This week in food and drink news we have a save the date notice for the end of September, as the Manchester Food and Drink Festival hits the legal US drinking age by turning 21 in 2018. Snag the last few tickets for Trove’s Holy Crab supper club, and there are deals to be had at Cibo (the rebranded Per Tutti) and Hispi Bistro. Vegan Caribbean cafe, The Beach Hut is now open at Afflecks Palace, and Cameron Brewery’s Head of Steam brand gets a Didsbury based branch.

Dates announced for Manchester Food and Drink Festival 2018
Manchester food and drink festival have announced their dates for 2018, returning to the city from the 27th of September to the 8th of October. Tents will pop up across Manchester, but the main hub if the festival will be the Albert Square village featuring stalls, live music and the festival bar. Venues across the city will play host to big name chefs, tasting events, pop-up restaurants, workshops and more. Watch this space for more information as full details of the events on offer will be announced in March. Manchester Food and Drink Festival are also keen to hear from the food and drink lovers of Manchester, so if you have any bold new ideas, get in touch via their website below.
Wed 28 Feb – Mon 8 Oct 2018. www.foodanddrinkfestival.com

Book now for Holy Crab at Trove
Holy Crab are back in the South Manchester suburb of Levenshulme for a seafood supper club at local favourite, Trove. £32 buys you a five course tasting menu including oysters, tuna sashimi with pickled beetroot, sweet and salty crab fritters and more. Trove will be providing their usual local beers and natural wines. Check back here for more of Trove’s excellent supper clubs, featuring favourites of the North-West’s food scene.
Wed 21 Feb. Trove, 1032 Stockport Road, Levenshulme, M19 3WX. 7pm, £32, www.eventbrite.co.uk

Cibo Italian now open on Liverpool Street
Per Tutti’s on Liverpool St has rebranded and returned as the Neapolitan inspired restaurant, Cibo. Led by the Don Giovanni team, Cibo, simply means ‘food’ in Italian, and as the simplicity of the name would suggest, the ethos is fairly back to basics. Italian favourites with a twist, reasonably priced, and freshly cooked. There’s an offer of 30% off food during their February ‘soft opening’ period, but be sure to book online to get the deal.
Now open. Cibo, 3-11 Liverpool Street, Manchester, M3 4NW. Tel: 0161 834 9741. www.dongiovanni.ukcom

A taste of the Catalan: Pep and pals back new restaurant
Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola and Fazenda group are backing a new restaurant from world renowned Catalan chef Paco Perez. An authentic celebration of Catalan food and wine will launch in June on King Street, Manchester, with the opening of Tast Cuina Catalana, roughly translated as ‘Taste from the Catalan Kitchen.’ With Catalan known both for its gastronomy and its wine selections this will be a real addage to the booming restaurant scene in Manchester and a further stamp of Pep’s Catalan class on the city.
Opening soon, Tast Cuina Catalana, 20-22 King Street Manchester, M2 6AG. www.tastcatala.com

The Beach Hut now open in Affleck’s Palace
A brand new vegan Caribbean cafe has opened up on the second floor of Affleck’s palace, the local’s hideaway with some surprisingly good grub. Serving up hearty portions of healthy ital curries, soups, smoothies, and Jamaican patties – their Jerk jackfruit with ackee rice sounds delicious. Everything is made from plant-based ingredients, including Drizzle City’s Bakes on the counter (but if you fancy it, you can head downstairs to Ginger’s Comfort Emporium for their award-winning ice cream). Mains cost no more than £6, so this one goes on the Manchester ‘cheap eats’ list, for sure.
Now open. The Beach Hut, 2nd floor, Affleck’s Palace, Oldham Street, Manchester, M4 1PW. Mon-Fri 10.30-6pm. @VeganBeach

Head of Steam branch now open in Didsbury
A branch of the Camerons Brewery bar chain has opened in Didsbury. With an extensive selection of cask and keg lines to chose from, along with european bottled beers, there is plenty for the local ale lover to get excited about. The menu is pretty standard pub grub – full English breakfasts, pies, burgers and fish and chips.
Now open. Head of Steam, 653 Wilmslow Road, Manchester, M20 6QZ. Mon-Fri 11am-12am, Sat, Sun 10am-12am. Tel: 0161 434 7259. www.theheadofsteam.co.uk

Deal of the week: Hispi in Didsbury set menu
Hispi Bistro have a set menu deal running every lunch (except Sunday) and early evenings (6-7pm) from Monday to Thursday. Have a three course dinner and still have change from a twenty, choosing from the likes of roast squash and goats curd linguine, baked cod with Lyonnaise potatoes or roast chicken with pickled mushrooms and parsnips.
Hispi, 1C School Lane, Didsbury, Manchester, M20 6RD, Tel: 0161 445 3996, www.hispi.net

Wed 21 Feb - Fri 2 Mar
Words:
Olivia Rye
Published on:
Tue 20 Feb 2018