Manchester hospitality bosses to go head-to-head in DJ battle against food poverty
Charity fundraiser Too Many Owners will bring together owners from Flawd, Junior Jacksons, Common, Albert's Schloss, PKB and more for the ultimate hospitality soundclash.
A number of Manchester’s best-known hospitality bosses will go head to head in a DJ battle at Tariff and Dale next week to help raise funds for food poverty organisation Eat Well MCR ahead of Christmas.
Taking place on Wednesday, 17 November, Too Many Owners will see bar and restaurant owners from a number of popular venues in the city take to the decks – pulling out their ultimate party selections in a head-to-head battle.
The event will see the likes of Junior Jackson’s owner Lyndon Higginson face off against Ancoats wine bar Flawd co-owner Richard Cossins, Ramona and The Firehouse’s Andy Windsor, and Johnny Heyes of Nell’s / Common / Port Street Beer House.
Lyndon Higginson (Junior Jackson’s, WATD, Cane & Grain, Crazy Pedro’s, The Bay Horse Tavern etc) pictured with Eco Spirit Global’s Zdenek Kastanek / Image: nomadicecospirit
Also due to be taking part in the Dj battle is Mark Flanagan and Jon Wilkin (PKB), Neil Macleod & James Plant (Albert’s Schloss), Matty Farrell (Salt Dog Slims), James Bates & Dom Jones (Maray), Tom Coates / Jake Burger (Portobello Road Distillery), David Fox (Tampopo), and Nick De Sousa (Tariff and Dale / The Lead Station).
In previous years, the way the battle has works is there have been several rounds – the first focused on showcasing ‘skills’ in which each owner is given a ten-minute set in which they can play whatever they like. This is then followed by a face-off with the crowd, that sees each owner play single tracks in a bid to qualify for the final.
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Image: Eat Well MCR
In the ultimate final round, owners have then gone back to back as they try to show off their best mixing and selection skills. They’re not always very good, but the event pretty much guarantees everyone gets a good laugh.
It’s all taking place in aid of Eat Well MCR, which works with vulnerable residents in the city to eradicate food poverty and provide healthy, nutritious meals to people in need.
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Working with chefs in various restaurants around the city, Eat Well MCR brings in donated food that would otherwise go to waste, and from that partnering restaurants create top quality meals for people sidelined by poverty.
Image: Eat Well MCR
Image: Eat Well MCR
The collective of Manchester chefs and hospitality professionals has prepared and delivered over 50,000 meals to people facing challenging circumstances in Greater Manchester since April 2020.
Kicking off from 7 pm at Tariff and Dale in Manchester’s northern quarter and running until 11.30 pm, the event will be sponsored by a host of different drinks companies including Edrington Beam, Suntory, Bacardi, Hammonds / Naud Distillery, Mangrove, Ten Locks, Boutinot Wines, Brown Forman.
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Fingers crossed that means there’ll be some decent drink offers going around on the night.
Tickets are priced at £16.76 each, with all proceeds donated to Eat Well MCR and grab yours here.
Featured Image – Tariff and Dale
Manchester
10 of the best new restaurants, bars and cafes to open in Greater Manchester recently
Clementine Hall
Manchester has welcomed a whole host of new places to eat and drink over the past couple of months – and there’s a LOT to be excited about.
It’s fair to say we all love our food, and here at The Manc, we certainly love writing about it.
So, allow us to indulge as we take you through some of our favourite new openings to have landed across Greater Manchester recently.
From a Latin BBQ restaurant making a splash in the Northern Quarter to a humble Vietnamese sandwich shop turning heads over in Didsbury, there’s been plenty to get excited about.
But consider this your warning: reading on may cause extreme hunger…
Kickback Coffee
11 Portland Street, M1 3HU
Images: The Manc Group
Kickback Coffee is the latest trader to open on bustling Portland Street, serving up flat whites, long blacks and iced drinks aplenty.
With their roastery hub based in Cheshire, this independent business puts their love of coffee at the forefront. If you’re looking for a really quality coffee, then this is your next stop.
Sandy’s Smoke Shed
Arch 121 Woollam Pl, Manchester M3 4JJ
Images: The Manc Group
Sandy’s Smokeshed has just opened in Castlefield, where Sam – and his smoker, Angela – are serving up serious Texas-style BBQ, with queues already stretching out the door.
The idea is simple: take great cuts of meat, cover them generously in seasoning, put them in the smoker and give them all the time they need.
Think eight-hour smoked beef chuck, brisket, short ribs, chicken and stellar sides.
Say hello to Sister Moon, a beautiful new restaurant bringing a taste of Southeast Asia to the city centre and the latest addition to Manchester’s Treehouse Hotel.
Here, all the dishes are cooked on open fire, including dishes like the fried pork skewers with banana ketchup and the grilled prawns with crispy chilli and garlic. Elsewhere on the menu you’ll find stars like the crispy pork belly and pomelo salad as well as the slow cooked lamb jungle curry (warning, this one’s got a kick).
Sister Moon is the new project from acclaimed chef Sam Grainger who you’ll know from Madre, and it’s just as good as you’d expect.
If you need a break from all that indulgent food and drink, then this new spot on Deansgate should be at the top of your list.
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Clean Greens is bringing health in the form of fresh salads, cold-pressed juices, matchas, coffee, and more. Their menu focuses on using clean ingredients without all the faff, and all served in a gorgeous setting – what more could you want?
Pranzo Italian
55 King St, Manchester M2 4LQ
Images: The Manc Group
Sometimes only a steaming hot bowl of homemade pasta will do, and you’ll find it at the new Pranzo Italian on King Street.
Here they’re using 70-year-old Calabrian recipes passed down from owner Marco’s Nonna, so it’s about as authentic as it gets. The pasta comes al dente, and they’re not scrimping on the portions or the flavour.
Dahlia Stereo has landed in the Northern Quarter, bringing Latin-inspired open-fire cooking, tequila and mezcal-led drinks, and a seriously impressive sound system under one roof.
Expect everything from achiote chicken and 400g churrasco steak to fresh tortillas, smoky sides, and house-made cocktails, with DJs keeping the vibe going late into the night.
If you love great food, good music, and a proper Manchester night out, this one looks well worth checking out.
This unassuming spot has been turning heads in Didsbury for its authentic, stacked Banh Mi sandwiches.
Everything is made fresh to order, with fillings like crispy pork belly, lemongrass crispy chicken, roast duck, ham, grilled beef, and tofu, plus traditional Vietnamese coffee with condensed milk.
Casa Papi
9 Woodford Road, Bramhall, Stockport SK7 1JN
Images: The Manc Group
There’s a new taqueria spot in Stockport that prides itself on using only the best of the best ingredients imported all the way from Mexico.
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Casa Papi is serving up tacos, rice bowls and plenty with your choice of slow-cooked birria beef, roasted chicken or sweet potato for the veggies. They’ve even got traditional blue-corn taco shells as an option too which are 100% gluten free and just as tasty as their flour-based cousins.
Arcadian
1C School Lane, Didsbury, M20 6RD
Images: The Manc Group
Beloved neighbourhood restaurant Hispi may have closed its doors, but its shoes have been filled pretty quickly with the delightful Arcadian stepping into its place.
A new-to-Manchester open-fire restaurant, with dishes cooked over wood, charcoal and open flame. The new concept sees the chefs themselves serving you your dinner, with plates like coal-seared beef tartare, grilled monkfish, and a Basque cheesecake with black cherries.
Bar Caput
71 Great Underbank, Stockport SK1 1PE
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Images: The Manc Group
Stockport has bid farewell to its only Michelin Bib Gourmand restaurant, with the team behind the acclaimed Cantaloupe pivoting to a totally new concept – and it’s a good’un.
Bar Caput has stepped into the unit, where it’s all about bringing the Roman culture of drinking and aperitivi to Great Underbank. That means crisp-based Roman-style pizzas, plus fritti, small plates, great wine, and bright cocktails.
Award-winning Manchester restaurant Another Hand announces closure with ‘immediate effect’
Emily Sergeant
One of Manchester’s most popular intimate restaurants has sadly announced that it’ll be closing its doors with ‘immediate effect’.
Another Hand – which can be found tucked away up on Deansgate Mews – opened back in 2022 to acclaim from critics and customers, as well as scooping up several awards along the way like Best Newcomer at the 2022 Manchester Food and Drink Awards, and places in the Michelin Guide and the Good Food Guide along the way.
Not only that, but the 24-seater intimate casual dining restaurant was also named as one of the best restaurants in Manchester merely three weeks ago by respected publication, Time Out.
Launched by the team behind 3 Hands Deli – which operated from a site two units down – Another Hand was known and loved for focusing on sharing plates made with produce from local ethical growers.
And it seemed to be going from strength to strength, but sadly, the restaurant took to social media yesterday to announce its decision to close ‘with immediate effect’.
Another Hand said in its statement on Instagram: “With heavy hearts we are sad to announce that after five years Another Hand will be closing its doors with immediate effect.
“Unfortunately, as most of us know, the current economic climate for the hospitality sector is facing steep challenges, sadly a familiar story. And after five years of operating within this increasingly challenging environment, we feel it’s time for us to step away.
“This isn’t a decision we’ve taken lightly, but it feels like the right time to bring this chapter to an end.
“We’re incredibly proud of what we’ve built here. From the people who have worked alongside us, to the producers and suppliers who have supported us; and most importantly, everyone who has come through the door and eaten with us…. thank you.
Georgina Pellant -
11th November 2021 
