Food & drink news ft. Randall & Aubin, Northern Vegan Fest & 50% off Beastro

Manchester food and drink news this week includes the opening of acclaimed seafood bar Randall & Aubin  on Bridge Street, the return of the ever popular Northern Vegan Festival, a book club for lovers of curry and Joan Didion at Mowgli, a vintage and food fair at Royal Mills in Ancoats, 50% off food during Beastro’s soft launch and much more.

New seafood bar Randall & Aubin opens on Bridge Street
Opening on Bridge Street near The Gas Lamp, Randall & Aubin will soon be launching its seafood menu, rotisserie and cocktail bar. Their signature Plats de Fruits de Mer is a sharing platter laden with rock oysters, whole crab, Atlantic shrimps, diver picked scallops, cockles, whelks, Cherrystone clams, Mediterranean prawns, lobster and native mussels. Thou shalt have a fishy on a little dishy…soon.
Randall & Aubin, 64 Bridge Street, Manchester M3 3BN. Opening soon, follow @randallaubinMCR for updates.

The Northern Vegan Festival returns this Sat
The festival is back, and this year, the charity event is moving the main venue to Manchester Central. With over 200 stalls to peruse, there will also be talks, cookery demos, film screenings and a pop-up street food café. The other three venues making up the festival are Cross Street Chapel, The Friends’ Meeting House and The Thirsty Scholar. Check the link below for details.
Sat 1 Apr, The Northern Vegan Festival, main venue is Manchester Central, Windmill Street, Manchester, M2 3GX, (details of the others via the link), 11am-6pm, £5, www.northernveganfestival.com

50% off: Beastro in the Kitchens with steaks for under £10
Steak restaurant, Beastro, has just opened in a permanent space in the Kitchens in Spinningfields. During the soft launch period, between now and Friday 7 April they are offering 50% off the menu which includes extraordinary cuts of beef (the team behind Beastro are butchers, so you can expect something special). This means diners can enjoy fillet, sirloin and rump aged for 30 days on the bone from £8.25 per steak (rump) with chimichurri, peppercorn and more. Other dishes include pig cheeks with ham hock bon bons, Lancashire leek crumble, and lamb rump, as well as sides including the house take on Terry’s chocolate orange (£3).
Soft launch only until Fri 7 Apr, Beastro, Irwell Square, Leftbank, Manchester M3 3AG
Tel: 0161 327 0265, www.beastromcr.co.uk

New menu: Salvi’s  Aperitivo Time menu ft. Aperol Spritz and Italian nibbles
Salvi’s Cucina introduces a new Italian version of cocktail hour known as an Aperitivo Time menu. The Italian dining concept is an integral part of the country’s culture – a chance to enjoy a pre-dinner cocktail and hors d’oeuvres with friends including everyone’s favourite recent Italian import Aperol Spritz.
Salvi’s Cucine, 19 John Dalton Street, Manchester, M2 6FW, Tel: 0161 222 8090 www.salvismanchester.co.uk

Book now: Mowgli supper & book club at Waterstones Deansgate  
Waterstones Deansgate and Mowgli are joining forces to run a monthly supper club, combining food and fiction. Held at the Corn Exchange-based restaurant, this Thursday sees the first event and the book selected is Joan Didion’s Play It As It Lays. There is a special set menu for the evening and a discount when buying the book.
Thu 30 Mar, Mowgli Manchester, 37 Corn Exchange, Manchester, M4 3TR, Tel: 0161 832 0566, 7pm, set menu is £15, email events.manchester@waterstones.com or tweet @WaterstonesMCR to book, info: www.waterstones.com

All things Spanish: La Bandera host tapas night at Instituto Cervantes
Deansgate-based Spanish language school Instituto Cervantes is hosting a food and wine evening with chefs and sommeliers from acclaimed Manchester restaurant La Bandera on hand to give live cooking demos, and also talk guests through the matched wines and food. There will be six tapas dishes to taste, each with a specially selected wine, and the courses each represent contrasting regions of Spain.
Thu 30 Mar, Instituto Cervantes, 326-330 Deansgate, Campfield Avenue Arcade, Manchester, M3 4FN Tel: 0161 661 4201, 7-10pm, £40, www.eventbrite.co.uk

Birthday Party: Chorlton’s Font bar turns four
The Chorlton outpost of Font bar is turning four years old and wants you to go and celebrate with them. Mirroring its age, they are planning on partying for four days, with different drinks deals each day on cocktails, Proscecco, beer and gin. Check the link below for details. Read our preview here.
As a pre-birthday treat, all three Font bars – Manchester, Fallowfield and Chorlton – are offering diners 50% off food from today until Friday, 2-5pm.
Thu 30 Mar – Sun 2 Apr, The Font, 115-117 Manchester Road, Chorlton, Manchester, M21 9PG, Tel: 0161 871 2022, free, www.facebook.com

Greek night: Stalybridge Buffet Bar offers five course menu
Nearby Victorian trackside bar Stalybridge Buffet Bar is holding a Greek street food evening this Friday, with a five-course tasting menu. Starting with courgette fritters with feta, roasted almond and a balsamic dressing, the second course brings feta filo fingers drizzled in honey and sesame. A dish of dolmades filled with aubergine, halloumi, tomato and olives then makes way for a main course of moussaka croquette served with a tzatziki sauce. Baklava is the last delicacy to be served, providing a sweet end to the evening. Booking is recommended, contact details in the link below.
Fri 31 Mar, Stalybridge Buffet Bar, Platform 4, Stalybridge Railway Station, Rassbottom Street, Stalybridge, SK15 1RF, Tel: 0161 303 0007, 5-9pm, £12.95 per person, www.beerhouses.co.uk

Free: Vintage and Street Food Fair at Royal Mills
The next instalment of Judy’s Affordable Vintage Fair comes to Manchester this Saturday, with Royal Mills hosting this time, next to Ancoats Coffee Co. With free entry all day, the fair will have the usual vintage clothes and furniture offering, plus they will also have a number of street food vendors and cocktails, too. Details of the food sellers are yet to be revealed, check the Facebook link below for updates or follow @judyvintagefair.
Sat 1 Apr, Royal Mills, 17 Redhill Street, Ancoats, Manchester, M4 5BA, 10am-4pm, FREE, www.facebook.com

Street Food Wednesdays hit the Heatons
Local Malaysian street food purveyors Nasi Lemak and Heaton Chapel-based restaurant Time & Place are beginning a Wednesday series, bringing a number of Manchester street food regulars out to the Heatons for a midweek jaunt. It will be happening at the same venue every alternate Wednesday and the upcoming one begins with Nasi Lemak themselves. In the fortnights to follow, expect Wallace & Sons, Que Delicia, What’s Your Beef, Little Cheesy Thing and Oh My Glaze to follow suit.
Wed 5 Apr, Time & Place, 17 Shaw Road, Stockport, SK4 4AG, Tel: 0161 258 7721, 5-9pm, check @TimeandPlaceSK4 for updates.