Northwest Food News – October 2014

After the event-heavy September, what with the double whammy of Food and Drink festivals, we’re diverting your attention back to things of a more permanent nature this month.

The best news of late (well, if you like beer and hanging around near train stations) is the proposed Manchester Tap. Every time we pop down to London we’ve wished, not so silently, that someone would recreate the Euston Tap, only up here. Unsurprisingly, someone did have the very same thought: namely, the guys who own the Euston Tap. Now they can supply beery goodness to commuters at both ends of the line. It’s a no-brainer really. @tapmanchester

Mowgli Street Food are another of a growing number of businesses using the street food epithet and applying it willy-nilly to bricks and mortar establishments. This time it’s curry evangelist Nisha Katona, who wants to give Liverpool something different to the ‘unrecognisable’ fare of curry houses. She’s chosen her 20 favourite dishes for the menu and says that the lentils are rated very highly indeed, so we’re betting that daal will be a prominent feature. Opening 23 Oct. @Mowglistfood

We don’t know how we missed it but the people behind Neon Jamon – one of the stars in Liverpool’s expanding galaxy of tapas joints – opened an Italian restaurant in the former function room of Tribeca fairly recently. It’s called Little Italy and true to its name the offerings are small plates including beef shin pappardelle – the current social media darling – baccalà and langoustine ravioli and swordfish carpaccio. @LittleItaly336

East Didsbury’s high street has seen a slight decrease in low-brow chains with the demise of Cafe Rouge and The Sanctuary (part of The Varsity brand); French bakery Bisous Bisous have stepped up. The guys behind 63 Degrees are catering for well-heeled suburbanites’ penchant for elegant patisserie, macarons and baguettes. As blogger DidsburyDad put it: ‘If they are selling bacon sarnies and coffee by October it hasn’t worked.’ @_bisousbisous

A short walk around the M20 postcode and you’ll come to Wine & Wallop from the folks behind Folk and Chorlton’s Lead Station. Essentially, another watering hole for the well-catered-for locals but with wine to take away, 300-year-old Canadian pine walling, and Iberico ham. The wine flights are a good idea, as are the proposed tasting evenings (though we’re not sure how nearby Reserve wines will take it). @wineandwallop

Cowherds Cafe in Salford has popped up on our radar this month (late to the party, we know): it’s a community-centred pop-up veggie and vegan cafe, founded by juice therapist (yeah, we didn’t know that was a thing either!) Paula Maguire. They take their name from Reverend William Cowherd, a Salfordian who planted the seeds (oh yeah!). They’ll be at Levenshulme market on 13 Oct and running a pop-up cafe in Kersal Dale’s Garden Needs garden centre every Thursday to Saturday until 18 Oct. @CowherdsVegCafe

We’ll leave you with a nod to the Animal Worlds events by Manchester Metropolitan University, which will features animal rights campaigner Kim Stallwood promoting his new book Growl and pop-up stalls by the Vegetarian Society, among other things. Ethically-minded foodies be aware!