Food & Drink
Michelin-guide restaurant to cook without gas or electricity to protest soaring energy bills
‘We’ll be cooking solely on charcoal’
While many of us are struggling with rising bills, our favourite hospitality venues, whether it be our local pub or go-to restaurant, are also feeling the pain – some to the point of closure.
To highlight this, a Michelin-guide restaurant in Cheshire is protesting the impact of spiralling energy costs on the hospitality sector by opening without using electricity or gas.
Next Door’s ‘Back to Basics’ event will take place next Wednesday, October 19th, and will feature a nine-course tasting menu – with no gas or electricity being used on the evening or in the preparation of the dishes.
Next Door / Facebook
Head Chef and co-owner Richard Nuttall said: “We’ll be cooking solely on charcoal, using no refrigeration, no technology, all by candlelight! We are 100% committed to zero power, even in the preparation of the courses. It’s pushing us well out of our comfort zones to operate like this and keep up our usual high standards.
“Our suppliers have been incredibly supportive of our ambition and are delivering fresh goods immediately before they are due to cook due to the lack of cold storage”
The move comes after accountancy firm UHY Hacker Young reported a 64% increase in the number of restaurant insolvencies this year compared to last, with more than 1,400 premises permanently closing.
Next Door / Facebook
Next Door has built a reputation as one of Cheshire’s best rated fine dining destinations, but a perfect storm of rising inflation, the cost-of-living crisis and soaring energy costs is creating a huge challenge for the business.
Whilst the government has stepped in with a scheme to push down energy costs for businesses, the support will only last until March 2023 and bills remain far in excess of their previous level.
Sommelier and co-owner Vicki Nuttall added: “This event is a bold statement of independence and defiance against the ever-tightening constraints faced by our sector
“We’ve already watched some of our favourite restaurants and pubs forced to close their doors, despite being busy – this is our way of showing that this isn’t acceptable.”
Next Door / Facebook
The one-off evening has been months in the making, with every element carefully considered to ensure that quality is maintained at all times.
Customers are invited to leave behind modern-day comforts for the evening, dining by candlelight with live instrumentals, no electronics, no heating, no card payments, and no Wi-Fi.
Vicki concluded: “this is a light-hearted way to make a serious point about our industry.”
You can head over to their website to find out more.
Food & Drink
Popular Italian launches new menu with fresh cheesy pesto pasta and king prawns
If you’re in search of an authentic Italian dining experience in Manchester, look no further than Italiana Fifty Five
A popular Italian restaurant in Manchester has launched a new A La Carte menu.
Italiana Fifty Five has added some appetising new dishes to its menu to expand its offering this spring.
Diners can sample the newly added seasonal items and its authentic classic Italian favourites at all three of its Manchester sites – at the Great Northern, Liverpool Road and Didsbury.
The new A La Carte dishes include Gamberoni Grigliata which is tiger prawns cooked in garlic, butter, lemon and fresh chilli and served with toasted altamura bread for £13.95.
Also new to the menu is the Zoupa which is a hearty seafood soup with king scallops, king prawns, and muscles for £13.95.
Brand new appetisers include the Insalata Tricolore with avocado, beef tomato and buffalo mozzarella for £9.50, and the Bruschetta Speciale made with toasted sourdough bread and buffalo mozzarella spread, roasted heritage cherry tomatoes, garlic, onion, fresh basil and pesto for £9.75.
And if that’s not enough to entice you, diners can also tuck in to the new risotto and pasta dishes, including Risotto Zafferano which is a saffron risotto with parsley, garlic, onion and pecorino cheese for £14.95.
And the Trofie ala Pesto made with trofie pasta in homemade pesto sauce, finished with buffalo mozzarella for £14.95.
Complete your visit on a sweet note and indulge in one of Italiana Fifty Five’s best-loved desserts such as the Tiramisu or panna cotta.
To find out more or book a table at Italiana Fifty Five, click HERE.
Food & Drink
Restaurant famed for ‘cheese wheel pasta’ and ‘towering lasagnas’ looking to come to Manchester
A taste of la dolce vita could be coming to Manchester
The ‘OTT’ group famous for its pasta served in a wheel of cheese and 10-level lasagnas is reportedly looking to open a new Italian restaurant in Manchester city centre.
French-based Big Mamma Group, which owns over-the-top Italian restaurants in London – Gloria, Carlotta, Jacuzzi, Ave Mario and Circolo Popolare – will open a new venue in Gary Neville’s under-construction St Michael’s development off Deansgate.
Its restaurants are known for their flamboyant, retro interiors, resembling vintage maximalism Italian eateries, as well as US-style red sauce joints.
The regularly changing menus feature a variety of Italian classics, including fettuccine alfredo al tartufo, spaghetti with meatballs, a famous ’10 level’ lasagne and carbonara served in a huge cheese wheel.
The Manchester restaurant will be the first UK venue to be located outside of London and will – sit alongside the also announced Japanese-Peruvian restaurant Chotto Matte, also to be built at St Michael’s.
The move follows a host of other operators in the capital choosing to open new sites in Manchester.
Soon to arrive in the city will be the likes of Caravan, Flat Iron, Soho House and Blacklock.
Big Mamma – which was founded in 2013 by French entrepreneurs Victor Lugger and Tigrane Seydoux – has more than 20 restaurants across Europe including Paris, Monaco, Milan, Madrid and Berlin.
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Food & Drink
High-end Japanese restaurant MUSU offering 30% off in March
Take advantage of vibrant Japanese dining experience
High-end Japanese restaurant MUSU is offering 30% off in March for customers who sign up to its new free rewards programme.
The contemporary Japanese eatery, nestled in the heart of the city centre on Bridge Street, is launching its own membership rewards programme.
The scheme is free to join and will give members 30% off their food bill throughout March upon signing up.
Rewards customers can enjoy discounted prices on menus including the Omakase – the theatrical, educational sushi experience which is served individually to diners at the restaurant’s six–seat omakase counter.
This also includes the full Land of the Rising Sun tasting menus, which take in a range of cooking styles from all over Japan, devised by chef-patron Mike Shaw.
Then from April, members of the programme will be able to take advantage of a series of other rewards, including 30% off any food bill when dining at lunch time, 10% off when dining at dinner on any menu, and a 10% discount on private hire and private dining.
The restaurant has a closed-off area for its private dining experience for guests to enjoy, which is regularly used by celebrities and food critics alike.
On top of this, members celebrating their birthdays at MUSU will receive a complimentary drink, and every reward programme member will be entered into a monthly prize draw to win a 12-course Land of the Rising Sun experience, complete with wine pairings.
You can get early access to the restaurant’s special events, like its live tuna cutting experience, where a whole bluefin tuna is carved in front of diners, while its expert sushi chefs talk you through the provenance of the fish and the skills displayed in this ancient craft.
You can sign up to MUSU’s free rewards scheme, HERE.
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