A restaurant in Manchester has launched an Italian bottomless brunch with flaming truffled cheesy pasta and endless mimosas, and we are completely here for it.
Offering three courses of cheese, pasta and classic Italian mains alongside traditional, homemade desserts like tiramisu, Cibo Manchester at the Great Northern Warehouse is firmly putting the lunch back into bottomless brunch.
Priced from £45, you’ll be treated to a full sit down meal and 90 minutes of non-stop brunch favourites like mimosas and glasses of prosecco.
Image: The Manc Eats
Image: The Manc Eats
Image: The Manc Eats
Dish wise, think Italian favourites like pizza, spaghetti carbonara, mushroom risotto, mozzarella and squash-stuffed arancini balls, or – on the more premium option – flaming pasta with cream and oregano, flambeed with cognac in parmesan cheese and truffle oil at your table.
As for drinks, as well as mimosas and prosecco, you can also enjoy endless signature cocktails from Cibo’s bar such as Mangiami (vodka, bubblegum and strawberry) and Bevimi (dark rum, mango and passion fruit) from both menus.
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Only available at the restaurant’s newly-opened Great Northern Warehouse site, if you opt for the premium offering (£65) your dish choices become even more indulgent.
Image: The Manc Eats
Diners going all-out can get stuck into the likes of cream-filled mozzarella with cherry tomatoes and caramelised balsamic, homemade meatballs in a spicy tomato sauce, and seared king scallops served in their shell with grated Parmigiano Reggiano.
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Elsewhere, find folded calzones stuffed with mozzarella, salami, ham and mushroom; ricotta and spinach ravioli in a butter and sage sauce; and pink salmon with asparagus, baby prawns and cream.
Image: The Manc Eats
This is really the menu to opt for when you’re splashing out, or you’ve got someone you want to impress – this is no basic bottomless deal. This is the elite.
Served inside Cibo’s swanky new Great Northern restaurant, opened at the end of last year, the swanky eatery is all yellow-gold and burnished copper with exposed industrial details and a cluster of filament bulbs making a statement above the impressive bar area as you enter.
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Split across four different levels, seating is tiered with plump comfy booths lining the wall on the top mezzanine level giving views across both Great Northern Square and the glitzy interior of the restaurant below.
Image: Cibo Manchester
Cibo Manchester’s bottomless brunch menus are available for a minimum of two people per table, to be able to enjoy the offer your entire table must be dining from a bottomless brunch menu.
Last bookings are at 3pm and must be made 48 hours in advance. Terms and conditions apply.
To find out more and book your table, click here.
Feature image – Cibo Manchester
Manchester
The Bodyguard at Palace Theatre, Manchester – a celebration of Whitney Houston’s hits
Clementine Hall
If you’re looking for a night out at the theatre drenched in glitz and glamour, then this is the show for you.
Whether you’ve seen the smash hit 1992 film The Bodyguard or not, the musical adaptation that has just arrived at the Palace Theatre is hard not to tap your foot to.
It’s a show that celebrates Whitney Houston’s powerhouse vocals whilst delivering a heartfelt love story wrapped up with moments of thrill and light comedy.
My initial concern from the offset was whether or not the vocals would match that of the icon herself, but boy oh boy, there was there no need to worry.
The Bodyguard at Palace Theatre, Manchester / Credit: Paul Coltas (Supplied)
Sidonie Smith, who plays the Hollywood superstar Rachel Marron, hits every note with ease, and this isn’t an easy job.
The soundtrack – which quickly became one of the best selling soundtracks of all time – features ballads like ‘I Will Always Love You’ and ‘One Moment In Time’, as well as energetic bops like ‘I Wanna Dance With Somebody’ and ‘I’m Every Woman’.
It’s a tough role to play (and mostly sing), but Smith really proves herself as the superstar she’s portraying.
Sidonie Smith and Adam Garcia in the lead roles of Rachel and Frank / Credit: Paul Costas (via Supplied)
A special shoutout must go to the costume department, as I’ve never seen so many show-stopping glittery bodysuits in one show, and the speed with which these were changed into too was truly impressive.
Adam Garcia, who plays the bodyguard himself, Frank Farmer, perfectly portrays the handsome, American secret agent-type that you want.
Standing tall on stage exuding irresistible charm and warmth, a standout moment was Sasha Monique’s rendition of Saving All My Love where the two shared undeniable yet heartbreaking chemistry.
Credit: Paul Coltas (via Supplied)
The choreography was sharp, snappy, and full of Hollywood glitz and glamour, making the ensemble scenes some of the best, as the audience revelled in Houston’s disco hits.
Overall, this is a fabulously fun celebration of the classic film that’ll get you up dancing on your feet at the end.
The Bodyguard at the Palace Theatre Manchester is on until Saturday 31 January and you can get your tickets here.
Featured Image – Paul Coltas (Supplied)
Manchester
We’ve found some of the best Chinese food in town – being served out of a snooker hall
Danny Jones
Yes, you heard us right: we’ve stumbled across one of our favourite new places for Chinese food just on the outskirts of Manchester city centre – it just so happens to be served out of a best-in-class snooker hall.
And that really is just the tip of the iceberg here.
Some of you may have heard about and/or seen it already, but we’ll admit we were a little late to the party when it comes to Club 200, a.k.a. the pool, snooker, darts, mahjong club and more, which has so many different things rolled into that it’s really more a Russian doll than a Chinese restaurant or sports venue.
The hook speaks for itself: a place where people spend just as much time practising with chopsticks as they do their cues, as it really isn’t a gimmick, as some pessimistic folk would have you think – the food is banging and so are the vibes in general.
Not only is this quite literally the best snooker club in Manchester – complete with everything from classic American billiards and Chinese 8-ball to king-size snooker tables that the Ronnie O’Sullivan has played and won on, to a special AI system you won’t find anywhere else – it is SO much more than that.
Whilst the backroom was packed with everyone from casuals to those looking to get their pro certification via the official Q Tour, and lads in the front were practising their arrows, as co-owner Simon admitted they get almost just as many darts regulars these days, a storm was cooking up in the kitchen.
It would be unfair to say this place doubles as a bar and restaurant, because we really couldn’t get over how well put together this menu was.
‘Café 200’s food offerings involve classics like fried rice and chow mein dishes, to the kind of sides you could expect from your local Chinese chippy, but it’s even more authentic exports that really impress.
For instance, the beef ho fun seemed to be a big hit with everyone; we loved the salty seafood udon as well (a great chew on those noodles), and we know plenty of people still searching for proper Hong Kong-style French toast – they might just find it here.
Speaking of the special administrative region, which has a twisting and turning but nevertheless rich culinary culture all of its own, that last dish had us hopping with joy.
You’re looking at baked Portuguese rice: a Macau speciality rooted in the region’s colonial history.
We’ve never quite had anything like it before, even in all of our years eating this kind of cuisine around the 10 boroughs, but we haven’t stopped thinking about it since.
And then there’s everything else they do, from karaoke and bingo nights to catering for birthdays and other functions, or even just serving as a cool, somewhat tucked-away spot to watch the footy and other live sport come the weekend.
You can tell this place has built up a real community over the last 18 months or so, and while the food speaks for itself, it’s the sheer abundance and variety going on that makes it especially charming to so many.
Speaking of jack-of-all-trade venues, we stumbled across a similar multi-talented one over in Salford not so long ago, too…
Georgina Pellant -
4th April 2022 
