first delicious taste of the manchester food festival 09
01 Oct 2009 Leave a Comment
in food and drink, manchester, Uncategorized Tags: food festival, manchester, markets
This lunchtime we popped by the Manchester Food Festival which kicked off today. I wanted to take a huge bite of St Ann’s Square as the smells and sounds tempted the foodie in me. Cheese, olives, sausages, curries, burgers and mountains of fudge shouted “EAT ME!”
Having made the mistake of having lunch before remembering about the food festival, I had no need for more to eat. We did have a taste of some fantastic wild boar and apple sausage. The plan was to return tonight after work but when we arrived shortly before six, the stalls were all packed up. It’s a shame as I think the stalls could do a roaring trade with people looking for something fresh to cook for dinner or even something already made so they can have the night off cooking.
Anyway, we’ll be back to indulge for sure. In the meantime, here are some pictures to whet your appetite…
merci manchester markets
15 Sep 2009 4 Comments
in food and drink, manchester Tags: baguettes, cheese, france, manchester, markets
I’ve written about the great seasonal Manchester markets in a previous blog post and was thrilled to find out last week that a French market was once again being held in St Ann’s square.
Salivating at the prospect of fresh baguettes, Chris and I set off for a visit on a sunny autumn Saturday morning on the weekend and we were not disappointed. Even though these markets tend to be small, they can be quite atmospheric. Stall holders shouted their “bonjour” and we were presented with an array of baked goods, cheese, olives, sweets and … errm… Peruvian woven clothing (no idea).
There was only one boulanger, one fromagerie, one stall selling soaps etc. This didn’t pose a problem, as each vendor had more than enough to offer foodies and Francophiles.
First up was a couple from Brittany selling biscuits pick and mix style. We loaded our bag with the gorgeous sweet treats and couldn’t wait to have some with une thé later on. I’m the one with a sweet tooth in our house, so was happy with the biscuit purchase, but Chris was disappointed. He did however like the lemon-flavoured petite Madeleine, a small, plump, shell-shaped sponge cake on the left of the picture below. My favourite was the deliciously jammy apricot-filled biscuit of which we also got a strawberry version (bottom right).
The fromagerie beckoned in all its smelly glory and while there were loads of seemingly delicious options, we quickly settled on a block of comte, an unpasteurised cow’s milk cheese from eastern France. It is nutty and mild, on the softer side of firm and rather impressive.
There was a pretty good saucisson stall with small pieces of sausages to taste. Unfortunately, nothing really grabbed our fancy. I tried both the venison and boar sausage and was tempted to buy some just for novelty’s sake, but because the taste was nothing special and their smell distinctly un-special, we passed.
It wasn’t all food – we skipped the dried fruit, olives, liquorice and fudge and stopped at a small stall selling wooden letters with wheels. Put together, with a wooden locomotive at the front, you could build a train featuring your name. We got one for my niece Mia.
But the piece de resistance of French markets for me remains the simple pleasure that comes from buying a freshly-baked baguette. These were perfect. Warm, crispy on the outside but soft on the inside, sumptuously sweet and satisfying.
We couldn’t resist getting a slice of vanilla custard tart for dessert. We bought a huge piece for sharing and agreed that its firm consistency was perfect and the vanilla hit all the right notes.
The walk back to the flat was heavenly – as if we weren’t in Manchester at all. The sun was baking down and we were biting off bits of delicious freshly-baked baguette with “merci” still ringing in our ears. We weren’t satisfied though – we went back to St Ann’s square the very next day for more baguettes, croissants and pain au chocolat for later and Monday morning.
Retour bientôt marche francaise s’il vous plait!!!
try thai in manchester, the sequel
01 Sep 2009 Leave a Comment
26 May 2009
Try Thai in Manchester definitely warranted a second visit. I was slightly apprehensive: Will this little gem in Chinatown live up to the high standards set when I first ate there in March?
I was not disappointed. Of course I couldn’t wait to bite into that delicious soft-shell crab again and there was nothing that was going to make me order anything else off the menu. However, this spicy treat had to wait while I shared a starter with Chris.
It’s not easy picking a starter to share out of 19 options, but hunger made us settle for Nue Sawon, or crispy coriander beef. We agreed that it was delicious, a bit like deep-fried, juicy biltong with coriander seeds that pop in your mouth. A winner.
Next up was round two of the delicious soft-shell crab with chilli and holy basil that burned and delighted my taste buds during my previous visit. It was as good, if not better, than I remembered. I had it with jasmine rice and a bottle of Chang, which was a much better option than the red wine that accompanied my meal last time around. Chris had pork stir-fry with that same delicious chilli and holy basil, which must be the star combination at this establishment.
Service was once again brilliantly attentive and friendly, as well as super fast (without seeming rushed) considering it was a Saturday night and the place was absolutely packed.
I think I have found my favourite restaurant in Manchester. I’ll be back.
counting crows at the manchester arena
01 Sep 2009 Leave a Comment
in manchester
12 May 2009
I was so disappointed when the Counting Crows postponed their December ’08 UK tour, but last night’s show was worth the wait (even though the original support, Ben Folds, couldn’t make the new date and was replaced).
Adam and the boys were perfect. They went for an acoustic set, which worked perfectly with the relatively poor turnout in such a huge venue. They kicked off the set with a cover of Bob Dylan’s Girl from the North Country before launching into Anna Begins, If I Could Give All My Love To You (Richard Manuel is dead) and When I Dream of Michelangelo, interspersed with Adam’s anecdotes of his inspiration for songwriting.
They picked up the pace somewhat with Angels of the Silences and then opting for crowd-pleasing Mr Jones, but the Across a Wire version rather than the August and Everything After hit. I think I prefer this one and the crowd loved it.
Mercury was delivered with deranged perfection, followed by a weather-themed melting of Rain King and Raining in Baltimore (after a rare sunny day in Manchester).
I was surprised by the next choice, Colorblind, as I didn’t think it was something the Crows often did at big shows (and it was my third time seeing them live). We then travelled from Omaha (somewhere in middle America) to Miami, where Adam lost something very precious. I think Miami was my favourite rendition of the night as it was so different yet familiar, and Adam’s voice was just at its most moving and beautiful.
Perfect Blue Buildings – another surprise choice in my opinion – was the last one of the set, but the boys would be back for more.
Adam reflected on missing home before singing Washington Square, then taking a seat behind the piano for A Long December and then ending with another Dylan cover You Ain’t Going Nowhere.
I think this was Counting Crows at their live best. The first time I saw them was at Bellville Velodrome years and years ago, and the show was much more rocky. Then last year they headlined at Wireless in Hyde Park (I’m pretty sure Adam fell over an amp but the memory’s hazy) and last night was my best of them yet.
And before Adam left he really made my night by saying: “Manchester, don’t worry. WE. WILL. BE. BACK!” You better be. And bring Ben Folds with you.
manchester foodies pin hopes on spring markets
01 Sep 2009 1 Comment
10 May 2009
I love the idea of a market. When we first moved to Manchester I was delighted to find a flyer about the “world-famous Bury market” a few miles north of the city centre. Huge was my disappointment when I visited this market – between mobile accessories and fake-looking label handbags there was nothing of the Borough Market or Rue Mouffetard to be found. Don’t believe the hype; I simply can’t possibly see 250,000* people going out of their way to shop at this “BBC Best Food Market” every week. I certainly can’t imagine there being lots of repeat visitors.
Moving on, the Arndale Market has a few things going for it: the butchers, Gastronomica (I recommend any of the cheeses, baguettes and Italian sausage stew), the Yorkshire farmer’s soup, the fresh fruit and veg stall and the Greek toasted baguettes.
The highlight comes over Christmas when the European traders head to Manchester and for about three weeks we’re treated to delicious mulled wine, fudge, German sausages and all sorts of other delicacies as well as crafts.
And this week the cousin of the Christmas markets opened their stalls in St Ann’s square. Chris got there first, heading to the market for lunch on Friday. Tempted by the inviting smell of chorizo rolls, the choice was easy. However, he says the roll was hard, dry and disappointing, so he binned about half of it (highly out of character for my ever-hungry hubby). Of course he needed more sustenance so, being a bit of a Francophile like me, opted for a crêpe avec jambon et fromage. Unfortunately, the crêpe was more of a sweet pancake than the delicious ones served up on the streets of Paris.
Today I licked my lips as we headed to St Ann’s square. While I was disappointed at the lunch offerings, there was plenty more to enjoy. The Dutch cheese always goes down well – I recommend the pesto cheese (green and delicious) and Chris’s favourite, Dutch Edam – and we can’t leave without buying stroopwafels that go all gooey when balanced on a cup of tea. There is also a stall selling delicious olives – ask for a generous scoop of the feta-filled green ones and mix it up with some spicier ones.
Manchester foodies should get their fix while they can; the spring market is open until May 29th.
*I’m curious about this statistic. When United play at home, trams and trains are packed and traffic is heavy as people fill up the 76,000-capacity Old Trafford. Does Bury Market really draw even bigger crowds every Wednesday, Friday and Saturday? Seriously?
try thai in manchester
01 Sep 2009 Leave a Comment
21 March 2009
We’ve lived in Manchester for over two years now and we thought we’ve been around the gastronomic block a bit. However, Thursday night was our first foray into the delights offered by Chinatown.
Chris, my husband, isn’t a big fan of Chinese food, and because there is always many other cuisines to choose from in the cities where we’ve lived and visited, we kind of don’t know how to choose a restaurant when confronted by the array available in Chinatown.
Enter Tom, one of Chris’s workmates. We met up on Thursday night for some drinks and shortly after 10, it was well and truly time for dinner. Tom suggested we try Thai at Try Thai in Chinatown. He’d been before and, careful not to big it up too much before taking a bite, suggested we were in for a real treat.
When we arrived, we were informed that the kitchen was about to close and whether we would mind receiving all our dishes at once. We were hungry, so this seemed like a good idea to us.
Tempted by all the deliciousness on the menu, we started ordering. Thai prawn crackers with sweet chilli sauce and minced prawn/coconut dip, Tom Ka Talay (coconut milk seafood soup) and pan-fried scallops with tapioca butter arrived with a bowl of peanuts and some veggies. For mains, Tom had his tried and trusted favourite, hot, thick red penang curry with chillies lime leaves and coconut milk, while Chris went for a classic: Red curry with duck, aubergines, red chillies, lime leaves, sweet basil and shallots with coconut milk cream.
I was indecisive. You never really know when food has ratings for spiciness. At Nando’s the hot option gives me little more than a pleasant tingle before I add some spicy condiments to the (delicious) peri-peri chicken, but should I be applying Nando’s standards at Try Thai? Tom said his penang red curry, with a rating of 2 – Hot, was not too hot at all. So I decided to go for the soft-shell crab stirfried with chillies and holy basil, off the special menu. It was classed as very hot, rating 3, so I ordered some coconut steamed rice to even things out.
Our lovely waitress arrived with trays full of food and we tucked in, sharing spoons and tasting a little bit of everything. We were onto something special. My crab was the winner of the night. Crispy and ridiculously succulent, the crab’s flavoursome juices attacked my tastebuds. This was hot stuff. The gulps of house red and light, fluffy rice did little to put out the fantastic fire in my mouth. I didn’t care, I didn’t want it to stop. Tom was still in awe of his curry, and Chris was happy too, slurping his and picking at mine (and I think Tom’s too).
It was over all too soon, but we’ll be back. Not least because in the aftermath of chillies and red wine, Chris’s mental calculator disintegrated and he managed to accidentally and embarrassingly undertip the waitress, only to realise this the next morning in a cloud of garlic.
