Ruben Sandwich
Eat New York
It isn’t very often that things make me speechless. I quite like the sound of my own voice and I’m generally quite annoying, but this 1lb (yes 1lb) pastrami Ruben from Eat New York really shut me up. They make the pastrami in house, and it’s a real labour of love which you can taste in every bite. The meat is combined with cheese, sauerkraut and Russian dressing which just takes the whole thing to the next level. It’s got to be said, this sandwich is fucking MASSIVE so I would recommend sharing – if not, the meat sweats will be so worth it. – Joe Wilson
Runaway x Umezushi Gari Gose
The Bay Horse Tavern
Another week and another sesh in The Bay Horse on a weekend. Another week and another bloody brilliant beer to get stuck into. This time it’s a fantastic collaboration between Runaway Brewery and legendary sushi restaurant Umezushi. They’ve got together to create one of the most unique and tasty gose beers you can imagine, coming loaded with pickled ginger, wah plum and seaweed. It’s sweet, it’s salty, it’s a tiny bit like you’re drinking sushi. It’s fantastic – go and try it. – Ben Brown
Grilled Asparagus
TNQ
Summer must be on its way because we are starting to see Asparagus cropping up on menus all over town. I treated myself to my first asparagus of the (soon to be) warmer months at TNQ this week. It was perfect- served simply grilled with anchovy butter, garlic croute and smoked almonds for a smoky- sweet bit of crunch. It was a lovely light and well-balanced dish which makes the perfect way to begin your meal and It comes strongly recommended. – Kate Tighe
Sweet Cured Bacon Chop
The Albert Square Chop House
I’ve never had a bacon chop before and now I think I want to eat one every day until I die. This one was only what I can imagine being THE most perfectly cooked bit of bacon with THE best and most delicious champ mash with wild garlic and cockle broth. I was slightly worried about the cockle broth but the combination of seaside saltiness and garlic mash is something that needs celebrating and should be tried by everyone. The dish is surprisingly light but full of flavour and of course, it looks incredible. This is definitely a winning spring dish for me. – India Morris
Pigs Head & Mustard Croquettes with Smoked Apple Puree
restaurant MCR
We went on down to the excellent restaurant MCR this week to try their epic 9-course tasting menu. I must say that I was mightily impressed with many of the courses but my personal favourite came early on – a selection of croquettes that were meatier than an explosion in a sausage factory and tasted absolutely divine. They were pig’s head ones, with a bit of mustard and they came resting on a sweet smoked apple puree. Ace. – Steven Pankhurst
Dim Sum
Yang Sing
I’m embarrassed to say that after almost 7 years of living here in Manchester, it was only this week that I managed to make it into Yang Sing. I was craving some dumplings and considering its fantastic reputation and my geographical location at the time, it seemed like a more than a logical choice. I ordered the steamed dim dum basket (among other bits and bobs) which consisted of a delicious selection of dim sum filled with combinations of prawns, spinach, pork and mushrooms, lotus flower. The dough was perfectly sticky and beautifully translucent as I would expect too. Top marks from me. – Kate Tighe
