Food & Drink
Parts of Manchester city centre could be turned into huge beer gardens
This would be amazing!
The council are looking into turning the streets and squares of Manchester into pedestrianised outdoor dining and drinking areas to kickstart the economy.
Areas in the Northern Quarter, Gay Village and the newly pedestrianised stretch of Deansgate all could see outdoor dining and drinking options on the pavements and road to help bring hospitality businesses back on their feet.
We’re all wondering when we will be able to get a frosty pint again in reopened pubs, but the latest updates from the government suggest those with outdoor seating will be open first, with some reports saying they could potentially reopen as early as June 22nd.
In a bid to get Manchester city centre’s hospitality industry up and running, the council are looking into ways to get more businesses the outdoor spaces they will need to reopen.
The council’s City Centre Chief has said a task force has been assembled to look into ways to bring together highways, licensing and planning officials to help businesses adapt after lockdown is lifted.
Currently, establishments must have three types of permits to have seating and trade outside; planning permission to do so, a premises licence, and a tables and chairs licence.
The government is reportedly relaxing restrictions and giving local authorities more power with regards to restaurants, pubs and bars expanding their outside areas.
Communities Secretary Robert Jendrick has already said he is considering granting blanket permission for tables and chairs in pedestrianised areas.
Manchester is also working on adapting the tables and chairs license, including speeding up the process so more businesses can take advantage of the trade throughout summer.
Many factors have to align before these things can take place, the R rate needs to reduce, and pedestrian use, traffic flow and the interest of residents and general public safety all need to be addressed.
Councillor Rabnawaz Akbar, executive member for neighbourhoods, said: “The council is committed to doing everything within our power to support businesses and the economy of the city as we recover from the unprecedented impact of COVID-19.
“Its effects have been incredibly disruptive and we are under no illusion that recovery will be a challenging process.
“We have made it clear to the government that we need the regulatory power to help businesses get back to work in ways that are both safe but also profitable. Planning and licensing laws are there for a good reason – but it is clear that this is a time for pragmatism and flexibility.”
The government has yet to announce its guidelines for the reopening of the hospitality industry but like many, it is expected to look very different to what it did pre-lockdown.
Many pubs have created prototypes as to how they will operate, including Wetherspoons. Other reports have said steins will be used to reduce the contact between customers and staff.
What do you think, should Manchester have more al fresco dining and drinking options to help all our independent restaurant and bars reopen? Let us know what you think in the Facebook comments.
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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