It’s looking like another great week for eating out in Manchester as more operators get the confidence to throw open their doors to the public.
This week marks the opening of Takk’s new project, Kerb Wines, a new haven for natural wine in Ancoats that will also function as a ‘part-time’ bar, as well as the opening of a new semi-permanent home for Liverpudlian Chinese Chippy Woo Tan Scran.
Elsewhere, Le Social Wines has just announced they’ll be popping up in the new residency spot at KAMPUS; Kong’s chicken shop has been playing around with some fried chicken roast dinners at Northern Monk that we’re very excited about – and there’s a new announcement coming from Tine later this week.
Keep reading to discover our top food and drink picks for the week. As ever, there’s plenty to get stuck into.
Vegan ‘Char Sue’ chicken. (Yeah they know it’s Siu but their chef’s ma is called Sue) / Image: Woo Tan Scran
A full vegan Chinese chippy takeover at Stage and Radio
Liverpudlian Chinese chippy Woo Tan Scran first made its way down to Manchester during the second or third lockdown, bringing its “most ordered on Deliveroo” crown with it. After operating here for a while as takeaway only, they’ve now found a new semi-permanent home at Stage and Radio.
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Promising “a new style of Woo Tan”, there’ll be a mix of old favourites on offer going forward alongside some new flavours from the team. Think stuffed bao buns, loaded chips and a whole host of vegan dim sum, like sesame ‘prawn’ toast and jackfruit pancakes.
Find Woo Tan Scran at Stage and Radio, 43 Port St, Manchester M1 2EQ from 4 August.
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Family-run restaurant Kimji already has an incredibly popular site in Preston / Image: lancashire_eats
A brand new Korean restaurant in Ramsbottom
Popular family-run restaurant Kimji in Preston has expanded with a second new opening and can now also be found serving up its Korean favourites in Ramsbottom.
Dishing up traditional Korean classics like bibimbap and bulgogi bbq alongside stews and soups, proper homemade kimchi, crispy pancakes, Korean fried chicken and dumplings. Opening its doors on 27th, it was fully booked for its first few days but there are a few slots opening up this week.
Find Kimji’s new Korean restaurant at 41 Bolton St, Ramsbottom, Bury BL0 9HU.
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Coconut cherry donuts from DGHNT, made with cherry glaze, coconut glaze, coconut flakes, cherry whipped cream and coconut cookie / Image: DGHNT
The ultimate artisanal summer donut box
Founded in lockdown after baker Sulin Khng Baldwin found her travel plans suddenly canceled, DGHNT regularly releases different themed donut boxes – and this week is your last chance to get the summer one.
As well as her cherry coconut (pictured above), this new box also features an apricot ricotta creation dressed in an apricot glaze and pistachio crumb and a peach melba donut with almond frangipane, vanilla poached peach, toasted almonds and raspberry sauce.
Last but not least, it also sees the return of the iconic mango lassi donut – made with mango cardamom glaze, pistachio and dried mango, we’d say the box is a must for this one alone.
To order message DGHNT on Instagram. The summer box is available Tuesday to Saturday with some delivery and collection slots throughout the week.
Kerb wine will open as a ‘part-time’ bar on the last weekend of every month / Image: Kerb Wine
A new natural wine store and ‘part-time’ bar in Ancoats
Kerb wine, a new project from the team behind Northern Quarter coffee shop Takk and ÖL Bar & Brewery, opens this Friday 6 August in Ancoats’ Cutting Room Square – joining ranks with the likes of Le Social, Erst, Isca and Higher Ground.
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Offering a gorgeous selection of natural wine, ranging from homegrown British producers to hand-picked winemakers across Europe and further afield, everything will be available to takeaway by the bottle or on tap.
Here comes the bit we’re really keen on. Kerb will also operate as a ‘part-time’ bar on the last weekend of every month. We advise putting 27-29 August in your diaries now, and if you like the sound of drinking in the shop we’ll definitely see you there.
Find Kerb Wine at Cutting Room Square, Ancoats, Manchester, M4 5BF from Friday 6 August.
Not just any club sandwich. 10 Tib Lanes is made with chicken, truffle, smoked bacon and celeriac / Image: 10 Tib Lane
A new French bistro in the old Bock Biere site
Bock Biere Cafe was one of the earliest hospitality casualties to suffer at the start of the pandemic, so when the news finally broke that the former fondue favourite was being replaced with a new concept from the teams behind CBRB and Henry C it was very well received indeed.
Now known as 10 Tib Lane, the three-story townhouse has had quite a transformation – migrating from Belgium to France as it takes on a whole new team and cultural identity.
Gone are the fondue platters and frothy beers, in their place a new menu of small plates designed by Volta’s Alex Shaw and some serious-sounding cocktails. Think milk-washed ‘whiskey and soda’ made with two types of Chivas, burnt caramel vanilla and citric acid, to give you an idea.
Open now, head to 10 Tib Lane, Manchester, M2 4JB. Open Wednesday to Friday from 4pm-2am, and Saturday to Sunday from 12pm-2am.
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Pat Regan at the Fairfield Social Club – a brilliantly unhinged evening of standup comedy
Clementine Hall
There’s a particular kind of chaos that only Pat Regan can deliver, and the recently re-recognised Fairfield Social Club got the full force of it last night.
Making his Manchester debut as part of the ‘A Lovely Time’ series at the equally as lovely Fairfield Social Club, the New York comic, writer, and podcast host arrived with the energy of someone who had already lived through three emotional breakdowns before breakfast and somehow still had the worst to come.
Known for his work on HBO’s Hacks and the cult-favourite podcast Seek Treatment with fellow comic Catherine Cohen, Regan’s stand-up feels less like your traditional comedy set and more like being trapped in the world’s funniest group chat.
The perfectly intimate room beneath Fairfield’s railway arches was packed with adoring fans who were immediately on side as Regan launched into stories about traumatic trips to Paris, Grindr dates, massage tables and having crushes at the gym.
The audience was in the palm of his slightly sweaty hands (don’t worry, he’ll be fine with me saying so), laughing at every awkward punchline and self-deprecating anecdote.
The material is nothing groundbreaking, but this is what makes it so deeply hilarious; never before has shopping for the perfect pair of jeans been so serious and unserious at the same time.
There was laughter rolling through the venue for virtually the entire set, and after an hour of never-ending quips and jokes, we were left wanting more.
And the best part is, it won’t be long until we get more from this place, and it’s no wonder they’re starting to get the hosting plaudits they deserve.
It’s safe to say Fairfield Social Club has become one of Manchester’s most exciting homes for alternative comedy, and this felt like exactly the sort of booking that justifies its growing reputation.
By the time Regan left the stage, the audience looked equal parts exhausted and delighted. An absolutely classy evening indeed.
Find out about what else is on at the Fairfield Social Club HERE.
First-ever JD Wetherspoon pub to open at Manchester Airport
Danny Jones
In news that we feel many Mancs and travellers all-round have been waiting on for a long time, the well-known British chain, JD Wetherspoon, will be opening its first-ever pub at Manchester Airport.
That’s right: soon that first airport pint of the holiday could actually be a relatively cheap one.
While Wetherspoons are no strangers to popping up in terminals across the UK and Ireland, they’ve never done so here in Manchester despite having three, yes THREE, in Gatwick alone.
Not for much longer, though, as soon T2 will be lending more than 3,000 square feet of its prime leisure and retail real estate to a new Greater Manchester ‘Spoons’.
Posting on social media, the airport wrote: “Wetherspoon comes to Manchester Airport this September! The pub will be located in the Terminal 2 Departures lounge and will have more than 300 seats.
“This will become the final major food and drink venue to open its doors as part of our decade-long £1.3bn transformation of Terminal 2. It will be named ‘The Belle Vue’, in a nod to Manchester’s historic showground [now a sports complex and leisure hub].
“It was a focal point for social life in the city from the Victorian period up until 2020, when the final event was held at Belle Vue stadium. The design of the pub is inspired by the history of Belle Vue and the sporting culture of the North West of England. We look forward to welcoming you all in September!”
While a lot of money has been pumped into T2’s refurb as a whole over the past few years, it remains unclear just how much this particular new addition will cost; we do know that great sums were set aside for the launch of the Great Northern Market last year.
The inaugural Manchester Airport Spoons is just the latest in a series of major renovations.
As mentioned, the company already operate several up and down the country – 10 airport pubs, to be specific – but this will be the first in the North West.
Speaking on the news, JD Wetherspoon chief executive John Hutson said in a statement: “We are looking forward to opening at Manchester Airport. We believe our new pub will prove popular with travellers of all ages and be an asset to the new terminal.”
With Manchester Airport adding a dozen new routes to its roster this summer, you can expect to see even more people flying in and out than ever – no doubt having already polished off a cut-price pint or two beforehand.
Georgina Pellant -
2nd August 2021 
