I’ve always loved the Jungle Book. Rudyard Kipling’s enduring characters continue to enthral today’s millennial. I’ll always have fond memories of Baloo the bear, or the hypnotic Kaa, and it was these characters that I had in mind when I popped into Mowgli Street Food restaurant for a pit-stop bite to eat. Dining partner and fellow ...
Ladies and gents, boys and gals, emblazon the date of Friday 7 October into your minds and diaries. The launch date for new foodie haven is set – this is when Gary Usher will open his third site, Hispi, in Didsbury, Manchester. I'll gloss over the whole Didsbury vs Chorlton site saga; I'm just happy ...
*All food and drink complimentary* Don’t you wish time machines existed? I’ve always been entranced by the roaring 20s (if I could just sip a Bellini with F. Scott Fitzgerald that would be grand). Luckily, I had a review planned at Gusto on Deansgate, Manchester where I could happily indulge literary fantasies. The building itself is ...
What do you want to do when you grow up? What is your goal in life? Forgive me for sounding like a curious crusty counsellor from your secondary school questioning your life’s ambitions. One of my life goals is to dine at my lovingly curated hit list of ‘Must Visit’ restaurants. (Eleven Madison Park, Per ...
When I’m out reviewing restaurants, I like to be professional and look decent. On the day of the Artisan restaurant review, the Mancunian anthracite skies heavy with pregnant rain clouds were threatening to burst. And burst they did in all their torrential, positively apocalyptic glory, leaving us dripping wet from an impromptu drenching. I suppose ...
Did you know, that you become a new person every seven years? Not in the literal, snake-shedding sense (sorry for the scary image by the way); but more of one undergoing a personality transformation. This would make sense, as I tend to seek out places more, that channel chilled out vibes, in place of eateries ...
What makes you want to dine at a restaurant? For me, it has to pique my interest, via inventive dishes or positive commentariat on service (yes I’m big on service). After hearing a lot of noise (all positive) about Tariff and Dale, a hip and cute bar and eatery situated on Tariff Street, I just ...
Modern British food has never been more popular. Traditional fayre that has been contemporised and served with a twist is a trend I’m seeing in restaurants across the country. There has been a lot of noise about Grafene and its modern menu, with curious critics travelling the breadth of the UK to see what the ...
Manchester is one very rainy city indeed, with one source claiming it rained 53% of the year*. I’m not a fan of wet grey skies and I’m always seeking a pick-me-up in the name of great food or a good book to counteract the creeping dullness of drizzly rain. It just so happened to be raining ...
The dining scene in Manchester is mercurial and fast changing. Blink and you’ll miss another opening, which is why my list of ‘Must Visit Places’ is steadily mushrooming. One such place I had earmarked from a while ago was Banyan Bar & Kitchen. It was a balmy evening as we wove our way through the ...