Manchester

The Michelin-trained chef running Manchester’s one-man pizza pop-up

Georgina Pellant Georgina Pellant - 30th June 2022

Track brewery’s taproom has just welcomed the return of Rise pizza pop-up – a one-man flatbread operation that’s got us all excited again about (probably) one of the most over-saturated areas of the takeaway market.

Sam Astley-Dean is a Michelin-trained chef. He’s worked at top London restaurants Chez Bruce and Elystan Street and 5-star luxury hotels Claridge’s and The Chester Grosvenor, and now he’s here to cure our pizza fatigue.

Image: The Manc Eats

After years spent cooking in high-end kitchens, he’s switched his chef whites for jeans and a tshirt as he applies his skills to his new project, Rise – the one-man pizza pop-up that’s been quietly blowing the minds of beer lovers at taprooms and pubs across Greater Manchester.

Founded on the principles of natural, organic and ethical produce, Rise has only been going for a year – but Sam’s already making his mark on local foodies with various pop-ups in Salford Quays, Stockport, Levenshulme and more.

This month, he’s back at Track every Friday and Saturday between the hours of 3-9pm (or from 12pm on Saturdays) slinging out a choice of six different sourdough pizzas – or Pi’s, as he likes to call them.

Image: The Manc Eats
Image: The Manc Eats
Image: The Manc Eats

Read more: A new monthly travelling food festival is coming to Greater Manchester

Choices include the Cacio e Pepe, taking the classic cheese and pepper pasta dish and popping it on a pi with an added dash of fresh lemon, and the bright green OGB (Organic Garlic Butter) topped with slow-roasted garlic, parsley, lemon, mozzarella, parmesan and lemon.

Elsewhere, you’ll find The Rebel, combining organic tomatoes with pepperoni, fior di latte and parmesan, and the Do Ya?, a simple and delicious combination of just four ingredients – tomatoes, spicy Calabrian sausage paste, mascarpone and parmesan.

Feature image: A new Japanese street food stall has opened in the Arndale Market

Sam also does a classic margarita, which is made with burrata, and a vegan version with organic tomato, plant-based mozzarisella and prosociano.

Feature image – The Manc Group

Manchester

The bizarre explanation behind Manchester’s new mini ‘green space’ – that’s completely closed off

Danny Jones Danny Jones Fenced off green space Manchester city centre gated lawn

One thing you always hear people who live in central Manchester calling out for is green space, but when a new patch of grass does arrive, you don’t exactly expect it to be completely inaccessible.

Just a quick FYI to those of you passionate about supporting what little nature there is left in our city centre: brace yourselves, as this one is rather annoying…

For anyone who’s walked down Whitworth Street West past the once lively Locks, or even got off at Deansgate–Castlefield tram stop and come down the glass stairs closest to the Albion Bridge, you may have noticed a rogue patch of grass surrounded by black fencing next to the City Road Inn pub.

It could be considered a nice little lawn were it not completely fenced off, but the question is, why has it popped up there? Well, local lad Curtis Rothwell has recently debunked the whole frustrating mess for us in a helpful video.

Yes, as explained by the Pre-Construction Manager who works for local utilities contractor Zenit Infrastructure Solutions Limited, the somewhat laughable but disheartening gated green space on Whitworth Street is essentially a feeble attempt at adhering to permission laws.

As detailed by Rothwell, the plot bought for a sizeable sum last year (only the original developers didn’t have the funding to actually pull off their initial plans) is now set to become student accommodation.

Currently, real estate firm Tri7 – which has now been fully folded into the parent group known as Fusion, as previous part-owners already – still has a hold on the land for now.

However, after being ordered by Manchester City Council to tidy up the area in the meantime, as they await planning permission to be fully approved, they decided to lay these new rolls of turf there.

Ok, so while the notion of the Council ordering a property company to make urban spaces look pretty and the idea of introducing more grassy zones into the city sound good on paper, as you can see, the real-life result doesn’t quite match up.

gates green space whitworth street west manchester
whitworth street lawn
fenced off green space bit of grass in manchester
Credit: The Manc

Not only does this feel like a bare minimum effort to appease the local authorities ahead of erecting yet another skyscraper, but more importantly, it feels like sheer nonchalant neglect and/or plain dismissal of those Manc residents crying out for more grass, nature and a break from the concrete jungle.

The fact that the rare green space is totally blocked by tall, almost authoritarian-feeling fences and sealed off by a big, black gate comes across like a casual two fingers to both the Council and those living in the city centre.

Speaking to The Manc, Curt commented: “It’s positive the council can take charge of how our empty spaces look after demolitions. In this case, maybe the demolition was carried out too early, which happens, but when it does, greenery is the best look they can give to local people.”

You can see the latest update on the planning permission HERE, and for now, if you’re looking for green spaces in Manchester, you’ll find them more frequently beyond the outskirts and heading into the boroughs; this one is strictly off limits. Find a whole bunch of ones that aren’t down below:

10 of the best green spaces around Greater Manchester
Sod the Whitworth Street Lawn, you can always go enjoy all the other green space gems across Greater Manchester.

Read more:

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Featured Images — The Manc Group/Curtis Rothwell (via LinkedIn)

Manchester

There’s a tiny Japanese restaurant inside a Manchester cafe serving matcha afternoon tea

Daisy Jackson Daisy Jackson Niwa Yakitori is serving a matcha afternoon tea

There’s a tiny little Japanese restaurant space in Manchester tucked inside a coffee shop – and they’ve just started serving matcha afternoon teas. 

Niwa Yakitori is a brilliant addition to the city centre – by day, it’s sharing the space at North Star Piccadilly and operating as a matcha cafe.

And by night, it transforms the space into a cosy Japanese restaurant, complete with paper lanterns, bamboo plants, and neon signs.

While the word-of-mouth restaurant space is a real rising star thanks to its menu of freshly barbecued chicken and seafood, as well as delicious flights of sake, it’s the new matcha afternoon tea that we popped in for this time around.

Each table is presented with a tiered tower of treats infused with the popular Japanese green tea, and this is some world-class baking that’s going on at Niwa Yakitori.

Let’s break it down, tier by tier, to give you an idea of what you can get.

Up first is a Japanese egg mayo sandwich, made with fluffy shokupan bread and Kewpie mayo, then sprinkled in Furikake for a little bit of salt and texture.

The Japanese egg mayo sando
The Japanese egg mayo sando
Strawberry sando with matcha cream
Strawberry sando with matcha cream
The half-and-half cookie
The half-and-half cookie
Matcha basque cheesecake
Matcha basque cheesecake
Scones with matcha cream and yuzu jam
Scones with matcha cream and yuzu jam
Japanese afternoon tea in Manchester
Japanese afternoon tea in Manchester

Also joining the sandwich line-up are strawberry sandos (yes, the ones that M&S had a go at this summer), made with a matcha cream and more of that pillow-soft shokupan.

Moving on up, and what afternoon tea would be complete without some scones? These ones come with a matcha cream and a yuzu and chilli jam. Divine. 

Then the very top tier has a gang of miniature treats, including an adorable teddy bear-shaped matcha chocolate truffle; a matcha muffin; and a matcha-infused madeleine.

A real star is the chunky cookie, a clever half-half yin-yang of matcha and white chocolate, vs vanilla and dark chocolate.

Niwa Yakitori is a tiny Japanese restaurant in Manchester
Niwa Yakitori is a tiny Japanese restaurant in Manchester
Japanese afternoon tea in Manchester
Japanese afternoon tea in Manchester
Matcha and hojita at Niwa Yakitori
Matcha and hojita at Niwa Yakitori

And they show off their baking prowess with a slice of matcha basque cheesecake, with three layers and a scoop of strawberry ice cream on top.

All washed down with ceremonial-grade matcha or hojicha lattes, which can be made table-side in a traditional tea ceremony.

The team at Niwa Yakitori are hoping this afternoon tea will fill crucial tables in their tiny space at a time where hospitality is being crippled with rising costs.

So please, for the love of all that is matcha, get this lovely Manchester Japanese spot on your list to visit.

Read more

Featured image: The Manc Group

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