Manchester Journals

Around the World in 80 Meals! (part 3)

Best of IgoUgo

A May 2009 trip to Manchester by Liam Hetherington

A taste of Sweden... Photo - Ikea Restaurant, Manchester, England

Quote: Liam and Paul are quarter of the way through a quest to eat their way around the world - all without leaving Manchester...

31 Photos

Loch Fyne Didsbury

Restaurant | "21) Loch Fyne - Fyne Dyning"

Quote:

Scotland – 23/04/09Any fish-lovers really must make the journey out to Didsbury to the Loch Fyne restaurant. What they specialise in here is fresh, high quality seafood – largely Scottish – served in an array of attractive and flavourful dishes.A flying visit (literally!) to Manchester by my mother was the excuse to continue my quest to eat around the world in 80 meals with a leisurely lunch on a day I’d booked off work. One of the good things about the credit crunch, is that restauarants are offering good offers to entice diners through the door...Read More

Member Rating 5 out of 5 on May 7, 2009

Loch Fyne Didsbury
848 Wilmslow Road, East Didsbury
Manchester, England M20 2RN
0161 446 4190

Cheer!
Flag

LalQila

Restaurant | "22) Lal Qila - Midnight Meals on 'The Curry Mile'"

Quote:

Pakistan - 24/04/09And so to the Curry Mile. The stretch of Wilmslow Road passing through Rusholme has been known as the Curry Mile for as long as I am aware. Curry houses cluster thickly, alongside music shops selling Bollywood tunes, clothiers with windows of stunning saris, and mini-markets stocked with goods from the Indian subcontinents. However, the gravity point of the businesses here has been shifting west recently. As one can tell that the two meals I’ve previously had here on my quest so far have been from Afghanistan and ...Read More

Member Rating 3 out of 5 on May 7, 2009

LalQila
123-127 Wilmslow Road, Rusholme
Manchester, England M14 5AN
+44 161 224 6443

Cheer!
Flag

El Rincon de Rafa

Restaurant | "23) El Rincon de Rafa - Never Mind the Ballearics!"

Quote:

Spain - 03/05/09If ever a restaurant deserved the tag ‘hidden gem’, it would be El Rincon de Rafa. But once found, it is never to be forgotten!Paul and I had decided to seek out a tapas bar for a Spanish meal as we had already been in town for a free May bank holiday festival organised by the tourism department of the Balearic Islands (Majorica, Menorca, Ibiza and Formentera). This involved a large marquee occupying Albert Square that hosted musicians, flamenco dancers, displays of Menorcan equestrianism, and stalls showcasing traditional crafts and foods. I had cheered the suave horsemen on their rearing black horses, photographed the parade of drummers and ge...Read More

Member Rating 4 out of 5 on May 7, 2009

El Rincon de Rafa
244 Deansgate (Longworth Street, off St. Johns Street)
Manchester, England M3 4BQ
+44 161 839 8819

Cheer!
Flag

African Emporium

Restaurant | "24) African Emporium - Bienvenue en Afrique Ouest"

Quote:

Côte d'Ivoire - 05/05/09Downstairs at African Emporium there’s a whole lot of flavour going on.Frankly, this place is a real find. Just off Piccadilly, by the Roadhouse venue, there is a flight of stairs leading down into what actually is an African emporium – a shop selling African staples and specialities. What Nimba, the Ivorian owner, has now done, however, is to set aside part of the shop to prepare and serve the sort of foods he sells. Not a large part admittedly – a small kitchen area, a preparation spot, and no more than three tables. But if you fancy a walk into the unknown and discovering some great West African grub, then I’d really recommend trying to ...Read More

Côte d'Ivoire - 05/05/09

Downstairs at African Emporium there’s a whole lot of flavour going on.

Frankly, this place is a real find. Just off Piccadilly, by the Roadhouse venue, there is a flight of stairs leading down into what actually is an African emporium – a shop selling African staples and specialities. What Nimba, the Ivorian owner, has now done, however, is to set aside part of the shop to prepare and serve the sort of foods he sells. Not a large part admittedly – a small kitchen area, a preparation spot, and no more than three tables. But if you fancy a walk into the unknown and discovering some great West African grub, then I’d really recommend trying to grab one of those three tables.

I didn’t know what to expect of African food, but the cook swiftly assuaged any fears and talked Paul and me through the dishes they had to offer that day. The food comes from all across the continent, from the Volta to the Niger to the Congo. Knowing that the proprieter came from Côte d'Ivoire I went for an Ivorian dish – attiéké.

Attiéké is apparantly a staple food in the Ivory Coast. What I received was a massive plate of couscous. But this was tapioca couscous, not semolina couscous: it was made from grated cassava rather than durum wheat. This by itself was fairly bland, but I was provided with three further dishes for me to eat it with. The first was a fried fish. The fish (a yellow croaker, since you ask) was possibly slightly over cooked, and had very sharp spiky bones, but had meaty and flavourful flesh. The second was a large bowl of a simple tomato and red onion salad. This came in a very tasty dressing, the ingredients of which I couldn’t make out. And so I asked the cook what was in it. The answer? Oil (which was obvious), and… a Maggi stock cube! But hey! It tasted really good. There was also a freshly chopped chilli, but she had provided this separately for me to add according to taste. For this I was very grateful because it was an extremely hot chilli. The third bowl was a tomato sauce. Actually, it was more of a thick tomato soup – again with a little bit of fire in there somewhere.

All these three dishes were very nice, but the tastes didn’t really gel with each other. Adding the tomato sauce to either the salad or the fish would have overpowered the flavours. What I did was eat the fish with the cassava couscous, then ate the salad with the couscous, then finally ate the tomato sauce with it. And then I was quite full after eating all of that. The cost? A mere £6.50. What value! Add an additional 69p for a drink (a choice of canned or bottled pop – I went for a lychee Rubicon, which was actually a lot better than I thought it would be).

Paul had ordered jollof rice, fried West African rice mixed up with onion, tomato & pepper. Slices of fried plantain came on the side (an odd taste – too much like banana for our western palates to accept being part of a main course). He was also provided with a bowl of curried goat. Again, not dissimilar to lamb. All this cost him £5.50.

African Emporium is authentic and unfussy. The food they serve is tasty and filling. When you realise just how little you have paid for a full table of grub, well, that’s just the icing on the cake. This is a brill little place, and I’m just happy that I got before the crowds find it! Read Less

Member Rating 4 out of 5 on May 7, 2009

African Emporium
14 Newton Street
Manchester, England M1 2AF
+44 161 237 5090

Cheer!
Flag

Le Tagine

Restaurant | "25) Le Tagine - Very Moorish"

Quote:

Morocco – 08/05/09Regular readers may have noticed that I’m a big fan of Moroccan cuisine. Which is why I’m quite annoyed with Manchester. Not just because I could only track down one Moroccan restaurant in the city. But also because other Mancunians don’t seem to have caught on to how good the food is!8 o’clock on a Friday night. Paul and I had come up from the city centre on the Metro to Prestwich. Le Tagine is right in the heart of the town, just off Bury New Road. Inside the restaurant is decorated with North African pottery and the sor...Read More

Member Rating 4 out of 5 on May 13, 2009

Le Tagine
6 Clifton Road, Prestwich
Manchester, England M25 3HQ
+44 161 773 5100

Cheer!
Flag

Tampopo

Restaurant | "26) Tampopo - Exploring the Spice Islands"

Quote:

Indonesia – 13/05/09Maps of East Asia grace the walls and place mats at Tampopo, along with a dedication to the ‘traders and adventurers’ that introduced the flavours and tastes of the Orient to the Occident. Tampopo may be named after the heroine of a Japanese film who was searching for the perfect noodle, but the dishes in the restaurant reflect wider influences, with typical dishes reflecting the cuisines of Korea as well as Japan, of the Philippines and ...Read More

Member Rating 4 out of 5 on May 15, 2009

Tampopo
Triangle Shopping Centre - Unit 2, 38 Exchange Square
Manchester M4 3TR
+44 161 839 6484

Cheer!
Flag

Nando's

Restaurant | "27) Nando's - Only Here For The Hot Chicks"

Quote:

Mozambique – 19/05/09Famous potty-mouth and TV chef Gordon Ramsey is on record as saying that he distrusts restauarants with large menus – how can you hope to keep a consistent high quality when you are expected to prepare everything from meat and two veg to Thai green curry to lasagne to Louisiana gumbo to nut cutlet? Nando’s takes this idea and runs with it. What they serve here is chicken. And they do very well on it.In particular they serve peri-peri chicken. The peri-peri is the African birdseye chilli (pili-pili, which means ‘pepper-pepper’ in Swahili), native to Mozambique, with which marinades of varying strength are concocted. The chicken is...Read More

Mozambique – 19/05/09

Famous potty-mouth and TV chef Gordon Ramsey is on record as saying that he distrusts restauarants with large menus – how can you hope to keep a consistent high quality when you are expected to prepare everything from meat and two veg to Thai green curry to lasagne to Louisiana gumbo to nut cutlet? Nando’s takes this idea and runs with it. What they serve here is chicken. And they do very well on it.

In particular they serve peri-peri chicken. The peri-peri is the African birdseye chilli (pili-pili, which means ‘pepper-pepper’ in Swahili), native to Mozambique, with which marinades of varying strength are concocted. The chicken is fresh, butterfly cut and steeped in those marinades for 24 hours before being flame grilled. The last time I had eaten piri-piri chicken (the spelling varies) was in a Portuguese restaurant in January. This dish is a classic of Portuguese colonists adapting local produce to create their own cuisine in Africa. And then exporting it back to their homeland with great success – much like with curry in the UK. In much the same way the Nando’s chain is a similar fusion of influences, being founded in South Africa by Portuguese exiles from Mozambique. But the dish itself originated in Mozambique, so I am more than happy to claim this as my Mozambican dish – even though Paul quibbles with my logic.

Paul and I had attended an organic cheese and wine tasting at the famous 8Th Day Co-operative on Oxford Road with Gary and his girlfriend Lucy. With our appetite whetted we took a short walk up Oxford Road to to get something to eat. Located almost opposite the BBC, this branch of Nando’s (there are another six in Manchester) was ideally placed. It was a long dark room stretching back from the entrance on Chester Street. To the right cooks sizzled chicken over a flaming grill. To the left were private booths, decorated with dark wood mashrabbiya and arabesque lanterns. All in all the effect was much more reflective of Zanzibar or Dar es Salaam than Lourenço Marques. And one other notable thing: after the amount of times we had visited practically deserted eateries so far this year, this place was buzzing with customers. We were seated at one of the few remaining tables and presented with menus.

Obviously, chicken is the thing to go for at Nando’s – whether it is as a burger, in a wrap, wings, or served whole with sides. There are vegetarian options – several salads and a choice of vegetarian burgers – but obviously I wanted chicken. You order at the counter and bring your own cutlery and condiments back to your table. You can also specify how spicy you want your chicken, with a choice of marinades: lemon & herb, mango & lime, medium, hot, and extra-hot. I asked for a hot quarter chicken, with which I got a choice of two sides – chips and spicy rice in my case. This cost £6.10. I also ordered a bottle of Savanna cider from South Africa for £2.95. Other options would have been South African or Portuguese wine, or ‘bottomless’ soft drinks which you can continually top up from the soda fountain.

The choice of hot marinade was not a mistake. When the waitreess brought over my steaming chicken, slightly blackened on the outside, but with its succulent white flesh falling off the bones, the marinade added a lip-tingling zing to the meat. This did go well with the sweet South African cider, which proved to be very refreshing. No, the mistake was to only order a quarter chicken. Paul had requested a half-bird (£8.60 with two sides). Gents – if you are in any way hungry I’d suggest the half-bird. Lucy and Gary had an even better idea. After sharing a tub of olives around the table, they then had a platter heaped high with food between the pair of them. Final conclusion? A satisfyingly carnivorous meal.

For a chain with a somewhat limited menu, Nando’s has expanded quite dramatically. In particular it’s a good place to bring kids with their bottomless soft drinks and childrens’ menu for ‘little Nandinos’. From their authentic roots down in South-East Africa the chain has now apparently spread to five continents, and in Manchester alone there are other branches in The Printworks, the Arndale Centre, the Spinningfields development on Deansgate, on Wilmslow Road in Fallowfield, in the Trafford Centre, and at the Chill Factore indoor sky slope. Who knew it would be so easy to eat Mozambique in Manchester?
Read Less

Member Rating 3 out of 5 on May 22, 2009

Nando's
The Quad, 3 Chester Street, Oxford Road
Manchester M1 5QS
+44 161 236 5600

Cheer!
Flag

European Spring Market

Attraction | "28) European Spring Market - Going Dutch"

Quote:

The Netherlands – 21/05/09One of the many good things about Manchester these days is the many markets that the council have encouraged under the banner of ‘Manchester Markets’. These range from fashion and craft markets, to farmers markets where you can buy produce from local North-West producers, to the ‘German’ Christmas market (more of which in December I hope…).May saw a European Spring Market take over the picturesque St Ann’s Square for the fiortnight straddling the Eurovision Song Contest and the Eurocultured Street Festival. St Ann’s Square is a pleasant pedestrianised area sandwiched between Deansgate, Marks & Spencer’s, the Royal Exchange Theatre, an...Read More

The Netherlands – 21/05/09

One of the many good things about Manchester these days is the many markets that the council have encouraged under the banner of ‘Manchester Markets’. These range from fashion and craft markets, to farmers markets where you can buy produce from local North-West producers, to the ‘German’ Christmas market (more of which in December I hope…).

May saw a European Spring Market take over the picturesque St Ann’s Square for the fiortnight straddling the Eurovision Song Contest and the Eurocultured Street Festival. St Ann’s Square is a pleasant pedestrianised area sandwiched between Deansgate, Marks & Spencer’s, the Royal Exchange Theatre, and the simply beautiful / beautifully simple 1712 St Ann’s Church. For the purposes of the market pre-fabricated ‘chalet’-style huts were erected. These held craft stalls or store fronts selling fresh food. A beer garden had been set up in the centre.

Though there were vendors hawking Spanish paella, German sausage, Turkish nibbles, and English hot pork sandwiches, I was drawn here by a sizeable Dutch presence. Since the closure of the famous Dutch Pancake House on St Peter’s Square a couple of years ago I despaired of ever finding any authentic Dutch eateries. Everytime I passed the boarded over Pancake House its windmill-laden signs seemed to mock me. Thankfully it lay within easy walking distance of work, and so accompanied by my colleague Gemma.

Three stalls stood in close proximity at one end of the market, all selling Dutch foodstuffs. One sold Dutch cheese, another doughnuts, and a third waffles. The Dutch Cheesman does the rounds of these festivals, and his stall was laden down with cheese after cheese after novelty clog after cheese. Loosely Gouda (I’m not sure I spotted any Edam), the viewer is presented with lots of different cheeses, many with additives. There are small free samples to allow you to taste-test chilli cheese, or smoked cheese with ham, or green pesto cheese, or cheese with garlic and nettle. What a good thing I had Gemma here to guide me; this year she will be on the judging panel at the prestigious Nantwich International Cheese Festival and so her advice is literally worth its weight in gouda. I did buy some cheese – not a big iconic ‘named’ Dutch cheese I have to admit, but rather some extra-mature goat’s cheese. Mature? Most of my ex girlfriends have had less personality! It was a hard dense cheese and jaw-clenchingly tart. A sliver certainly goes a long way! Which was useful with it being £21.90 a kilo.

After taste-testing a few bits of the German sausage at the neighbouring stall we went for our Dutch dessert. We both bought packs of Dutch waffles, stroopwafel, two halves of a biscuit-y wafer sandwiched around a rich caramel toffee filling. Good cold, even better warmed and with a topping of squirty cream (Gemma’s inspired idea). Next door a woman sold doughnuts (oliebollen. These were not the regimented factory-produced fare you usually see, but small irregular doughy balls dusted with icing sugar. Gemma bought herself a plain doughnut, and one split open and filled with apple puree for me. A more-than-generous coating of icing sugar served to make a mess of my black suit. While these were nice I’m not sure they were worth £1.00 each (or £1.50 for the varieties filled with apple, strawberry or pineapple) when you could buy two bags of six larger jam doughnuts on Buy-One-Get-One-Free for £1.00 at the local Co-op.

As Gemma had treated me to my doughnut, I treated her to a fresh juice from a nearby stall. You could say we went Dutch. Ahem. Anyway, we were each then able to enjoy a wonderfully sour freshly-squeezed lemonade. We each made a couple more purchases – brandy snaps for Gemma, a hot roast pork sandwich for me (what? I was hungry alright?) – and then strolled back to work, taking time to look at the plants on sale by the Dutch flower seller. They didn’t look edible, so I wasn’t interested…

Read Less

Member Rating 3 out of 5 on May 22, 2009

Cheer!
Flag

Shiraz

Restaurant | "29) Shiraz - "Do You Have Any Iranian Beer?""

Quote:

Iran – 23/05/09If you are in an Iranian restaurant, don’t ask for an Iranian beer.That comment is actually a bit unfair on the wonderful Shiraz in Northenden. For starters, it classes itself as a Persian restaurant. I’m not sure whether this is simply because the name ‘Iran’ passes as a swear-word in some quarters, or whether because ‘Persian’ tastes (the word conjuring up images of imperial splendour, learned culture, and refined luxury) differ from those in today’s devout and austere Iran. But a visit to Shiraz certainly evokes those images of glorious Persia.Frankly, the restaurant gets a bonus star just for its internal decoration. It is pro...Read More

Member Rating 4 out of 5 on May 28, 2009

Shiraz
299 Palatine Road, Northenden
Manchester, England M22 4HH
+44 161 945 8080

Cheer!
Flag

Ikea Restaurant

Restaurant | "30) Ikea - Pre-Packed Lunch"

Quote:

Sweden – 25/05/09 It is almost a tradition that on the spring bank holidays the entire population of the UK decamps to Ikea to pick up material for their home improvements. Well, who were Paul and I to buck the trend…?Ikea is of course the Swedish home-furnishing chain colossus. And their megastore in a retail park in Ashton, Tameside, is like a colossus too, a massive box in the blue and yellow colours of the company… or of its Swedish homeland. And it was the Swedish connection that had brought us there, to see precisely what was on offer at their in-store restaurant. And pick up a toilet-roll holder. But mostly to visit the restaurant.Located on the...Read More