News

Kong’s is opening a taco and quesadilla kitchen in the Northern Quarter

Kong’s chef-owner Tom Potts has revealed to The Manc that he has a new Mexican concept up his sleeve

Georgina Pellant Georgina Pellant - 3rd August 2022

This month, it’s all change in the Northern Quarter.

Fried chicken favourite Kong’s is on the move, leaving its home at Northern Monk Refectory after a very happy year of naughty burgers and roast dinners to venture onto pastures new.

In its place, Manchester’s lasagne restaurant Lazy Tony’s will take over the taproom’s kitchen later this month – bringing its famous giant five-layer slabs and obscenely good mozzarella sticks with it.

Meanwhile, Kong’s chef-owner Tom Potts has revealed to The Manc that he has a new Mexican concept up his sleeve and will be moving into a new site in the Northern Quarter with it later this month.

Launched in lockdown, Tom first launched Kong’s Chicken Shop with this iconic ‘chicken crackling’ burger – now he’s about to launch his fifth concept in two years. / Image: Kong’s Chicken Shop

Read more: Manchester’s lasagne restaurant is moving to a new home this month

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From the man that brought us fried chicken roast dinners and double-dredged burgers with a special chicken ‘crackling’ now comes Kong’s Cantina.

Serving up a range of cheesy quesadillas and flavourful tacos, it is set to open permanently inside an NQ basement kitchen later this summer – taking over from another popular eatery currently on the cusp of opening its own restaurant.

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The Cantina is the sixth concept to be launched by the brand, which first emerged in lockdown after former CBRB bar manager Tom Potts found himself furloughed and with plenty of time on his hands to experiment with what he loves best.

Read more: Manchester vegan restaurant closes after just eight months in the city

Tom Potts, founder of Kong’s. / Image: Kong’s Chicken Shop
The famous Kong’s fried chicken roast dinner. / Image: Kong’s Chicken Shop

After a successful couple of years for Kong’s, he now lays claim to the original Kong’s Chicken Shop, Kong’s Diner at Dogbowl, and the Kong’s Sandwich Shop at Hatch.

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He also briefly ran Kong’s Meat and Three from Northern Monk, which drew inspiration from Nashville’s famous ‘meat and three’ barbecue restaurants, and a Christmas kebab shop in partnership with now-closed Spinningfields bar Clubhouse.

Read more: The Manchester kitchen inspired by Nashville’s famous meat and three restaurants

Clearly full of ideas, the menu for Kong’s Cantina is yet to be released but we’re expecting very good things when it drops (hopefully sometime later this week).

To keep up with more news and announcements ahead of the opening, make sure to follow Kong’s on social media here.

Feature image – Kong’s Chicken Shop

News

Elf Bars stripped from UK supermarket shelves after ‘illegal’ nicotine levels found

Emily Sergeant Emily Sergeant

One of the most popular e-cigarette brands has been stripped from the shelves of several major UK supermarkets after they were found to contain “illegal” nicotine levels.

ELFBAR 600 – which is more commonly known as just ‘Elf Bars’ – is described by the company as being “the most popular disposable vape”, and it comes in countless eye-catching bright colours, an extensive range of 30 sweet and fruity flavours.

Given the uncharacteristic e-cigarette look, and the fact they come in flavours such as Blueberry, Guava, Cotton Candy Ice, Blue Razz Raspberry, Pink Lemonade, and so many more, this has lead experts to believing that Elf Bars are a contributing factor to the rise in popularity of e-cigarettes and vaping among younger people.

This is only proven by a recent survey carried out for Action on Smoking and Health (ASH) finding that the proportion of children aged 11 to 17 currently vaping has risen from 4% in 2020 to 7% in 2022.

Elf Bars are available in varying nicotine levels – but recently, a Daily Mail investigation has revealed that the Watermelon-flavoured ELFBAR 600s were found to have at least 50% more than the legal limit for nicotine e-liquid.

This has lead Morrisons, Tesco, and Sainsbury’s stores across the UK to cease selling the product.

Elf Bars stripped from major UK supermarket shelves after ‘illegal’ nicotine levels found / Credit: ELFBAR

Not only that, but Morrisons has even taken things one step further by deciding to stop the sale of the whole ELFBAR 600 range following the investigation.

Addressing the findings from the investigation and explaining its decision to strip all Elf Bars from its shelves, a Morrisons spokesperson told ITV News: “As part of our ongoing investigation into the legal compliance of ELFBAR 600 disposable electronic cigarettes with Trading Standards, we have made the decision to remove all flavoured variants from sale.

“The products will only be returned to sale once stock that fully complies with UK legislation becomes available”. 

Tesco says the vapes have been temporarily removed from shelves as “a precautionary measure” while the manufacturer “urgently investigates these claims.”

Sainsbury’s echos a similar statement to Tesco, and confirmed it’s in “close contact with our supplier”.

Action on Smoking and Health (ASH) found that the number of children aged 11 to 17 currently vaping has risen / Credit: Flickr

In light of the Daily Mail investigation – which was the result of buying multiple £5.99 vapes from a Tesco in Derbyshire, and sending them off for testing – an ELFBAR spokesman told the newspaper in response to the findings: “We found out that some batches of the Elf Bar product have been overfilled in the UK.

“It appears that e-liquid tank sizes, which are standard in other markets [such as the US], have been inadvertently fitted to some of our UK products [and] we wholeheartedly apologise for the inconvenience this has caused.”

Read more:

The company added that it would alert retailers and review its production process, but insisted that the “highly regrettable situation” did not compromise the product’s safety.

Featured Image – ELFBAR

News

Award-winning Northern Quarter restaurant announces shock closure with most heartbreaking statement yet

Daisy Jackson Daisy Jackson

One of the Northern Quarter’s best restaurants and bars has announced its shock closure, adding to a tidal wave of hospitality casualties. 

Cocktail Beer Ramen and Bun – better known to most of us as CBRB – announced the news this evening with a frank and heartbreaking statement. 

In it, the late-night Oldham Street business outlined the ‘massive financial strain’ it’s been facing, describing the obstacles that are ‘affecting everyone in the hospitality industry right now’. 

CBRB stressed the staggering costs of goods and the doubling of energy bills as the ‘massive factors’ that have forced their hand. 

They wrote: “It breaks our heart to have to make this decision and please know, it has not come lightly or without months of deliberation, meetings and rescue plans.

“Countless discussions about a way out of the sh*t that wouldn’t end up coming to this.”

CBRB
CBRB. Credit: The Manc Group
CBRB
CBRB. Credit: The Manc Group
CBRB
CBRB. Credit: The Manc Group

CBRB, which specialises in huge steaming bowls of ramen, delicious small plates and award-winning cocktails, took the time to thank all the customers who have supported the hugely popular independent restaurant over the years. 

They also urged people to get out and support their local favourites before it’s too late, writing: “We can guarantee they’ll need it. So many amazing ideas and talented businesses in our industry are struggling and closing almost every day now and they need your help.” 

CBRB’s final day will be this Sunday, with bookings and walk-ins operating as normal.

CBRB’s statement in full

This is probably the hardest thing we’ve ever had to write. The worst news we’ve ever had to deliver.

This Sunday will be our last. 

The last noodle pull. The last blue drink. The last dinner service.

We want to be as honest with you as possible. After all, it’s you lot that make this place what it is and it’s you who have kept us going as long as we have. 

CBRB wouldn’t be where it is today without your amazing love + support over the last 4 years… 

The business has been under massive financial strain, that we have unfortunately been unable to pull ourselves out of. The obstacles that have been affecting everyone in the hospitality industry right now. The cost of goods sky rocketing. Energy bills more than doubling. They’re all massive factors and they’ve all made it extremely difficult to continue doing what we love, without compromising on quality. 

It breaks our heart to have to make this decision and please know, it has not come lightly or without months of deliberation, meetings and rescue plans. Countless discussions about a way out of the sh*t that wouldn’t end up coming to this.

So for now we just want to thank you. For making this tiny little kitchen and bar become something way bigger than we ever imagined. For making coming to work the last 4 years so much fun. For all the lovely messages, the constant support, for bringing your friends and sharing the love for the food we create. 

Thank you for supporting your local Girl Gang. But for now, it’s over.

If we can leave anything behind it’s this. Go and support your local independent bar! 

Eat out at your favourite family owned restaurants. Order that takeaway from your local small business. Because we can guarantee they’ll need it. So many amazing ideas and talented businesses in our industry are struggling and closing almost every day now and they need your help.

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Bookings and walk ins will operate as normal this week and we’ll keep on slinging the noods and pouring the drinks until the second we have to leave. 

2018 – 2023 

This week will be a bittersweet one. Come see us for a drink.

Big love, Team CBRB x

Featured image: The Manc Group

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