7 Piece Mezze from The Otto Men
Stretford Food Hall
Another week and another visit to the Stretford Food Hall for some pints of Manchester Union and a lovely bit of street food. We opted for a 7-piece mezze plate from the lovely people at The Otto Men – and it was a beauty. You basically choose 7 things from their menu of around 10/11 and they plonk it all on a huge plate and you tuck in. I was a firm fan of their Crispy Fried Halloumi – but if we’re being honest – who isn’t. – Ben Brown
The Best Cheese in the World
Dakota
This week I met up with an old mate who is now actually a ‘Cheese Man’ – serving up many of Manchester’s restaurants with an outstanding array of cheese delights. We met up in Dakota Hotel where he’s in charge of their Cheese Trolley, a mobile table of delectable savoury delights. Of all the cheeses we tried it’s VERY difficult to choose my favourite – but if I really had to choose – it would have to be the Crofton – a mix of cow’s milk and goats’ milk that was sublime. – Ben Brown
Gingerbread White Russian
The Counter House
Nothing screams ‘IT’S CHRISSTTTMMAASSS’ more than gingerbread – especially with Starbucks basically just putting that syrup seemingly in every single thing they sell throughout December. I went down to The Counter House this week to get some piccies of one of their new Christmas cocktails – their Gingerbread White Russian and it’s bloody lovely. In fact it’s TERRIFIC. Go get it. – Ellie Edginton
Don’t Know What To Eat
Jub Thai
On Wednesday afternoon I asked Alex Watson where I should take my friends for Thai food, her response was two simple words – Jub Thai. We ventured over to Great Ancoats Street and grabbed a table for 4. With the dishes designed to share, we opted for the hand-made vegetable spring rolls which came with a chilli dipping sauce, Manora prawn crackers (nothing like I’ve had before), Railway Fried Rice (topped with grilled chicken & pork), the Kaswan Road Noodles and our unanimous favourite – Don’t Know What To Eat (High-welfare chicken stir-fried in Thai-basil and spices, topped with a wok fried egg). Needless to say, it was the tastiest Thai food I’ve ever eaten and the pastel decor was a thing of my dreams. See you again next week, Jub! – Ciara Martin
Salt Crust Baked Chicken
KAI
I’ve got to say heading down to try this new dish for Kai’s menu, I had no idea what to expect. Covered and cooked under inches of salt, could it possibly even be nice? The answer is obviously. Kai know exactly what they’re doing when it comes to cooking up Mediterranean classics. The thick layer of salt that you need a hammer to get through, locks in all the flavours and leaves the juiciest chicken I’ve ever had. There’s a perfect golden crust and succulent juicy chicken in the middle. Also, shout out to the fit crushed new potatoes served on the side. – Ellie Edginton
