It has been confirmed that a Burnage cafe at the centre of a widely-reported police investigation following a scuffle between an officer and the venue owner has officially been stripped of its licence.
It comes after a Closure Order for Kate & Luc Cafe Restaurantwas issued at Manchester Magistrates’ Court last month, with the cafe described as “the source of frequent complaints from the public to Manchester City Council and Greater Manchester Police over failures to follow COVID-19 restrictions”.
The owners were then told to close the premised until 9th May and pay legal costs of £3,586.52.
At the time, Manchester City Council said that breaches at the cafe dated back to November 2020, with staff previously refusing to wear masks or put up protective screens and making “no effort” to enforce social distancing.
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Two separate Fixed Penalty Notices were issued in early February, along with a Premises Closure Warning, but the cafe continued to operate.
Now, a Manchester City Council licence review hearing was told on Monday that owner Lucjan Domanski showed a “flagrant disregard” for public health at the Kate & Luc Cafe Restaurant during lockdown after Greater Manchester Police and Manchester City Council licensing officials made five visits to the premises in January and February following the receiving reports of it being “rammed” with people.
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The licensee refused to accept that he was breaking the rules, the hearing was told.
Mr Domanski told the hearing that he had suffered a mental health breakdown as he struggled to apply for financial support for his business during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, but the council’s licensing subcommittee described his behaviour as “appalling” and PC Alan Isherwood – of Greater Manchester Police’s licensing team – said it was “clear that Mr Domanski is unfit to hold the licence”.
A representative of Mr Domanski said he had been diagnosed with a mental health disorder and that the enforcement visits had caused him distress, “impeded his actions” and provoked a “fight or flight response”.
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Mr Domanski said: “We tried hard with all the restrictions, we lost 85 to 90% of income. We just couldn’t do it and I gave up. I had no choice, that was my feeling.
“I’ve got a problem with depression for nine to 10 years, I’ve been on and off medicines. It’s too much stress for me.”
Greater Manchester Police / Manchester City Council
Mr Domanski admitted to the hearing that he had broken COVID regulations, but that he did so while “under duress”, and asked the committee to give him the chance to open in a COVID-secure way, however the hearing panel agreed to revoke the licence, meaning that the business will no longer have permission to trade.
The hearing panel said in a statement: “The reasons for revocation are the flagrant disregard by the premises holder for COVID regulations.
“The committee are absolutely appalled at how the premises licence holder treated the officers, and they have no confidence that the licensing objectives will be upheld due to the actions taken by the premise silence holder during this pandemic.
“A measured approach was taken by GMP and Manchester council officers to work with this premises licence holder, however he clearly has not cooperated whatsoever”.
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65-year-old stabbed in park for refusing to hand over Range Rover keys
Daisy Jackson
A 65-year-old male has been stabbed in an attempted robbery in a Bolton park on Sunday afternoon.
The victim was approached by two males in dark clothing wearing face coverings at around 2pm on 2 October, in Longsight Park.
One was armed with a machete, the other with what is believed to be a dagger.
They threatened the man for the keys to his Range Rover, but when he refused to hand them over, he was stabbed twice in the stomach.
Emergency services were scrambled to the scene in Bolton after a man was stabbed. Credit: North West Air Ambulance
The slash-style injuries required hospital treatment, and both police helicopters and air ambulances attended the scene.
Both suspects are believed to be white males aged around 20 years old, of slim builds of 5’8″ and 5’10”.
One – the male carrying a machete – was wearing a black baseball cap, black jogging bottoms and black tracksuit, with a ski mask covering the lower part of his face.
The other had on a black baseball cap with a distinctive red trim, black jogging bottoms, black tracksuit top and a full-face balaclava.
A 15-year-old male was later arrested at the location, and has been bailed pending further enquiries.
GMP officers in the Bolton district are keen to hear from anyone with information that could lead to the suspects described above.
Detective Inspector, Stuart Woodhead of Bolton’s CID said: “We understand this will be a worrying incident for those in the local area, but rest assured we are working hard to identify the two suspects and continue to increase patrols as a result to offer visible reassurance.
“This happened in broad daylight in a public place, so we would urge anyone with details either of the incident or who may know who the two suspects are to come forward in confidence as our investigation continues and we look at all possible lines of enquiry.”
The GMP statement added: “If anyone has any information they are urged to ring the district direct on 0161 856 5757. Alternatively details can be shared via the LiveChat portal on gmp.police.uk or anonymously through the independent charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.”
Featured image: Geograph
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A Polish vodka and dumpling festival is coming to Manchester
Georgina Pellant
Independent Polish restaurant Platzki is bringing back its famous vodka and pierogi festival to Manchester this week, and we couldn’t be more excited for some hearty dumpling fare.
Notorious for its top-tier filled pierogi, which are made by wrapping unleavened dough around a savoury or sweet filling and cooking in boiling water, Platzki is already something of a go-to for fine Polish food in Manchester.
But now, traditional European dumpling fans have another reason to get themselves down as the restaurant will be focusing almost entirely on pierogi for two days this week.
Platzki’s famous pierogi. / Image: The Manc Eats
Image: Platzki
Taking place across Wednesday 5 and Thursday 6 October from 3pm until sell-out (or at 9pm, whichever comes first), diners will have the chance to try Platzki’s perfect homemade pierogi in a range of mouth-watering flavours.
There will be plenty of different fillings to try, including some brand new vegetarian pierogi for non-meat eaters.
That’s not all, either. There’ll also be a midweek vodka tipple on standby as Platzki shows off its huge range of favourite Polish vodkas.
Think salted caramel vodka, strawberry vodka, golden black cherry vodka, hazelnut vodka and delicious cherry-chocolate vodka, all of which are (as we know too well from experience) dangerously drinkable.
Each day, the team will be making hundreds of pierogi for local dumpling lovers to sample.
Karkówka roasted pork neck with spinach egg noodles. / Image: The Manc Eats
Karkówka roasted pork neck with spinach egg noodles. / Image: The Manc Eats
Elsewhere, they will also be serving up some of their favourite dishes from the menu including a hearty sausage stew with freshly-baked bread, and melt-in-the-mouth karkówka roasted pork neck with spinach egg noodles.
A fixture in the city since 2018, Platzki has built up a reputation for serving an interesting list of Polish vodka and wine alongside traditional dishes like dumplings, pork neck and meatballs.
It has a gorgeous plant-filled restaurant and a bright terrace that backs onto the Great Northern Warehouse, giving diners views over the Great Northern Square as they dig into some of the best Polish food in the city.
To find out more about this week’s dumpling festival, follow Platzki on Instagram here.
The Manc -
16th March 2021 
