This week’s Food News is an international affair, showing off the best of Manchester’s multicultural culinary scene. Festa Italiana announce their Festa Feasts’ Italian banquet, and Yadda Yadda’s Middle-Eastern inspired kebabs come to Hatch on Oxford Road. Don’t miss the opportunity to experience communal Manilan feasting at Mama Z’s Kamayan Feast, while, closer to home, Mr Chop’s English Chop House opens on Canal Street and Manchester Art Gallery host an evening of English in celebration of English Wine Week.

Mama Z’s Kamayan Feast
You might have seen Mama Z’s street food stall dishing out fresh Filipino flavours at markets around Manchester. This month the popular new startup host their second supper club at RedbankCo, with a one-off Kamayan Feast. ‘Kamayan’ meaning ‘to eat with your hands’ is the name given to informal Manilan dining, where a selection of dishes are served tapas-style (usually on banana leaves) and eaten communally. Mama Z’s take on the Kamayan feast will include dishes of spring rolls pork and shitake adobo, grilled cauliflower inasal (marinated in garlic, ginger and kalamansi juice) and sweet plantain spring rolls or cassava custard cake for pud.
Sat 19 May, Redbank Co, 22 Redbank, Manchester, M4 4HF. 7.30pm, £27, www.eventbrite.co.uk

Manchester Sporting Club to open in Manchester Hall
Prestigious members only club, London Sporting Club, have announced that they will be launching a branch in Grade II listed Manchester Hall. Membership is by invite only, though events are open to the public – including their intimate dining events with some of sport’s biggest names. The club will feature a private lounge bar, and members will have access to to the stunning meeting and events spaces of Manchester Hall. Not a mover and shaker in the sports scene? You can still rub shoulders with the sports stars at one of their regular open events. Their London branch’s recent roster has seen the likes of Sugar Ray Leonard, Lord Sebastian Coe and Lizzy Yarnold step up to the stage.
Opening mid June. Manchester Hall, 36 Bridge Street, Manchester, M3 3BT. www.manchestersportingclub.com

Yadda Yadda pop-up at Hatch
Chorlton’s Electrik bar had a menu overhaul last year, with Volta’s head chef Phil Cook creating a bright and bold menu of Middle-Eastern inspired dishes under the moniker Yadda Yadda. Cook’s take on the classic kebab sits squarely at the centre of the operation, and has proved so popular that the concept is branching out to the Hatch park, for an extended pop-up stall in one of the shipping container spaces. Head down from the 2nd of May for freshly made flatbreads filled with slow-cooked lamb shawarma, or chickpea daal with smoked almonds and apricot.
Opening Wed 2 May. Yadda Yadda, Hatch, Oxford Road, Manchester, M1 7ED, opening hours vary,www.hatchmcr.com, @Hatch_MCR

Mr White’s English Chop House now open on Canal Street
Canal Street may not be known for its restaurants, but all that could change as Marco Pierre White lends his name – a burgeoning brand – to the newly opened Mr White’s English Chophouse in the Gay Village. With an aim to revive the tradition of the English Chop House, Mr White’s has a focus on classic grilled meat dishes and cocktails. Despite the name, the menu sits somewhere in the middle of the Channel crossing, with confit duck leg on the menu, and snails available as a side for your steak. There are some heartier vegetarian options, but unsurprisingly, it’s a meat lover’s paradise.
Now open. Mr White’s English Chop House, 2 Canal Street, Manchester, M1 3HE. www.mpwrestaurants.co.uk

Festa Italiana’s Festa Feasts
A long overdue addition to Manchester’s cultural calendar, Festa Italiana, the city’s first Italian food festival launched in 2017. A must for Italophiles, the event features live music, food stalls, a market and cookery demonstrations. Returning in 2018, organisers have announced the addition of ‘Festa Feasts’ to the weekend-long programme. Friday’s Festa Feast will see Salford’s Lupo Caffe Italiano, Salvi’s and San Carlo come together to make one course each to create an elegant menu that shows off the best Italian produce. Saturday’s boozier affair includes bottomless Prosecco and pizza’s from Buca di Pizza.
Fri 13 Jul & Sat 14 Jul, Cathedral Gardens, Manchester, M4 3BG. www.facebook.com

Umezushi’s lunchtime express menu
For a lunch deal it might seem a tad pricey, but for the quality of food on offer it’s a steal. The unassuming Japanese restaurant is among the best places to eat in Manchester, and usually fully booked in the evenings. Their lunchtime menu includes Taiwanese pork rice (£5.80) , Salmon-don rice (£12.50) and miso congee (£8).
Menu available Wed-Fri, 12-2pm. Umezushi, Unit 4, Mirabel Street, Manchester, M3 1PJ. www.umezushi.co.uk

English Wine Tasting at the Annie Swynnerton Exhibition
Celebrate English Wine week at Manchester Art gallery as they marry the allegorical paintings of Annie Swynerton, with a selection of the best home-grown wines. Manchester Art Gallery Curator Rebecca Milner will be on hand to offer an introduction to the Victorian artist, and Hanging Ditch wine merchants will have the wine at the ready.
Thu 24 May, Manchester Art Gallery, Mosley Street, Manchester M2 3JL. Tel: 0161 235 8888, 6-10pm, £25, www.eventbrite.co.uk

Wed 2 May - Fri 15 Jun
Words:
Olivia Rye
Published on:
Tue 1 May 2018