Two weeks ago I didn’t even know what a piadina was. Now I’d eat them for breakfast, lunch and tea if I could (yes really). After months of wanting to go and check out Bread and Butter in the Northern Quarter I finally got there. One lunchtime visit was thwarted because it was just too busy, but now I have finally cracked it. Get there before 12.30pm and you can lounge on the sofas while they make your lunch, and you get the pick of the cakes.
Nexus cafe is creating a secret garden in the small courtyard at the back of its basement cafe – and it needs your help. I’m actually sitting in Nexus as I type looking out the back at the ladders and trellises, and can’t wait to see it finished. Over the past few weeks it’s been designed by volunteers and will have decking, gravel and lots of planters for flowers. By the looks of it it will be a real sun trap and if we ever see any sun this year, will be very pleasant.
As far as names go, it’s as far removed from its predecessor as it could be. An Outlet is stark and utilitarian, whereas Love Saves The Day was flimsy and romantic.
Love Saves The Day, owned by ex-Simply Red drummer Chris Joyce and his wife Beckie, had a chequered past with the original branches in the Northern Quarter and Deansgate going bust after a problem in 2005. The second coming with branches on Thomas Street, Deansgate and Piccadilly Basin all sadly went into administration in October 2008.
by Carolyn Hughes
Oklahoma is a quirky little place that makes the Northern Quarter exactly what it is. Hiding behind big wooden doors on High Street, this is a colourful treasure trove of kitsch gifts, notebooks, light shades, greetings cards, retro sweets, as well as a cafe.
The cafe intermingles with the shop section with tables overflowing, and there is even a DVD section on the far wall. An art gallery promises to be downstairs but I’ve never been down because you have to ask someone to unlock it for you, which is a bit of a turn off.
Yes more pies. In a nod of respect to British Pie Week
which has just concluded, I’ve written another pie-based blog post.
And after that I will stop eating pies because I can’t afford all this
food blogging AND a larger pair of jeans.
Whatever anyone says about British cuisine, you really can’t beat a
large creamy chicken pie or tender steak pie with thick gravy on a
wintery day. It’s comfort food at its best, and if made from scratch it
isn’t as unhealthy as a store-bought second rate effort.
Nexus on Dale Street in Manchester’s Northern Quarter serves Pieminister’s
offering, as does Cup round the corner, which is not a bad thing but if
more places in the Northern Quarter hop aboard this pie train there
won’t be much variation. There is a really good article from the Telegraph
from January 2008, charting the success of this small company from
touting their wares at Glastonbury to supplying pubs and cafes all over
the UK. Like any forward-thinking food company, they use only quality
ingredients such as free-range meat and no hydrogenated fats.
Manchester’s finest Twitterati met up to test out the Bay Horses’s pie and a pint deal this week. Except I didn’t have a pint, and there
was a discussion about whether the pie actually constituted a pie. But let’s start from the beginning.
Taste of Manchester is a new website run by Manchester Food and Drink Festival, which is absolutely full of news and reviews about eating, and you guessed it, drinking, in the rainy city.
They’ve also pulled together some of the best offers out there, and will even email them to you if you sign up to the mailing list. I spotted an offer for a pie and a pint at The Bay Horse in the Northern Quarter for £5.50, which seems like a tempting lunch time offer. You can buy the pie on its own for £3.95 if you don’t fancy a pint, and for £4.95 you can get a pie, peas and gravy.
Manchester’s Northern Quarter welcomes a new bar this year, and there is indeed room for such a newcomer. Noho is situated on Stevenson Square, just opposite Soup Kitchen.
The name is a twist on New York’s Soho district, and the owners are trying to bring a touch of the Big Apple to their little corner of Manchester. The building used to be one of the many large wholesale clothing places that are round here, so is ideal for transforming into a bar.
The huge floor-to-ceiling were all steamed up when I was there on Saturday evening, and from when we arrived it quickly filled up with the usual cool NQ crowd. There was a good atmosphere, no ponciness, no idiots – just loads of people enjoying a drink. We quickly slumped on the big leather Chesterfield to enjoy the grooves.
