.

As per government restrictions however, the venue will only be reopening for outdoor hospitality on this date.

But as many Mancunians and visitors to the city will likely tell you, The Oast House‘s outdoor space is undeniably the best bit.

Given that it boasts one of the largest outdoor dining and entertainment areas in the city centre, many are known to flock to The Oast House to bask in the sunshine with a drink and a bite to eat during the warmer months, but that usual hustle and bustle has sadly been more subdued over the last year amid the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic as, like the majority of Manchester’s hospitality establishments, the ever-popular Spinnigfields sun trap has been subjected to several temporary closures and ongoing COVID-safety restrictions.

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With a national goal to lift all limits on social contact before 21st June, at the earliest, though, business looks set to resume as normal before the best of the season is out.

The Oast House

The Oast House will be operating under ‘the rule of six’ once it reopens next month.

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Launching its online booking system for 12th April onwards, and providing customers with important details about the reopening, The Oast House said: “We welcome groups of up to six people to book in our outdoor courtyard.

“We kindly ask you to follow all current guidelines and as such groups may not split across multiple tables.

“To share the love and make it fair for all, bookings will be allocated a two-hour time slot and will be limited to one booking per group per day”.

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Visitors keen to pre-book a table are also advised by that not all of the outdoor courtyard area is covered and it’s therefore best to bring an umbrella along with you to avoid getting caught out in the classic Manchester April showers, and for those looking to turn up on the day, The Oast House has confirmed that: “We have reserved a number of tables for people without bookings which will be available on the day on a first come, first served basis”.

The reopening of The Oast House’s indoor premises are also planned from 17th May, and after this date, outdoor bookings will not be taken.

Group bookings of seven or more are also set to resume from 21st June.

You can find more information and book your table for 12th April onwards via The Oast House website here.

Food & Drink

I tried the Manchester roast with a dedicated cauliflower cheese menu named the ‘UK’s best’

Georgina Pellant Georgina Pellant

Right, let’s talk cauliflower cheese for a moment. A non-negotiable on a roast dinner, I like mine steaming hot and encased in cheesy bechamel, slightly charred on top and oozing in the middle.

Truth be told, I’m more attached to cauliflower cheese than Yorkshire puddings (blasphemy up north, I know). Miss a Yorkshire off my roast and – as long as I’ve not ordered beef – we’ll be absolutely fine. But forget the cauliflower cheese? Well, I’m not sure I’ll ever forgive you.

Given my proclivity for the stuff, when Ducie Street Warehouse first launched its menu dedicated to cauliflower cheese my interest was piqued, to say the least.

Then at the start of this year, its Sunday roast offering was named the best in the UK. So, in the interests of roast-loving Mancs everywhere, I dutifully trotted down to give it a go. The things I have to do in the name of journalism, honestly.

Macaroni cauliflower cheese at Ducie Street Warehouse. / Image: The Manc Eats
Rosemary roasted leg of lamb roast with the biggest Yorkshire pudding I’ve ever seen at Ducie Street Warehouse. / Image: The Manc Eats

Mentally prepared to eat my body weight in cheese, I’d already familiarised myself with the menu. Ok, technically two menus. Ducie Street Warehouse has a separate one just for its cauliflower cheeses: with eight different styles to choose from.

We’re talking cauliflower cheese with vintage cheddar, freshly shaved black truffle, bacon frazzles, garlic and herb crumble, four kinds of cheese, blue cheese, macaroni, plus a cheezy option for the vegans.

According to the team, it’s ‘the ultimate Sunday side that deserves a place of its own.’ I couldn’t agree more.

As for the rest, its separate ‘Sunday with Sides’ menu also seemingly has it all. Dry-aged local shorthorn beef sirloin, W.H. Frost premium chicken breast, rosemary roasted leg of lamb and a weekly-changing vegan roast ‘with all the trimmings’.

Add to that its promising-sounding ‘Slice Of ‘SOMETHING FOR EVERYONE’ – a carvery-style mixed-meat plate priced at £27.50 – and it does seem like they’ve really thought of it all.

Read more: A Manchester restaurant is doing bottomless pancakes for Pancake Day

Cauliflower cheese topped with Frazzles and bacon bits at Ducie Street Warehouse. / Image: The Manc Eats
Cauliflower cheese topped with freshly grated black truffle at Ducie Street Warehouse. / Image: The Manc Eats

I opt for a pink leg of lamb, whilst my cheese-eating partner in crime goes for the beef (which also comes out beautifully pink). Both are served with crispy roasties on a mountain of seasonal veg, topped with the biggest singular Yorkshire puddings I think I’ve ever seen.

Gravy is generous, but there’s an extra jug plopped onto our table too – just in case. Being a gravy glutton, I pile it on. It comes out a bit thick for my liking, but still tastes delicious nonetheless.

As for the cauliflower cheese? It’s worth every bit of hype it gets. We try the umami-rich black truffle, blue cheese, macaroni and Frazzles options, filling our tiny table for two with an absolute mountain of cauliflower.

As ever, my eyes are bigger than my belly, but I give it a good go: packing up the rest to take home and eat in bed later.

Read more: This Manchester restaurant is serving a Sunday roast with bottomless drinks

I won’t beat around the bush. This is a deceptively BIG roast. Granted, we did order four portions of cauliflower cheese on the side, but still. Some roasts look good but lack substance. Not this one. This is the roast that keeps on giving.

Further add-ons include Tuscan pork stuffing, honey-roasted heirloom rainbow carrots, maple roasted parsnips, lemon and garlic broccoli gratin, macaroni cheese, plus extra Yorkshire puddings and gravy, not that we can manage it.

I’d definitely go back with a group, though, and see if we can get through it all. I honestly can’t think of a better way to spend a Sunday.

Feature image – The Manc Eats

Food & Drink

Japanese-Brazilian hybrid, SakkuSamba, is putting on a special Valentine’s menu

Danny Jones Danny Jones SakkuSamba Valentine's Day

For anyone who hasn’t made it down to SakkuSamba, not only are you missing out but you might have also just found the perfect place to take your special someone this Valentine’s Day.

If you haven’t heard of this unique Spinningields restaurant before, SakkuSamba is the Japanese-Brazilian hybrid where surf and turf meet in an intimate and stylish setting.

From the moment you walk in to see the pink-hued lighting and floral surroundings, you immediately feel like you’ve been transported to a different world. And what better way to be greeted into that world than with a rose and a glass of fizz? Say no more.

That’s right, as part of their Valentine‘s offer, the menu not only kicks off with you being presented with a rose by the ever-welcoming staff, which you can then hand to your partner as if you planned the whole thing especially for them (we won’t say a word), but you also get a glass of prosecco on arrival too.

Credit: The Manc Group

SakkuSamba’s Valentine’s offering runs from 13-15 February and promises their unlimited dining experience as well as a special sharing dessert. You can book a lunchtime meal for £42.50 or secure yourself an incredible dinner for £55.50.

In case you’re wondering what makes it ‘unlimited’: part of what makes their dining experience so unique is how expansive their menu is, bridging across two beloved but equally varied cuisines.

Lucky for you, you’ll be able to order pretty much everything they have on it through a simple tablet on your own table, meaning you can spend even more time just the two of you on your special night.

As for the limited edition Valentine’s dessert, SakkuSamba’s Manchester restaurant will be creating its very own special sharing dessert and that’s all we’re allowed to tell you about it — all we know is that it’ll undoubtedly be delicious.

Credit: “

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It isn’t often you find a place that serves up both high-end sushi and proper steak cooked in keeping with Brazilian tradition, among numerous other big and varied flavours.

Better still, they have a seriously appetising drinks menu for you to get stuck into. After all, it’s Valentine’s, it’d be rude not to treat yourselves to a tipple.

You can book you and your significant other in for a special Valentine’s menu and all-round wonderful dining experience HERE.

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

Featured Image — The Manc Group

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