The time I tried Crack

I know everyone says you shouldn't do it.

I know how it affects your brain, your body and your health.

I know it's addictive, I know it's bad.

But it's so, so good.

Having had my first hit from the side of a van at a festival back in 2013, I was instantly hooked and suffered severe withdrawal symptoms, trying to supplement my addiction with the placebo of Sainsbury's own caramel and peanut soft scoop.

It wasn't the same.

I tried everything: squeezy caramel sauce and dollops of melted peanut butter, vanilla ice cream sprinkled with sea salt and drenched with sugar. My housemate found dirty spoons and used wrappers in my handbag, and I knew it was time to stop.

I went cold turkey for a while, six months went by and I couldn't even look at a jar of skippy. I was ready to accept that my search for that rosy-pink truck with its supply of unbeatable quality would never again be on the market. Never again would I reach that high.

Life was okay, I ate chocolate fudge brownies and gorged myself on jam doughnuts whilst watching the mundane world go by. In an attempt to feed my adrenaline craving, I turned to the vice of piercing and tattoos, which by fate or fortune led me to Affleck's Palace, home of all things alternative. Amongst the webs of gothic jewellery, salvaged 80s footwear, pothead paraphernalia and offensive t-shirts I stumbled to find the dream-like sight of Ginger's Comfort Emporium. Was this real? Was I hallucinating? Plush velvet booths in deep crimson, an Alice-Through-The-Looking-Glass chessboard floor, and a towering chalkboard listing the reams of flavour combinations of which my heart had eyes to see only one.

I'm talking of course about Chorlton Crack, Ginger's Comfort Emporium's intoxicating combination of salted caramel and peanut butter in an ice cream. It's available in Elvis-style dosage between brioche toast and smothered with jam, Ginger now even cooks up with a brownie for the hard-hitters, but I personally like it pure.

Now there's a steady supply, I'm back on the wagon and my habit is under control. Why get clean when I can afford not to?

Chorlton Crack, 500ml, £7.50

Pick up: 52 Church Street, Manchester M4 1PW

http://www.gingerscomfortemporium.com/

Review: Soup Kitchen

At around £6.50 per dish, Soup Kitchen is a little pricey for something that takes its name from a concept based on providing free nourishing food, but this is made up for by the generous portions and vibrant, quality ingredients pleasantly un-reminiscent of a school canteen. Begrudging dinner ladies are replaced by bubbly staff, stinginess exchanged for extra helpings.

Soup Kitchen have a relatively fixed menu with daily changing soups. This works well for variety as each time you can expect to find something  new and enticing  on the menu, with reassuring knowledge that the fail-safe jerk chicken, Caribbean dumplings with jack fruit  and sweet yam curry will be present and steaming away in their industrial sized steel buckets.

Everything is served with the option of jumbo purple coleslaw, chickpea salad, fresh herby tomatoes and help-yourself bread rolls. Water is available in thick swing-top glass bottles on the bar which is perfect if you're the type to drink at least 3 pints with every meal and feel embarrassed to continually nag the waiter (I hate being served a half pint - of anything).

Vegan stew

The serving counter also doubles up as a bar which comes fully stocked with the usual NQ-style craft beers, quirky bottled brews and range of tasty liqueurs. It's worth mentioning that SK has a downstairs club so it's theoretically somewhere you could spend the whole night. Long trestle tables make this a good spot for large parties for evening drinks, though the music is a little loud even in the day so be prepared to raise your voice for a decent conversation. Or just resign to enjoy your food in silence and save your talking topics for later.

That being said, the restaurant is cosy and friendly and perfect for a lunch that's guaranteed to be delicious. Being able to walk through the door and be comfortably sat down with a ceramic bowl of hot food in the space of five minutes is a blessing that the Northern Quarter would struggle without. There's no waiting for a table, no risk that it might not be right, and no gamble on how long it will take for the food to arrive.

The atmosphere is warm, wholesome and the embodiment of what its name derives from with extra funding, which I suppose is exactly what it is - apart from its customers are not homeless, though they may dress like they are (guilty).

31-33 Spear Street
Manchester
M1 1DF

http://soup-kitchen.co.uk/

Review: Guerrilla Eats

The label ‘hipster’ is thrown around a lot these days, especially in Manchester. The subculture is said to typically involve the likes of plaid shirts, skinny jeans and ‘geek’ glasses.

I confess guilty, guilty and guilty (they’re prescription, so it’s completely fine and not pretentious at all).

It must be something about the cobbled streets, the low-hung lighting and the functional/minimal decor of the Northern Quarter that makes people in Manchester want to grow a beard and start wearing vintage knitwear.

As with clothing fashions, food also moves with the times, keeping up with trends to satisfy the clientele’s current palette. ‘Hipster’ style is reflected in the food we are now offered: it is alternative and creatively presented. In my opinion, a great thing.

Halloumi is the plaid shirt of hipster food, brioche buns the oversized jumper. Sweet potato fries, pulled pork and craft beer are the alternative music of the culinary world. Nonsensical parallels aside, my point is not to criticise, but to congratulate the continuity with which Manchester churns out these exciting food innovations.

What better example to illustrate my point than an upcycled warehouse full of independent food vendors: Guerrilla Eats.

You don't get hipster without an edgy filter

Every Saturday from 5pm - 12am, a varying selection of talented street food micro businesses gather to host an evening filled with cutting-edge dishes made fresh before your eyes. This isn't an elaborate way of describing a greasy fast food takeaway convention, it is a collection of passionate and genuine foodies creating quality 'eats'.


















As I attended as part of a social with The Mancunion, I only bought two dishes of my own and had a sneaky taste of everyone else's (their reviews are to follow on the site). The first was from trader Mumma Schnitzel, which offered mini brioche burgers for £4 or 2 for £6. Naturally I went for the bargain combo of two, choosing the signature twice fried panko-crumbed chicken with sweet chilli sauce, and a less fiery chicken schnitzel with avocado and something else that I can't remember. Evidently, the former was the winner as the tangy taste stayed in my mouth and my memory. Crispy fried chicken on a soft bread is not a bite one forgets. Not to say that the avo-chicken wasn't good; my companion preferred this due to the lack of spice, thus proving that varying tastes were well catered for. Further proof of the mini-burger's success is my lack of photograph. Sorry.

My second choice was the delightfully monstrous toastie from Big Grillie Style. 'The Fresh Prince' was stuffed with pulled pork, mac and cheese (yes, pasta on bread) and extra grilled cheese. It's exactly this kind of diet-ridiculing fusion that gives the event its warfare-inspired name. These guys sabotage the fundamental rules of food combinations, and I mean that in a completely positive way. This IS a treat, it's not a waste of calories like eating a big mac and immediately wanting another one. It's filling, packed with quality ingredients and deliciously satisfying.

The Fresh Prince

Complemented by one of the bar's German swing-topped bottled lagers, this not-just-a-sandwich really hit the spot.

A potential souvenir

As well as serving great food, the atmosphere of the warehouse is something in itself. The long wooden tables, live DJ and fully stocked bar mean that this is a great place to spend an evening with friends. We made full use of the £4 cocktails mixed with scrumpy, rum and juice while others celebrated our outing with copious bottles of Prosecco on offer for the reasonable price of £16.

As there were traders there that I didn't sample and more to come each week, this is definitely an event I shall be returning to. Hipster food: keep it coming.

Guerrilla Eats
Free Entry
Every Sat 5pm - 12am
Blossom St,
M4 5AF
http://guerrillaeats.com/

Review: A Place Called Common

Located fittingly on Edge Street, this bar/restaurant boasts quality food, drinks and service with quirkiness and flare.

On my first visit to what's often shortened to ‘Common', I sat back to a window with a bright, full view of the bold yet minimal interior, comprised of a variety of organic colours and textures, such as wooden chipboard surfaces and vibrant paper artwork, giving warmth to the deep grey walls. Adding detail to the humble atmosphere of Common are a wide spread of colourful beer mats pasted to the walls and bar area, which decoratively highlight the extensive choice of unique craft ales in stock. Modest metallic furnishings combine with the friendliness of the staff to create this fresh hangout spot in the heart of the Northern Quarter.

Despite the tempting ale variety, I skipped straight to the cocktails. To start, my lunch companion and I shared the curiously named 'Beet Down', which, according to the barman, is a concoction of beetroot, vodka, passion-fruit, and egg whites. Made obvious by this vibrant pink number, Common offers much more exciting cocktails than your standard Sex on the Beach (depending on who's the cocktail shaker, I suppose.) At around £8 on average, the cocktails on this menu are expensive but worth it for a treat or special occasion.

To nibble, we shared a portion of deep fried beer battered pickles and chillies. Like many other twenty-something year old foodies, they had me at 'deep fried'. Delicious, enough said.

For my main, I chose the shrimp, chorizo and avocado on sourdough toast with chipotle mayo. It was exactly as good as it sounds: the chorizo was fresh and flavoursome, and the spice from the chipotle perfectly balanced the creamy avocado. My companion went for the roast vegetable chilli, which was served up in its own hardened tortilla bowl, she found it 'inspirational', buying a pack of tortillas on the way home to later attempt a recreation of the dish. We shared sides of the Deep House Salad, which was a pretty mix of lettuce, cucumber and pickled cabbage but had nothing notably to do with house music, and Kimchi Slaw (I'd never heard of it either). To put it simply, our adventurousness paid off: both sides beautifully complimented or main dishes, and after some inspired researching (AKA, a quick Google), I now know that 'kimchi' is a fermented Korean dish with a variety of seasonings.

In addition to their inspired and varied menu, Common also offers a wide range of American style burgers, westernised Mexican food, local meats, cheeses, and deli style sandwiches, as well as various salads. It has also created a generous variety for those with dietary requirements, like vegetarians and vegans. Considering the menu’s assortment, I would definitely bank on there being something delicious for everyone at Common.

After licking up every last crumb of our meals, we sadly had no room for pudding, despite the shameless ogling of the Rocky Road that'd been giving us ‘the eye’ for the duration of our lunch. Then again, that’s just another reason to return.

39 to 41 Edge Street

Northern Quarter
Manchester M4 1HW

0161 832 9245

http://www.aplacecalledcommon.co.uk/

Review: Pieminister

Feeling fragile from the night before, a friend and I headed in the direction of the Northern Quarter in search of one of their notorious wedges of cake, but were quickly thrown off course on coming into visual contact with the word ‘pie’.

'The Mothership'.

The enticing billboard outside presents pastry-encased deliciousness with minty mushy peas, cripsy shallots, thick gravy and grated cheese, all sitting atop a bed of creamy mash for the humble price of £7.95 (bonus: I later found out about the 10% student discount). We went in, and discovered that this wonderful combination is known as 'The Mothership', and is available as an upgrade with any single pie, of which flavours range from classic steak & ale ('moo') to the more adventurous red wine venison & puy lentil ('deerstalker').

As the pies are made fresh in store they are displayed temptingly in a glass window at the counter, which acts as a kind of bar cross open-kitchen, where you can tentatively watch staff compile plates of food in excited hope that the next one is yours. Service is quick and efficient due to the ready-made pies and open-plan layout: the Mothership is stacked, warmed and delivered with a mouthwatering personal gravy boat for you to drown your meal in. They've really captured the spirit of Northern tastebuds here, but that by no means implies that other regions will be complaining.

Naturally, I went for the meal deal and enjoyed my succulent beef 'moo' with all of the trimmings, the mixture of crunch from the onions and softness of the mash combined to make the perfect forkful. My companion opted for the 'funghi chicken' and we both agreed that our all-butter shortcrust cases and suet lids deserved the award winning titles they hold.

Their concept is simple without being dull, Pieminister have perfected each element of their food to make sure that your meal hits the spot every time, and their broad range of pies means that it can be a place to revisit frequently even if you are an eater who likes change. Vegetarians and dieters are also safe: options such as the 'wildshroom' and lower-calorie 'light as feta' earn their place on the menu without any compromise on taste. For me, Pieminister's main attraction is that the pies are individually encased in shortcrust rather than being dished out from a tray topped with one sheet of puff-pastry; having your own personal pie makes it that bit more special.

This is one to visit day or night, as a purposeful selection of craft beers and ciders are available to complement the pies. Other dishes are on the menu such as Soup of the Day and Home made scotch egg, but really you should head here for one thing. So, if you're feeling ropey, hungry or in the mood for some classic Manchester cuisine, head to the Northern Quarter for a hot and wholesome pie.

http://www.pieminister.co.uk/restaurants/northern-quarter/

Open Monday-Saturday 11am -10pm
Sunday 12pm - 5pm

53 Church Street, Manchester M4 1PD