Manchester food & drink news ft. Platzki Polish restaurant & Blanchflower bakery

January may be quiet month for going out, but the Manchester food scene is as lively as ever with plenty to look forward to in the months ahead. Platzki’s Polish street food has a home at The Great Northern, and Blanchflower is ‘blanch’ing out to an evening menu. A lovely ethical community cafe for Oxford Road at Milk & Honey and Ancoats General Store host the Ottomen.

Now open: Platzki at The Great Northern Warehouse
After a successful turn as street-food traders, Platzki have quietly opened a small Polish diner at the Great Northern Warehouse site. Taking their shop name inspiration from the traditional Polish pancake or Platzki, the dish is made with potato flour and comes with a choice of fillings – the traditional polish way is with just a sprinkle of sugar. Or punt for something heartier, such as their pierogi dumplings filled with slow cooked pork and roasted tomatoes. We suspect Platzki might be one of the cheapest places to grab lunch in the Deansgate area, with mains from £7 and soup for £4.
Now open, Platzki, Unit F, Deansgate Mews, The Great Northern Warehouse, Manchester, M3 4EN. Opening times vary. www.platzki.com

Now open: Blanchflower bakery and kitchen in Altrincham
Altrincham has no shortage of good options for eating out, with a lively food scene revolving around the old market hall and its traders. The newest addition to the ranks, Blanchflower bakery and kitchen, have announced extended evening opening from February, adding to their current brunch menu to cater for late night diners too. Blanchflower’s styalised interior is all very photogenic, as are their freshly baked pastries and tarts and the space has proved popular since its opening in early December. No hints as to what will be on the menu yet, though Thursday to Saturday will be a la carte, while Tuesday and Wednesday will be a set menu experience.
Blanchflower, 12-14 Shaw’s Road, Altrincham, WA14 1QU. Opening times vary. blanchflower.co

Opening soon: Milk & Honey on Oxford Road
St Peter’s House on Oxford Road will soon be getting it’s own community cafe, a volunteer led venture serving food, coffee and cakes at reasonable prices for locals and students alike. Incredible Edible Manchester will be behind the menu, with dishes using produce grown through the urban gardening initiative. The existing raised beds at the back of the building and an indoor garden will grow many of the kitchen’s ingredients on site – you can’t get more locally sourced than that.
Opening in Februrary. Milk & Honey, St Peters House, Oxford Road, Manchester, M13 9GH. Follow @milkhoneyMCR to keep up to date.

Now open: Black Sheep Coffee in Spring Gardens
London based chain, Black Sheep Coffee set their sights on a Manchester takeover, opening two shops in the city within four months. Their new store opens in February at 60 Spring Gardens, just around the corner from relative newbie Roc and Rye. It’s an outlandishly designed space for your morning brew, with styalised graffiti, dark industrial décor and neon lighting in the windows. Pastrami and salt beef bagels make for a meaty morning menu.
Coming soon. Black Sheep Coffee, 60 Spring Gardens. Follow @leavetheherd to keep up to date.

In short

Coming soon: Make like Walter White at this Breaking Bad themed pop-up bar coming to Manchester in April. After a sellout run in London, a ticket for this ABQ pop-up gives you the chance to make your own cocktails in a classic RUV styled out to look like the set of the hit US show. You might want to don a boiler suit though… you’ll be adding dry-ice infusions and nitrous oxide to the mix.
Dates TBA. Tickets £25-£5, www.abqmanchester.com.

Ancoats General Store host a weekly street food retailer in their corner shop space. Kicking off their much-loved ‘SCRANcoats’ line-up will be Grub regulars, the Ottomen, and their mediterranean mezze dishes.
Thur 1 Feb, Ancoats General Store, 57 Great Ancoats Street, corner of Blossom Street, Manchester, M4 5AB. Follow @ancoatsgs for more info.

El Gato Negro, the popular Deansgate tapas bar is rumoured to be opening a second site in the neighbouring lot to award-winning Neopolitan Pizza place, Rudy’s. It’s not yet been revealed what the concept for the new restaurant might be, so watch this space for more information.
Opening date TBA. Fairbairn Building, Blossom Street, Ancoats, M5 4AF. www.elgatonegrotapas.com

Firm Manchester favourites GRUB are back in full swing with launch of their regular weekly food fair at the Fairfield Social Club. From midday until 10pm on Friday and Saturday street food traders cook up a storm, with pizza, poutine, freshly baked doughnuts all on offer this weekend. Swig it down with a pint from their bar stocked full of local beers. Read more about Grub’s weekly events here.
Fri 26 – Sun 28 Jan, Fairfield Social Club, Archway 6, Temperance Street, Manchester, M12 6HR. FREE, www.grubmcr.com