Manchester

Crown & Kettle to host Signature Brew takeover with Hot Chip supported by The Manc

Crown & Kettle - one of Manchester's most historic and best-loved institutions - is running the one-off special event to celebrate the end of COVID restrictions and mark the long-awaited return to dancefloors in England.

The Manc The Manc - 26th July 2021

Crown & Kettle has announced a FREE Signature Brew Tap Takeover next week starring a live DJ set from Alexis Taylor of Hot Chip.

Officially supported by The Manc, the one-off event is set to feature six of the tastiest creations from the London brewers.

Taylor – lead vocalist and frontman of the smash-hit synthpop group Hot Chip – will be soundtracking the evening with 3 hours’ worth of bouncing tracks.

The electronic band will even have their own Signature Brew collaboration available at the event titled ‘One Pure Thought’.

Alexis Taylor of Hot Chip will be performing a 3 hour DJ set at Crown & Kettle / Image: Wikipedia

Crown & Kettle – one of Manchester’s most historic and best-loved institutions – is running the special event to celebrate the end of COVID restrictions and mark the long-awaited return to dancefloors in England.

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Entrance is completely free. Spaces on the door will operate on a first come, first served basis.

On the taps for the evening you’ll find half a dozen delicious signature brews (alongside the usual Crown & Kettle tipples) including:

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  • One Pure Thought Sicilian Lemon Rice Lager 4.8%
  • Stagediver DIPA 7.5%
  • Pigs / Beer x 7 Neipa 4.5%
  • C-Sharp Sicilian Lemon & Citra Sour 4.5%
  • Nightliner Coffe Porter 5.7%
  • Roadie – All Night IPA 4.3%

The takeover event will run on Wednesday 4 August.

Visit the official Facebook event post to learn more.

Manchester

Inside the Manchester restaurant serving ‘India’s answer to a Wigan kebab’

Georgina Pellant Georgina Pellant

When it comes to finding new and innovative ways to enjoy the humble potato, it’s fair to say that we Brits pretty much have the art down.

From creamy mash to deep-fried chips, crunchy hasslebacks, hash browns, and the all-time classic that is bubble and squeak, you name it, we’ve tried it.

Still, somehow it took the arrival of Indian street food favorite Bundobust for us to be introduced to the concept of a mashed potato burger – and we are forever thankful.

Comprised of a deep-fried potato dumpling placed inside a brioche bun, accompanied by two house-made chutneys and a whole green chili pepper, since its introduction to the Manchester food scene in 2016 the Vada Pav has become one of Bundobust’s most iconic dishes.

Also known as a Bombay burger, the vegetarian fast food snack sells in its thousands back home in Mumbai and has now become something of a signature dish here in Manchester too.

We recently popped down with Deliveroo for an episode of Takeaway Champions to try the dish, and after one taste our reviewer immediately called it the ‘Indian answer to a Wigan kebab’. It’s simply carbs on carbs on carbs, and we’re here for it.

Image: The Manc Eats
Image: The Manc Eats

That said, it’s not the only thing worth ordering when you visit.

Other longstanding menu staples at Bundobust include its barbecued paneer, mushroom and pepper tikka kebabs, sweet and crunchy Bundo chaat, and crispy okra fries; whilst new dishes include the Ragda Pethis – a north-meets-east combination of mushy peas and potato cake, sev, tomato, onion, and tamarind chutney.

Having first opened in Manchester in 2016, today Bundobust has two sites in the city centre. Its original home still sits underneath Piccadilly Gardens, with a second restaurant and in-house brewery residing over on Oxford Road.

The restaurant – initially born in Leeds before making its way to Manchester – has always had a strong reputation for sourcing excellent craft beer, but since quietly opening its own brewery during the Covid lockdowns it’s only gone from strength to strength.

Read more: ‘We were treated awfully’ – ex-staffer speaks out as Freight Island gears up for reopening

Housed in a unique 100-year-old space within the iconic Grade II listed St James building, the Manchester-based brewery is a custom-built 10-hectolitre facility capable of producing 20,000 pints a month.

Today, alongside beers from other respected brewers, the restaurant serves up a list of specially-made house beers, all designed to complement the flavours of its dishes.

These include a coriander lager, a masala chai porter and a tropical pale ale, as well as its latest concoction: a mango lassi beer created in collaboration with brewers at Northern Monk.

Image: The Manc Eats
Image: The Manc Eats

Read more: The Sparrows ‘ever so proud and honoured’ after award from famous ‘lip licking Michelin Man’

To see the full menu click here and to find out more about Bundobust head over to their Instagram page here.

Oh, and to save on your next Deliveroo order from Bundobust make sure to use our code BUNDO10 when you check out.

Feature image – The Manc Eats

Manchester

Inside Sports Direct’s new FIVE STOREY Manchester Arndale store, complete with gaming arena and sports challenges

Daisy Jackson Daisy Jackson The football area at Sports Direct in Manchester Arndale

Sports Direct has opened its brand-new, high-tech store inside the Manchester Arndale today – and it’s seriously impressive.

The five-storey flagship shop for the sports retailer is packed with interactive features, from fitness challenges to a bra-fitting studio.

The high-tech space has gadgets that will do everything from accurately measuring your foot size to testing your strength.

There’s even a bank of gaming PCs and consoles on the top floor, as a Belong Gaming Arena opens within the new Sports Direct shop.

Here, gamers can buy a single pass or sign up for unlimited play time for £15 a month, grabbing drinks from a slushy machine and snacks from a shop area.

Sports Direct has taken over what was once the BHS department store within Manchester Arndale, a 50,000 sq ft site that’s been largely empty since 2016. It’s moved across from its previous unit just around the corner.

The display at the entrance. Credit: The Manc Group

Shoppers are immediately greeted by a DJ booth, a mirrored ceiling and rack after rack of sportswear.

Brands including Adidas, Nike and Puma are all stocked, as expected, alongside other Frasers Group brands like Jack Wills and USC.

Game has a huge presence up on the top floor, where shoppers can also get their clothing purchases customised.

Sports Direct Manchester Arndale. Credit: The Manc Group
The bra studio. Credit: The Manc Group
The Belong Gaming Arena. Credit: The Manc Group
A wall of balls. Credit: The Manc Group
The putting challenge. Credit: The Manc Group
Diving mannequins. Credit: The Manc Group
Manchester City kits. Credit: The Manc Group
Another challenge in Sports Direct Manchester. Credit: The Manc Group
Game. Credit: The Manc Group
PS5s in Sports Direct Manchester. Credit: The Manc Group
Specialist boxing clothing. Credit: The Manc Group
You can get items customised in store. Credit: The Manc Group
Hockey equipment. Credit: The Manc Group
A strength challenge. Credit: The Manc Group
Jack Wills. Credit: The Manc Group
The women’s floor. Credit: The Manc Group

There’s kit on sale for every sport from hiking to running to skateboarding to hockey to cycling to fishing to boxing to tennis to rugby to golf to swimming, plus a huge astroturfed area dedicated to football.

In the football zone, you can try on a massive range of football boots while sitting in dugout-inspired seats, with rival mannequins dressed in City and United kits propped up on rotating plinths.

It’s not just about the shopping in here either. Sports Direct has brought a whole load of interactive games and challenges to Manchester.

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You can test your golf skills at a Putting Challenge, flex your footwork at a miniature sit-down football pitch, and show off your upper body strength by doing dead hangs from a bar for as long as possible.

The bra studio features a unique multi-brand bra finder tool, which can suggest the right size and shape for your sport, whatever brand you go for.

Sports Direct’s Chief Executive Michael Murray said: “Manchester is a significant location for the group, and we’re excited to be opening our next flagship in the city.”

The huge new Sports Direct store in the Manchester Arndale is open now.

Featured image: The Manc Group

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