A piadina is an Italian flatbread and at Bread and Butter they stuff it with all kinds of delicious fillings, such as chicken, garlic mayo and mozzarella or ham, mozzerella and basil, which are heated up in a sandwich press. If you eat in you get a plate of salad and homemade coleslaw, but even if you take-out they will put the salad in a little dish for you. They also serve sandwiches as well as other meals such as chilli and Moroccan lamb stew.

There is also a tasty looking salad bar, and they have plates of amazing cakes made by the owner, Patsy Garvin. I fell for the chocolate tart (pictured) and think it was about £1.80. They usually have carrot cake and lots of cute cupcakes too. But be warned, get there before me otherwise I’ll just eat them all.

Bread and Butter is a really cute little shop up Tib Street, past Rags to Bitches and The Northern. You really can’t miss it because it’s painted bright pink and has white wrought iron furniture outside. The inside is full of retro furniture and tea sets, and although there isn’t much seating room at the moment, they are renovating the basement.

I also noticed they are open for tapas in on the weekend evenings, AND you can bring your own booze. So watch out for that review as soon as I can find a free weekend.

Bread and Butter, Tib Street, Manchester, M4 1LG.

Click here to use social bookmarks

Hide Sites

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.

I’ve been here to shop before but never to eat. I actually went out with a vegetarian friend to review Earth cafe opposite, but it’s not open on Mondays. However, luckily, Oklahoma is a vegetarian cafe, with loads of vegan meals and options. They have soya milk for drinks and even do soya milkshakes.

Food includes ready made sandwiches, freshly prepared toasted sandwiches, as well as hot food. There is a massive selection of unusual baked potato toppings, such as hot puy lentils with marmalade dressing and red onions, as well as the option of sweet baked potato.

I had the chickpea curry with mango chutney on a baked potato (£4.90) which was wholesome and homemade tasting. It wasn’t too spicy and the dollop of mango chutney gave it a nice tart twist. My friend tried the vegetarian lasagne (£4.10 or £5.90 with salad), which was tasty but a bit rubbery round the edges – always a hazard with lasagne.

I’d heard the service can be a bit hit and miss here but I got served really quickly and the food came out even quicker. The only confusing thing when we arrived was figuring out whether to order at the counter and where to find a menu. The higgledy piggedly aspect of the wonky tables and the chipped enamel plates all added to the quirky charm of this little gem. The music could have been a little more chilled as loud rock music isn’t everyone’s cup of tea.

The selection of  vegetarian breakfasts with organic eggs looks tasty, as did the carrot cake at the front counter. Drinks include fair trade coffee, selection of herbal teas, Green and Black hot chocolate, fresh fruit smoothies and milk shakes.

There was a great vibe in this place with people working on laptops, some people with kids and others just out on a lunch break.

INFO
Oklahoma 74-76 High Street, Northern Quarter, Manchester, M1 1ES.
T: 0161 834 1136.
E: oklahoma.manchester@virgin.net

Click here to use social bookmarks

Hide Sites