We all like a bargain when we see one. January tends to shout out a few more than usual as an antidote to the ravenous Christmas binge. A mindful soul had the good sense to order seven place settings on a round table for a busy Friday lunch at the recently opened Gusto on Lloyd Street in Manchester. Ostensibly Italian, we pre-booked on a deal. If you book during January for slots outside the busy weekend, you bag your grub for half price. As it is set approximately thirty paces from the office it was the work of a moment to get down there. Good job really as it was absolutely tipping down!
It’s an impressive place. An understated entrance from the street gives way to elegance personified. A grandiose, central, square canopy delineates the bar area. Padded stools line up all round in readiness for the cocktail crowd. Our table was up on a side mezzanine which was filling up nicely with business clients and lunching ladies. Chairs in orange and green with matching dark wood tables, crisp linen and sparkling tableware sets the scene. We settled whilst a bright, uniformed, smiling waitress brought us a sobering dash of water and the odd ‘full cooking’ coke. The days of a long, lazy, boozy lunch are sadly long gone for us flashing young interior types!
Smart interior
As an added point of interest we were sat next to a roped off bit. Inside a clearly talented young cove was delicately touching up some cobbles with a long brush. He was quietly fettling the ‘Coronation Street’ section of a huge Manchester scape that was morphing before our eyes. It was only in sketch form with a few splashes of colour, but it will be an impressive adornment to the Gusto legacy sometime soon.
The mural coming along
We were presented with two menus, the specials and the a la carte. It was sometime before we ordered food and as it was a quick lunch we all simply ordered a main course each with the odd side from the a la carte which is the one that attracted the discount. As the crowds were gathering for the bargain lunch, it was a fairly lengthy stretch before the goodies arrived. But boy they were goodies. Everyone was pleased with their offer.
The menu
Pick of the bunch was Dom’s seared tuna steak marinated in balsamic and soy with a fennel and orange salad and green gazpacho (£18.95). Cooked to perfection, a rare centre with a seared outer.
Salad, tuna, toilet floor!!
Paul’s Baked fillet of seabass (£17.95) with roasted pepperonata, drizzled with lemon purée looked a picture as did Mel’s salad of home-cured salmon, shaved fennel, orange, radish and radicchio with a crème fraiche dressing (£10.95). They all hit the mark. I myself (as a crab addict) had the white crab, chilli, garlic and fresh lemon spaghetti (£15.95).
Crab chilli spaghetti, seabass
We all concluded that it was a fine feed and a stunning location. Once we’d finished taking pictures of the interior! we coppered up and went on our way. Including a take out there was eight of us. With the 50% deal in place the bill came to £70. Less than a tenner each. Given the surroundings and the quality I would have happily paid the full price. Give it a try.
“No you can’t bring your smalls for a quick spin, but you can get a decent feed”
I have mentioned in a past scribe that The Flame is rather partial to the John Lewis retail emporium in Cheadle. Sharp eyed cartographers will be aware that JL is a mere five miles or so from the ‘fashionista’ foodie haunt of Chorlton. I have had my stomach set on an award winning Sunday roast at The Parlour for some time now but never got in. This day was no exception! so it was a weary and hungry twosome that trundled down the hip thoroughfare of Beech Road in search of some sustenance. To the rescue came The Laundrette.
The smart frontage, alfresco dining
Set in a corner plot, it makes for an attractive settlement just yards from local greenery. It cut a pleasant dash in the low, mid winter sun. A jaunty logo set on a battleship grey surround, above the door echoes it’s themed, former soapy past. Like The Parlour, it seemed to be suffering from the lamentable plague of too many customers! But being a cheeky twosome, we managed to bag the last two seater by the door. A booming Ellie Goulding dance track allied to the ‘saloon like’ outside door, wafting the December breeze into The Flame’s lap, all contrived to make the early running tetchy at best. The Cooktwit having realised his spot was bathed in the warming busom of a well oiled blast heater made a timely swap with the loving relative and all was calm. A pint of spin drift and a black coffee soon got the pleasantries going.
Urban Interior
A review of our surroundings confirmed it was in keeping with the urban trend. Exposed brick, tiles from the past, schoolboy chairs, welded frame tables and of course the obligatory jam jar water vessels. It’s all here. In contrast to some though the long, narrow dining area is significantly boosted in capacity by a healthy outdoor section. Festooned with awnings and polar bear sapping heaters many of the trendy throng imbibed their luncheon alfresco. One can only imagine the size of the scrum to get down here on a barmy, summers eve.
Jam jars for glasses
By this time a review of the menu and a nod at some of the scran emanating from the kitchen had us purring in comfort. For me one of the finest inventions of the gastropub scene is the plain black on white menu which then doubles up as your placemat. The Laundrette thankfully honours this tradition. Perked up with some soapy humour and vintage adverts it is a fine document.
The jaunty menu
Whilst pizzas dominate, The Flame went for her standby dish, lasagne (£9) taken from the ‘Full Load’ part of the card. A mixed salad (£3) settled alongside. It arrived in a ‘Le Creuset’ type casserole dish with lid. Made with homemade fresh pasta it was dubbed ‘The best lasagne I’ve had in years’. I was allowed my standard fork full, to confirm that it was totally delicious. Bags of beefy mince and Italianate flavour. The salad was also up to the mark.
Lasagne and salad from the full load
I went for the ‘famous’ Sunday roast (£10.75) built up with porchetta rather than my standard beef. It arrived on an organic plank. A porcelain disc turned up as well. This meant I could gently transfer elements of the substantial feed onto a more manageable palette. Long, well cooked carrots and parsnips mingled with broccoli, roast potatoes and two nice slabs of pork each complete with a pleasing blister of fat and crackling. A boat of hot gravy completed the offer. And what an offer. As good a roast as anywhere. No wonder it’s famous. I watched with a little envy as many others shared a rare beef version. I’ll be back for that.
The famous roast with pork
For research we shared a ‘Calzone Dessert’ (£6). It arrived hot. A folded pizza filled with Nutella, banana, marshmallows and swathed in salted caramel sauce with a blob of vanilla ice cream to mop up. It took some eating. Apparently it’s the best seller and why not? Due to a mix up in service we waited some forty minutes for it. But fair play the chap in charge ‘comped’ us the dessert and threw in two coffees. Can’t say fairer than that.
The dessert calzone, next doors beef!
Have to say having settled on The Laundrette as second best we left feeling we have found another gem. With lots of January being left as I write the £10 voucher to spend again will come in very handy. Another free dessert at least!
It was a cold winters night. The Cooktwit and The Flame had bagged a spot in a party of ten at ‘La Casa Vieja’, a spanish restaurant in the heart of St Helen’s arty George’s Quarter. We were guests of St Helens ‘digital print magnate’ Keith Hughes. After a momentous Cooktwit paella cooked on a spade while camping in summer, Keith ‘the signage entrepreneur’ had declared that I need to get to La Casa Vieja to sample theirs. The time had come.
The courtyard, the castle gates, red/yellow signage
I entered the complex via the imposing castle gates, each decoratively regaled with a smart red and yellow sign (done by Keith!). I swept through into a quaint courtyard of jasmine and pergolas. Once more the red and yellow signage leapt into frame. One can imagine in summer this would be a thriving little spanish village. As it was deep December even the smokers had stayed away.
The Spanish Interior
Once inside the Spanish theme is maintained. Guitars, hams, donkeys, lutes and various maps And paintings litter the walls and ceiling. It’s all rather quaint. A small half of ‘Alhambra’ lager was ordered as I waited for the rest of the gang. As we were the first in, the waitress handied us a couple of menus to peruse. I could be being a little churlish here, but in the subdued light the obligatory shiny, red, yellow, laminated menus were difficult to read and understand. Dishes flashed all over the place. And there was some large sums involved with some of them. Written with a felt tipped pen, a casual glance suggested this would not be a cheap night out. £6.75 for a dessert! This needed to be good. The menu format had an air of ‘English bar in Spain’ for me, but as I say I could be being churlish. Clear black on crisp white always works best for me.
The menu
Then the entourage assembled. Head visual guru Keith suggested we scrap the menu, go upstairs and see head chef and owner Manolo and see what’s in. Great call, I headed up and sure enough amongst the flurry of flames, steam and wonderful smells, a burly, rosy cheeked, Mediterranean chap, burst into song. We flung our favourites at him, liver, fish, seafood, steak, anything. He laughed and roared that everything is fresh and he has everything. “how many of you?”, “ten” we shouted. “Leave it to me, I will keep sending down the food”. It all seemed fair enough to me. I rushed down excited.
The start of the show, Manolo himself
Sure enough the food started to arrive, olives, prosciutto, bread to start, then came meat balls, liver, beef in red wine, chicken in cream, chicken with chorizo and a glorious fruity salad, all gleefully imbibed by the waiting party. But the best was to come. After a short delay, in came an enormous silver platter drenched in food of the sea. Sadly my photos don’t do it justice. We drew our collective breath and dived in. Huge prawns dominated, closely followed by belly loads of squid, mussels, clams before moving down to flanks of salmon, sea bass, dorado all slicked in garlic, herbs and a light, seafood broth. It was divine. Despite ten of us piling in there was plenty to go round. We all got a bit of everything. Truly superb.
The fish platter, various dishes, salad and the specials
Toward the end Manolo himself came down to see how things were going. The thumbs were all well up. After asking whether the desserts were fresh and homemade and receiving a clip round the ear! He recommended the ‘Torija de vino’ fried marinated bread pudding in red wine, which sounded a bit dubious to me, but he was right. It was the best of the bunch. A caramelised egg flan and a chocolate mousse was up there too.
Having quaffed red wine as well as the food. The bill tipped in at a reasonable £40 per head (with tip). We had a great time. I would definitely try it again, it is always gratifying to see at first hand, top raw materials being cooked fresh on the premises by a passionate chef. Service by most of Manolo’s family is top notch as well. St Helens has a little gem here. It’s very own morsel of Spain.
Not wishing to miss out on a shameless plug for the Cook Twit blog and a chance to rehash some of my earlier work with minimal effort, I thought I’d jump full square on to the food bloggers best of 2014 bandwagon. 2014 has been a great year for grub. Though thanks to the fast diet I’m 6lbs lighter!
As one mate says to me “Do you ever have a crap meal”. Well generally because I go to places that other foodies on twitter have recommended, the answer is No. So I should add if there are places not mentioned below who know I’ve visited them. It is no slight, it is merely the fact that these had a slight, undefinable edge. There are thousands of dishes at number 11 !
Its my view that a quality dish chimes when several factors gel. Apart from the obvious ones, flavour, ingredients, skill of the chef, I reckon the circumstances around the meal play a big part. Degree of ‘hungriness’, atmosphere, who you are with, mood, expectation, service and a whole host of ‘soft’ issues. With this in mind you may find some of my choices a little surprising. But here goes in no particular order.
10) I love fish and chips. the best I had this year was sat on my own in the sunshine in Albert Square Manchester. It was served in a cardboard tray by The Hip Hop Chip Shop as part of the Manchester Food Festival. Simply superb with lovely skin on chips and chillied onion ring. But a special mention should go to The Elephant 1934 and the Arnside chippy who both came a close second.
Great fish and chips
9) I love seafood and pasta. I had no better of both at Salvis in Manchester. Seafood tagliatelle. Stunning.
8) I love brunch. Seems to have become very popular this year. I had no finer than at Beef and Pudding. A vast helping for £9.95. The Flames Egg Benedict equally good.
7) I have a raging sweet tooth. Always save my second sweet stomach for afters! Had an amazing marmalade and ginger cheesecake, served in a kilner jar whilst sat by the Thames in London on a glorious summers eve. The Tied End Cottage Pub, Teddington. Incredible. The warm peach tart at The Assheton Arms deserves a mention though.
6) Love my ‘dirty’ street food. Mumma Schnitzel set up an obligatory Citroen H van in Spinningfields, Manchester (sadly now departed) and served up the finest chicken schnitzels known to man. A standard Friday lunch treat. Even better the ‘specials’. My favourite the ‘Hanoi Hanoi’. Thai flavours mingled in with a kick.
5) On a similar theme, Twitter had served up frightening images of the Solita Christmas Burger. I was hooked. All expectations were met (apart from the candied chipolata on top). Christmas dinner in a bun.
4) Love a pie, I regularly buy Great North Pie Co versions, but had a couple of beauties outside this year. After a six hour drive and starving, I think The Church Green, Lymm, chicken and root veg just shades The Roebucks mutton pie. Nags Head did an amazing chicken leg and ham one too.
3) Went to Mughli on the curry mile in Rusholme, Manchester for the first time this year. Had their signature seafood biryani. Superb.
2) Went to Sicily this year for the hols. Fish is big there. Had a great big dorado served on a platter with potatoes, veg and gravy at ‘La Grotta Azzurra’ in Toamina. Served at the table. Awesome.
1) Anything at The Pig On The Beach Hotel. Went for a week for our 25th wedding anniversary. All ingredients grown or caught within a couple of miles. I had a slab of turbot caught that morning. Chef told me in the day that it was coming. It doesn’t get fresher than that.
So there you have it, the top ten. Like I said though, there are hundreds of number elevens. Well done chefs a great year. Lets see what we can have in 2015.
Sloping round a wet, cold Manchester City centre is a fairly regular part of a Cooktwit day. He needs to recharge his batteries for the afternoons shift ‘downt pit’, (or office as it’s sometimes called). A quick luncheon is called for. Soup, salad or a sandwich being the norm. Tucked away round the back, next to University Challenge outfitters ‘Jack Wills’ a stark shop front homes into a view. It’s a view that wasn’t there a few weeks back (10 weeks to be a little more accurate). It’s bears a sign of clean, black script and says ‘Rapha’. In the window, sleek cycles climb the walls; a solitary cycle jacket in lime completes the display. I venture in intrigued.
Smart frontage
An athletic young bean manned the as yet empty coffee point on the ground floor. Though a quick glance around confirmed this is a quality space. I shimmered up the stairs via the black and white contact graphics.
Contact graphic, H van, branding
The space opened, revealing a smart serving counter at ten to, whilst a gleaming stack of garment rails headed out at quarter past. A panoramic view of the King Street emporiums beckoned to the left. I headed down there and hitched up to the high gloss touch down bench replete with high tech racing cycles. Bespoke tables dotted themselves around, welded frames providing each with the necessary support. The tables themselves double up as display cases, showcasing vintage cycling apparel. It’s all rather pleasing.
Vintage display
Having surveyed the land I decided to pitch in with a bracing lunch. The menu is divided into pre and post cycling workouts. The pre bits offering such sporting favourites as porridge, eggs and blueberries whilst the post-match action centres on deli end sandwiches. It is here that the Cooktwit to his aim. A mozzarella, roasted pepper ciabatta drenched in pesto seemed to fit the bill. It came warm (having been lightly squashed in some sort of flat iron arrangement) with a pleasing assembly of leaves, each soaked in an appropriate dressing. A strong coffee in the ‘Rapha’ branded cup and saucer accompanied.
Rapha coffee, the sandwich
I’m not going to bore you and say it was the best sandwich I’d ever had, but nonetheless I can confirm that the raw materials were of the highest order. The whole ensemble easily matching my standards of delivering the right quality product at the right price (£4.50) at the right time.
As I say it’s a high end deli offering that can be acquired in many places but it’s not everywhere you can then fondle a pink soft shell, or soak your hands into a soft merino, neck warmer. As a keen cyclist it is fair to say I was equally impressed with the after match window shopping. As it was almost Christmas when I ventured in The Flame was duly informed that if she was struggling to acquire a gift of sufficient standing this was the outlet she needed to subscribe.
The garments
So there you have it another albeit rather informal purveyor of fine goods with which one can enjoy a leisurely lunch. Well worth a trip. And they even do bottles of Ticketybrew beers if you fancy adding a little extra to the meal. It’s good stuff I’ll certainly be back.
“Yawn, yet another Lancashire pub chain serving local, quality food with wonderful hospitality!”
It’s early December, The Cooktwit has bagged a day off and decided to treat The Flame to a slap up lunch out in the sticks. The in car navigation system is set to The Assheton Arms, Downham Village, Clitheroe. Why here? I liked the sound of its parents! The Seafood Pub Company. Anyone with seafood in its title is going a long way in my eyes.
Great frontage, great view
Downham Village is a pleasant, rural bolt hole a couple of miles outside foodie hub Clitheroe. Indeed it would seem you can stick a pin anywhere in the Lancashire/Ribble Valley and hit somewhere good to eat. I’ve already reported the fine virtues of The Parkers Arms and The Three Fishes, both close by. Despite the wintry date, the weather was kind. Overcast but still and mild, great for walking but thwarted the wonderful views from the terrace as we walked in.
Once inside, two fine gentlemen greeted us warmly, almost as warmly as the roaring fire. Having ascertained our 1pm booking was all in order we biffed up a deck to a rather charming dining salon. Resplendent with muted tartan and country hues it felt like a big cuddle from a favourite, buxom aunt (obviously the one with curlers out and teeth in!). Splendid views across ‘them there hills’ were afforded from a picture window.
Table, muted tartan, picture window
A restorative livener was sanctioned in the shape of a Thwaites Wainwrights golden Ale. An excellent start. The Flame and I settled on our naturally lit, circular table to survey the card. And what a splendid card it was. The offerings headed by cooking method rather than courses. Smoked, Robata Grill, Clay Pot, Street Food, Boat, Snacks, Specials and Starters. It’s a lovely menu.
Bar, missed the log fire!
As expected seafood and fish gets a heady billing, but there’s plenty for everyone here on this highly eclectic menu. Flavours and influences seem to come from all over the world. Caribbean Cod Cakes, Piri piri swordfish, Chicken with lemongrass, Goan King Prawn Curry all mixed in with local favourites.
The Flame decided on the fishy side for starts and main. The aforementioned Caribbean cod cakes (£4.95) arrived to start simply placed on a slate with a fiery jerk sauce. Very nice though a little dry she thought. Brought to life by the hot, thick, smoky spread.
I ventured in the ‘The little smoke room’ for my starters. I had the potted smoked duck, Scotch quail egg, pickles, salad cream, toast (£7.95). It all arrived attached to its very own, specially honed log. The log having slots and routered ledges to accommodate the pots and slices of feed. Could have done with a couple more of the quails eggs! The salad cream was runny but utterly ‘delish’. The potted duck and pickles nice enough. A great start, things were going well.
The well huned log, cod cakes
Mains next. The Flame was touched to try the piri piri swordfish (£15.50). An unusual choice for her. She was tricked into the spicy coating and intrigued by the crispy chick peas. It came with a herb and citrus quinoa salad and smoked peppers. A heady combination I think you’ll agree? It looked a picture and tasted super as well. I managed a morsel. The crispy chick peas adding a crunchy texture.
I was seduced by one of the days special. A steaming bowl of mixed fish stew (£16). Chomping swabs of sea bass, salmon, scallops lovingly squelched in a lobster bisque, topped with mussels and a crostini with aioli. Just hit the spot for me. As I say I love my seafood!
Fish Stew, Piri piri swordfish.
For research purposes I again was compelled to try a dessert. And boy what a dessert. Peaches and cream custard tart with toasted meringue and raspberry syrup (£5.95). Served slightly warm it was heaven on a plate. Needless to say I wolfed the lot.
Peach tart with meringue!
The Seafood Pub Company is gradually adding country pubs to its portfolio. It has six in all so far. If they are all as good as this it means we’ve got plenty of places to go at for a nice drive out. Ill be giving them a go. So should you.
“Add game to your repertoire and you will open up a whole new world of delicious recipes”
The ingredients (without the eggs, sage & a few other bits)
I copied this recipe from a Sunday Times magazine years ago. The recipe was by one time golden boy Gordon Ramsay. He’s seems to have had a bit of a rough time of it lately but I reckon he’s still got it. I’ve made these pies a few times and they never fail. As he says in the opening spiel above, mastering game really does open up the flavour stakes. As he also says water crust pastry is easy to make and work with and mastering these pies will ensure you never have a supermarket pork pie ever again!
Ingredients
makes 4
250g mixture of game, such as loin of venison, partridge, pheasant or guinea fowl breasts (I got a tray of mixed game from my local butcher Red Bank Farm)
60g smoked bacon, chopped
200g sausage meat
2 eggs, beaten
1-2 tsp each freshly chopped parsley and sage
Grated zest of half a lemon
5 juniper berries, finely ground
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
for the water crust pastry
250g plain flour, plus extra for dusting
½ tsp fine sea salt
1 egg
50g unsalted butter
50g lard
85ml water
Begin by making the pastry. Sift the flour and salt into a mixing bowl and make a well in the middle. Crack the egg into the middle and sprinkle over some of the flour to cover. Put the butter, lard and water in a small pan over a gentle heat. Once the butter and lard have melted, increase the heat and bring to the boil.
Mixing everything up!
Pour the boiling water and fat around the edge of the bowl and quickly stir in using a palette knife. Knead the dough lightly until smooth, then wrap in clingfilm. Rest in the fridge for at least 30 minutes.
Meanwhile, prepare the filling. Trim the game meat of any fat or sinew, then cut into 1cm cubes. Mix with the bacon, sausage meat, one of the beaten eggs, herbs, lemon zest and crushed juniper berries, and season with salt and pepper. Divide into 4 portions and roll into balls.
Reserve one third of the pastry for making the pie lids, wrapped in clingfilm in the fridge. Roll the remaining pastry out on a lightly floured work surface to a 2-3mm thickness. Cut out 4 circles, 14cm in diameter, using a saucer as a template., (I use a cereal bowl) Place a ball of stuffing in the middle of each pastry disc. Press the stuffing gently to flatten at the base slightly.
Making the pies. They might look a mess but they taste awesome!
Roll the reserved pastry to the same thickness as before and cut out 4 lids, 7cm in diameter (I use a cup) Place a lid over the top of the stuffing. Wet the rim of the larger pastry disc, then mould it up and around the filling to meet the lid. Curl the edge of the lid up to meet the top inside edge of the pie case and press together to seal. Repeat with the others, then chill for about 30 minutes until the pastry feels firm.
A final brush with egg wash.
Preheat the oven to 190C/Gas 5. Make a neat steam hole in the centre of each pie lid with a skewer. Bake for 15 minutes. Remove the pies from the oven and reduce the temperature to 170C/Gas 3. Brush the pies evenly with the remaining beaten egg, then bake for a further 20-30 minutes until the pastry is cooked and the centre of the pie is piping hot. Allow the pies to cool on a wire rack. Serve warm or at room temperature with piccalilli.
“An American and Canadian diner in an office block in Manchester! It works”
I fancied a treat, normally The Cook Twit is scheduled for a light, healthy snack. Trooping round the back streets of Manchester on a cold, winters lunch time I happened upon relative newcomer Moose Coffee. It’s an American style diner that started life in Liverpool of all places and by all accounts to much acclaim. I decided to give it a quick go. Twice!
Outside looking in
It doesn’t exactly scream “come in” at you from the outside. The overriding colour is brown. Set into the grey concrete of an office block you could miss it if you glanced the wrong way at the crucial moment. Once inside the ‘Brown and Moosey’ theme continues. Beige, brown with a hint of mint echoing the rather clever ‘coffee bean with antlers’ branding on the menus, cups and operatives attire.
Brown, functional interior
If a little dull it’s really all rather calming if I’m honest. Its lifted a little by the witty, ‘moosey’ appendages which adorn the walls at various points. I settled easily and comfortably at my central table for one.
Then it’s the menu. And blimey what a menu. Extensive and filled with a myriad of stuff you would struggle to get elsewhere. Whilst breakfast dominates the left hand side of the card, it is thankfully served pretty much all day. And given the variety and quality of combos on offer there is something for everyone including veggies.
I went for the ‘New Jersey Moose’. Two free range poached eggs on a potato hash, griddled with garlic, onion and mustard, then set on a toasted bagel and smothered in their hollandaise sauce. It arrived in good time and presented simply on a white plate. If I’m allowed to quibble it was a little under seasoned for me (Oooh get you, who do think you are Gregg Wallace – Ed) but, as with most establishments of this ilk, small, table top, containers are provided which allow the client to enhance the sodium content accordingly (do you mean they had a salt-cellar? – Ed). That said it was delish. Washed down with a rather fine black coffee the overall impression was that I’d had a rather scrumptious lunchette.
Clever branding, eggs, Heuvos Rancheros
And then blow me down and smash me across the face with a wet haddock I deliberately went again a couple of days later! I had agonised whether to have the ‘Manolito’ the first time. The classic ‘Heuvos Rancheros’, two warm tortillas, smothered with re-fried beans, two over easy eggs, salsa, grated cheddar and sour cream. I had mine topped with griddled chicken for an extra ten bob. It might look a bit of a mess in the pictures but my lord it was good. I’m sure there was the odd jalapeno in there for extra piquancy. I washed it down with a snickers milkshake for good measure. What a treat!
Snickers milkshake, Moose coffee to go, Homemade cakes for after
Settling the bills sobered things up slightly, £9.10 for the eggs and coffee, £10.50 for the Heuvos Rancheros and milkshake. They are not figures I can weigh in with everyday. But there is no doubt I’ll be back to try more of the ‘brunchy’ goodies on offer. Theres at least a dozen more things to go at.
Moose appendages
Moose Coffee give it a try, (if you can get in) it’s one to watch.
“Fast, great food, but don’t get in the wrong queue!”
Friday lunchtime is down as a big treat for The Cooktwit. In order to maintain the racing snake hips and the thunderous six pack (pack it in – Ed) Monday to Thursday are days of rest in the food dept. These days are spent either fasting (see my take on fasting here) or munching on grass. Weather permitting I search out some decent streetfood, (though since the loss of “MummaSchnitzel” that’s becoming a little tough) after that invariably I end up at Katsouris Deli. It’s housed in a grand old building on the corner of Deansgate and John Dalton Street. It’s an offshoot of the original Greek deli that marks the entrance to the famous Bury market.
A fine exterior
Entering at either entrance you invariably meet a lengthy queue. Don’t despair! If its hot food you want simply hang in there and walk at a steady pace. You will soon hear the shriek, like a ‘banchee’ with an ingrowing toenail, “NEXT!”
The lengthy queues subside quickly – honest!
Be ready though, woe betide that you get close to the hot counter without knowing what you want! Ive seen grown men weep and skulk sheepishly out into the street with little more than a bag of crisps! Such is the rabid efficiency of a lunchtime service ‘tyrekickers’ are quickly shown the door.
But, once you’ve done your homework, the rewards are bountiful. A flavoursome feast for little over a fiver is there for the taking. The decor and furniture is functional. A periphery of vinyl banquette, supplemented with central round tables and bistro chairs provides a good deal of standard seating. I prefer to sit on the high stools which hedge up to the touch down bench which runs all down one side. From here one can gaze into the bustle of the busy street outside. The fun is boundless watching people getting run over at the busy crossroads, dodging the green lights and cyclists running the red lights. That said if you really want action there is some payment seats outside where you get the sound as well!
Signage, Pork and greenery
Basic high level signage gives you the combo’s available. The hot carvery section below lets you see what you’re getting. Spicy paella rice (no seafood though), salad, jacket potatoes or various ‘bunnage’ are the ‘carby’ accompaniments to your meat.
My usual is the salad which you serve yourself from the catering bins that run down one side. I pick the protein from the carvery, sliced pork, gammon, lamb, pulled pork, ham, chicken piri piri, big frankfurters its all top stuff. They all come with their own trimmings, apple sauce, barbecue sauce, onions, stuffing. The salad offer is also top draw. Big chillies, boiled eggs, humus, potato salad, bags of greenery, mainly rocket with sun-dried tomatoes, parmesan, chick peas, olives all with a mediterranean bias.
The salad bins, roast pork and bags of greenery!
If I’m short of funds you can’t beat the soups. there are normally two on offer, homemade, tasty and £2 a pop whether served in a big paper cup or in a big dish, and it comes with a few swabs of bread to mop up.
So there you have it, a quick Cook Twit recommendation on how to get yourself a decent feed on a busy lunchtime in down town Manchester. There are obviously lots more to go at, but so far this is as good as it gets for me. Give it a go.
“Just been kicked in the Baltics! And it was good!”
Some of you may know I work dead centre of Manchester town. Indeed if you google Manchester you get within 20 yards of where I work, Lloyd Street near Albert Square. It’s a rather austere thoroughfare that connects the thriving, shop laden bustle of Deansgate and the spiritual heart that is the magnificent town hall. Sat quietly beneath the action lies the glowing red embers of a new vodka bar from the east (and I don’t mean Hull).
The large menu, Red exterior
The Baltic Cellar is set low beneath Lloyd House. You step downwards from the street. I’ve been to Lithuania a couple of times. The dark red and brick interior, dimly lit takes me straight back to the underground caverns of Vilnius. Rich red banquettes mark out the eating areas whilst a cavernous wooden floor leads to an impressive bar. It’s well finished, no up cycled chairs, exposed cable trays and scaffolding pipes here. It’s all rather agreeable really.
Smart red interior
As it is new it has been pushing its lunchtime menu. Two courses for £10.95. Nothing too special there I hear you cry. Latterly though, it’s been peddling this deal at half price. Two courses for just over a fiver, now that is fighting talk. The menu is certainly different. If I was ever on Saturday Kitchen my food hell would be beetroot. ‘Borsch’ the beetroot based soup of Russia is a feature here so I gave that a miss, but there’s a lot to go at.
After asking for volunteers in the office I eventually convinced twenty one plucky souls to venture into the bowels of the building and give it a try. To help out I nipped down, grabbed some menus and gave the ‘Baltic Cellarists’ the heads up. “We’ll be down in half an hour, can chef manage it?” We trooped down. I handed in our list. Valentina and Neesha swept into action, several bottles of ‘Kynep’ (Polish beer?) with matching tankards were soon in check. The happy throng settled into their matching bays, chirping to each other gaily beneath the chilled dance beats wafting from the PA.
Spicy beef stew, Chicken stew, chicken cutlets
I had spicy beef stew. Like everything it arrived on a flat brown platter. I had it with brown rice; I could have had rice, buckwheat, chips, salad or mash potato! To be fair it wasn’t that spicy, but it was tasty enough. The fresh, pleasant garnish seems to be standard on all dishes. Shredded carrot in garlic mayo, tomato, lettuce and cucumber. Whilst for me it lacked a little in presentation and style, I seemed to be in the minority. Working with a team of flashing young blades, the younger palettes chomping through chicken cutlets, chicken and mushroom stew, pork stroganoff, dumplings and (for the veggies) carrot and mushroom cutlets all had the thumbs firmly up and raved most of the afternoon, so who am I to say? As you can imagine turning up with a party of twenty one, we did stress the crew a bit! The food arriving in spasms. It was all hot though.
I would say for £5.45, two courses is a bargain, I would question whether the Manchester office brigade will be queuing up when it’s back at £10.95? For that the service has to be snappy and the food bob on.
Tibetan caviar, Champers
That said a few days later I ventured in once more. This time as a guest at the launch party. The pre gig splurge promising flames and mystery! I joined the queue on the roped off red carpet, I felt like a film star! The flames roared from the arms of a scantily clad, pirouetting nymph. All this while we were ticked off the list. Flames and drama, on Lloyd Street! As it was I ventured in behind BBC sports presenting legend Mike Bushell. We slugged a few glasses of champers together, very pleasant. Valentina, Neesha and the crew balanced trays of Tibetan caviar, smoked salmon puffs, cheese and bacon wrapped olives. The packed bar cleared them out.
nymph, throng, drink
Before sitting down for the taster grub, the nymphet had morphed into a slinky body stocking and with the aid of some ancient farming implements she started to contort into shapes that I would have doubted possible from anyone in human form. The throng looked on agog.
Russian sausage, soused herring, nice cakes!
With most of the visitors now soaked in vodka, fizz and birch sap (yes, birch sap!) it was time to sit. We soon settled into our booths of six. More vodka in various flavours was gleefully imbibed. Courses of Russian salad, charcuterie, pickled mackeral and cheese was up first. In fairness it was all pretty good. The charcuterie to my palette as good as anything from Italy or Spain.
We then turned to a taster of seven mains, Chicken Cedar (creamy sauce and nuts), Beef Goulash, Chicken Mushroom, Vegetable Ragu (braised cauliflower and more in a tomato sauce), Pork Stroganoff and Bigos (stewed sauerkraut, cabbage, smoked sausage, ribs and mushroom) all delivered in a ‘brown, trivial pursuit, segment’ arrangement. Our posse pawed in for a morsel each. To be fair there was no complaints on anything here. The meats tender and moist all slicked in a tasty sauce. Goulash won for me. Decent chunks of tender beef in a well seasoned creamy sauce.
The mains, beer
A brawny, Viking like helper homed in with a skewer of Chicken and salmon Shashlik. This another highlight. Evidently shashlik is a Baltic charcoal pit. Both efforts were superb, the chicken especially, clearly marinated in something very nice, the flavour and texture then further enhanced from its soak in the fire breathing cauldron. Top stuff.
After more vodka games and with the tummy starting to swell alarmingly in came the selection of Baltic desserts! As ever, The Cook Twit, for you darling readers, had to dig deep and open up the reserve ‘sweet’ stomach. Morsels of Honey cake, cheesecake, chocolate cake and napoleon cake were each delicately forked across the taste buds. And very nice too. The cheesecake wasn’t quite the ‘baked’ type that it should be, but for me European desserts are often a bit sweet and different to ours.
I do recall in the vodka ‘mist’ with the place full and rocking it was a very pleasant place to be. Soft, euro beats filling the gaps between the partying chats. With the lights dimmed the vibe was top notch. I could easily see me, The Flame and a few chums on a cold winters night slugging a few vodkas, noshing a hearty soup and a plate of goulash. Whilst Manchester wallows in its top notch ‘dirty food’ emporiums, it could be that the Baltic Cellar is the place for a change. Let’s hope the Baltic Cellar can get the booths full again and get more nights like this.
The Cook Twit 