Beef Cheeks
San Juan
It isn’t a secret that Bar San Juan down in Chorlton is one of the finest restaurants in Manchester. Hidden away on Beech Road, the small but authentic looking tapas bar has been serving out authentic Spanish dishes for a number of years and it is still as busy as ever. We managed (somehow) to get a table this weekend and ate a stupid amount of food, but the stand-out star was the slow cooked beef cheeks served in a rich gravy. They were so tender they almost dissolved on the plate in front of us and as for the flavour, well let’s just say it was what perfection tastes like. – Kate Tighe
Iberico Bellota
Lunya
The deli in Lunya on Deansgate is phenomenal. They sell all kinds of Spanish food and drink in there – the kinda stuff that you’re not going to find anywhere else outside of Spain. Not only do they have Fried Egg crisps in stock (which are the best crisps ever), but they also have an extensive range of those huge pig legs hanging all over the place, and this week I got the chance to try their Acorn-fed Bellota version which was quite frankly – out of this world. Pop in and try some as soon as you can please. – Ben Brown
St Louis Ribs in Blankets
Cane & Grain
Just when you thought the holy institution of pigs in blankets couldn’t get any better, Cane & Grain went and wrapped a maple-glazed St. Louis Rib in bacon and smoked it for delicious results. Meaty, juicy, smoky and delicious, these bad boys are the Christmas dinner beef-up you never knew you needed. Find them on the specials board throughout December at Cane & Grain. – Kate Tighe
Keigetsu `John` Sparkling Sake
restaurant MCR
James and I went down to a lovely lunch at the newly re-opened restaurant MCR this week and Aiden Byrne cooked us up a stunning 8 course taster for us. I was blown away by the fantastic food but even more so by this odd Sparkling Sake that we got poured into our glasses somewhere around the 2nd course. It was like a combination of prosecco and sake and was quite possibly the greatest thing I’ve ever drunk before in my life. I drank my glass, then I drank James’ glass and then I got the lovely Sommelier to bring me the rest of the bottle to finish off. – Ben Brown
Wagyu Beef Crumpets
Cottonopolis
I bet you guys are absolutely sick of me talking about how good the Cottonopolis brunch menu is- but I am going to tell you again. It is mint. I made a trip this Sunday for a bit of a bottomless, breakfast session and I was recommended to try the wagyu beef brisket crumpet. Holy shit it was good. Slow cooked pulled beef brisket (from the best beef in the world might I add) on top of a fluffy, buttery crumpet and topped off with a runny poached egg. It doesn’t get much better than that eh? – Kate Tighe
Pork Souvlaki Kebab
BAB
New Gourmet Kebab restaurant has arrived in the NQ and we went to check it out. I went for Pork Souvlaki, served on a homemade flatbread, with peppers, picked onions, tzatziki and pork scratching’s, obviously the chilli is just for decoration, I wouldn’t eat that if you paid me! All the different flavours combined into one and wrapped up was delicious! Not only that, the portion size was huge, and they weren’t shady on the fillings either, bursting out the sides, just how I like it, it was one mighty fine kebab! – Ellie Edginton
