As we entered 2016 I made a culinary resolution to rectify three glaring holes in my dining out back catalogue. St. John, The Man Behind The Curtain and Freemasons at Wiswell. Before Spring even arrived I had reservations at the first two – in April and May respectively. The latter I visited before the end of January. Freemasons is an old fashioned country ... Read More »
Despite the fact I’ve never actually been to Japan I consider myself a bit of a Japanophile. I’ve been obsessed with Japanese movies, culture and especially food for many years. When I heard about Bunzilla, a new burger inspired by the head chef of Byron’s recent trip to Japan I was naturally intrigued. Even more so when the description read like ... Read More »
As a food blogger, my inbox is regularly flooded with invitations to review a whole host of products. Most of which I wouldn’t dream of ever using, let alone reviewing. But one recently caught my attention. I was contacted by Williamson Tea who asked if I’d like to sample their new ‘Purple Matcha’ tea. I’ve been drinking green tea for ... Read More »
I don’t get out for breakfast often these days, mainly because it involves getting up and leaving the house far earlier than I’d like, especially on weekends. But when staying close to Levenshulme last month I couldn’t resist a trip to Trove Cafe + Bakery. Unfortunately, even when just around the corner I didn’t make it in time for breakfast, having to settle ... Read More »
There are few things that fill me with dread more than a trip to the Trafford Centre. I’m not a big shopper anyway but it’s easily my least favourite place when I have to. There’s not even anywhere worth eating to soften the blow. Or so I thought. On a recent unavoidable – but thankfully rare – visit I was really struggling for ... Read More »
I started my sister blog to avoid writing about beer to much over here. But every now and again I attend an event and can’t decide where best to put it. That happened recently when I was invited to a ‘Food Pairing Dinner’ at Ibérica, Spinningfields. Since it was hosted by Spanish brewery Casimiro I decided it was better suited over ... Read More »
Jay Rayner has clearly had a better upbringing than me; in his review of The White Swan, he’s quite dismissive of Fence, the small village near Burnley in which it’s set. I’m sure he was exaggerating to make a point, and it is fairly unassuming. But from the bits I saw it looked like quite a charming area. Including The White Swan itself, ... Read More »
When I wrote about new Northern Quarter pizza joint PLY last summer I wondered why the best pizzas were coming from street food traders rather than restaurants. All the best ones seem to be coming from street food vendors like Rudy’s and particularly Honest Crust. I just couldn’t understand why small traders can get it right whilst restaurants were continuously getting it wrong. ... Read More »
When people ask me for my favourite place to eat, as they often do, I usually struggle to give a definitive answer. But the more I think of it the more I reckon it’s probably the Parkers Arms. I know, it’s not got a Michelin star or a celebrity chef attached. It’s not glitzy, or in an up and coming part of town, ... Read More »
I get the impression that Jon Jones, head chef of The Farmers Arms, doesn’t really like Christmas. That’s just from talking to him, thankfully it doesn’t show in his menus or cooking. I had a jolly festive feast there a couple of years ago so booked a table just before the Christmas madness started to get 2015’s festivities underway. The pub ... Read More »
Welcome to the fourth annual Food Geek Awards (previous years are here). I started these awards to be bit more interesting and concise than posting loads of ‘Top 10’ lists. Most of the awards contain a top three, although there are a few with a top five and a couple with just the winner. I must confess to being a ... Read More »
The Solita Christmas burger is now a firmly established Food Geek Christmas tradition. I left it late this year but made it to the original Northern Quarter restaurant on Christmas Eve Eve Eve to get my festive fix for the fourth consecutive year. The newly refurbished basement is looking great, modelled on the impressive designs of the newer Didsbury & ... Read More »
Summer is my absolute favourite season. Mainly because I love the sun; eating and drinking outdoors just makes me happy and everywhere looks and feels better in sunshine. I can’t help getting grumpy when the days start getting colder and going dark earlier. The only thing stopping me coming down with a dose of S.A.D before January is autumn and winter food, game in particular. ... Read More »
There aren’t too many restaurant openings that I get genuinely excited about these days. But Restaurant Story was definitely one of them when it launched in 2013. The ‘book themed’ restaurant where diners were asked to bring their favourite stories with them and dishes are inspired by chef Tom Sellers’ childhood memories sounded totally unique. It went on to earn a Michelin star within just ... Read More »
Since ‘retiring’ last year Ryan Giggs seems to have seriously upped his workload. Assistant manager of one of the biggest football clubs in the world is a full time job to most, but he’s also pursuing a number of personal business ventures including co-owning Salford City football club, a restaurant, George’s in Worsley and now Hotel Football. Located right outside ... Read More »
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