Northwest Food News – October 2013

Foodie or not, you’ll have been hard pressed to miss the hype around the opening of Manchester House at the tail-end of last month. Loveable local Aiden Byrne teams up with the Goliath of Manchester, Living Ventures to open the £3 million restaurant. Helps explain the menu prices, we guess. Still, if you’ve discovered you’re dying of a terminal illness, or you’ve decided you’re never going to be able to afford to buy a house – unless it’s in Detroit – blow your cash on a tasting menu here: it is bloody delicious.

It’s all go in Manchester where ‘sleb chefs are concerned. James Martin is raising the stakes (OK, that’s the one casino pun over, promise!) as he opens James Martin Manchester at Manchester 235. We have it on good authority there won’t be any omelettes. Phew! Enter through the side door in the Great Western unless you enjoy the sight of endurance gamblers as an aperitif.

Elsewhere, Simon Rogan continues his Midland Hotel takeover with the opening of Mr Cooper’s Garden and House. We haven’t tried the grub yet but the menu is pleasingly affordable – though it’s the cocktail list we’ve got our eye on. Popcorn-infused bourbon? Served in a hip flask? We’ll take ours to swig at the bus stop then, thanks!

Keep watch for the word from Liverpool’s Pudding Club. Hosted at blink-and-you’ll-miss-it speakeasy Berry and Rye (no relation to Mary, Queen of Baking), this month’s event sold out in 12 hours. Guests are treated to a cocktail by the host venue, followed by SEVEN desserts. Wear something with an elasticated waist, yeah? Tickets for their next event on 3 Nov go on sale on 7 Oct via their twitter page (@livpuddingclub). Fingers on buzzers people. Or iPhones. Or whatever it is you kids use these days.

Last month we were introduced to two of our new favourite things: the 23 Club in Liverpool and the Mad Hatter Brewing Company. The former's a basement bar with a fine selection of beers and bourbon, the latter's a new brewery run by existential experts Gaz and Sue (no really, ask Sue what she thinks of Sartre). You can therefore only imagine our delight when we found the two were teaming up for a Meet the Brewer night, taking place on 7 Oct. Learn while you drink? Sounds like our kind of education. 23 Club, 23 Hope Street, Liverpool, 6pm start, tickets £10.

On the topic of craft beer, for those of you who weren't super organised in buying your tickets for the IMBC – that is, the Indy Man Beer Con, held at Manchester's Victoria Baths from 10-13 Oct – you'll be pleased to hear there are still a few tickets left for the Thursday and Sunday sessions. Make sure you taste the beers IMBC have produced in collaboration with five breweries – Quantum Brewing Co., Buxton Brewery, Marble, Rooster's Brewing Co and Thornbridge Brewery. Of the five, we've got our eye on Quantum's Imperial Treacle Stout. Hello autumn.