Chop'd | Fantastic New Salad Bar in Manchester, UK

On Wednesday 14 September, I attended a special blogger event at the new (fantastic) salad bar on Cross Street in Manchester.  Named Chop'd, and over 12 years has been securely growing into a novel, unique, and brilliant franchise.  It originates from London and currently has 14 establishments in London, a sister company in Liverpool called Salad Bowl, and a potential new opening in Leeds.

This means that Manchester is the first location to have a Chop'd salad bar outside of London, and has been running successfully in Manchester thus far for about three weeks now (as of 14 September!).

The evening kicked off with Eddie, the Managing Director, presenting the origin, growth, and ethos of the company, which is all about producing great food that a) one would feed their kids, and b) very tasty - which is a marvelous concept, and Eddie is a man that has been with the company from the start and has progressed through the managerial ranks as the business had grown - he is full of passion and aspiration about Chop'd.  And why not!  At this point, I was already becoming a fan.

After Eddie’s presentation, we undertook informative taste testing activities, learning where Chop’d source some of their produce, such as the Kent apples, and West Sussex tomatoes – Chop’d utilise the nonconformist fruit and veg that farms produce, as many big supermarkets only want fruit and veg that fit their perceived idea of standard.  Chop’d has a range of flavoured fruit and veg that can be quite unique as they are naturally grown without preconceived notions of how they should appear and without manipulation.  As the business expand throughout the UK, then the logistics of moving the produce becomes easier.  The best samples of food we tasted during this activity were the Salmon and Miz Pepperpots jerk paste.  The smoked salmon was delicious, flaky and so fresh.  It comes from a London smokehouse called H. Forman & Son, and salmon lovers would absolutely love it.  The jerk paste is made and produced by Eddie’s friend, which, I believe can also be bought online, and it is full of flavour and the perfect level of spiciness that is not too overbearing.

The main event of the evening and the reason why we were all invited, was to sample the salads.  Chop’d concept is brilliant and simple.  It is basically build your own salad, which is separated into three sections of ingredients, and oh my, lots of ingredients.  The first two sections are made up of rice, cous cous, rocket salad, beans, chickpeas, egg, pasta – mostly anything to fill your large tub (the portion size is incredible!).  Customers can choose approximately five ingredients from these sections, and the third section, only one.  However, the third section comprises of the aforementioned salmon, chorizo, avocado, meats, etc., so it is essentially the big mamma ingredient that you are building your salad towards.  After the salad is made, it is then all mixed together and dressing, and, if needed, extra flavour is sprinkled on.  This is one thing you often never see with salads – mixing, and ensuring all the flavours of the salad flourish together.

For just under £6, customers will get an extremely generous portion that could potentially last through two meals, and still be filling.  Two smaller sizes are priced at around £5.50 and just under £5.  Totally worth it!

For my salad, I aimed to finish with the avocado, so I wanted to keep to rocket salad, cous cous, kidney beans, chickpeas, sundried tomatoes, beetroot, and egg; and dressed in a honey and herb dressing to give it a little extra flavour.  It was superb!  Flavourful and nutty, and creamy!  Perfect!

I wholeheartedly recommend Chop’d, to all food, salad, healthy eating lovers.  You will not be disappointed.  When I return as a paying customer, you can find my customer review on Yelp: http://mcrphil.yelp.co.uk/

To finish, we toured the basement, which will be utilised as a relaxing work room for customers: drink coffee, eat salad, write a novel, complete a powerpoint presentation, complete a thesis, whatever.

To expand on the coffee; Chop’d works in collaboration with Grindsmith to sell their brand of coffee, and it certainly is not your average coffee.

Bill's New Menu Launch | Manchester, UK

Food and cocktails are great at Bill's!  The new food and cocktail menu looks great and from what I sampled, tastes superb too.

On entering, we were welcomed with a Hedgerow Fizz, which is Prosecco with a raspberry dropped in for added flavour.  We were then shown to the back area leading to the backyard, which was our area for the evening.  This was an event perfect for a big crowd of Yelpers to enjoy and sample three of the cocktails on offer and the food.

Bill's is situated on John Dalton Street, just by the likes of Panacea and Byron Burger, and from the exterior, looks like it would fit perfectly in a botanical gardens environment.  Inside is light, colourful and beautifully decorated with a simplistic and natural wood design.

Once settled, we were served samples of the food in the form of canapés.  First was watermelon and sesame-crusted feta.  Delicious!  This offers a great fruity combinationw with the warm coated feta.  Other canapés offered were crab and falafel sweet chilli doughnuts, which only had subtle taste of crab, but nonetheless, very tasty!  Also, the tomato bruschetta were very flavourful complemented by mint pesto.  One canapé to highlight is the chicken liver parfait because, despite being so tasty, seems to be quite rare in Manchester.  The chicken liver was complemented by sweet chutney, which added to the flavour.  The final sample of food on offer was the crispy calamari, and it smelt and tasted delicious.  If you are not a fan of seafood, then maybe this is not for you, but if you are, then you are in for a treat!  I will definitely be back for more.  The servers were very knowledgeable in the food they were presenting, and it was a pleasure to listen to the passion they had for the food and the menu.  It is truly a commendable service.

Afterwards, we were delighted with a classic Victoria Sponge, and regular and mini scones.  Amazing.  The Victoria Sponge was very creamy and very tasty.  Big thumbs up!

The cocktails menu seems to follow the country club summer style, which is genuinely welcomed.  We sampled a gin and elderflower cocktail named Bill's Country Garden with lime, apple and cucumber.  The other cocktail was a Bramble Mojito, which was a rum and blackberry cocktail.  These cocktails had a very nice floral and fruity summery taste, and would be perfect on a beautiful sunny day (or as we are in Manchester, a nice restaurant on a rainy day.)  PS, it was not raining on this particular day, which made evening more fitting.

Bill's event was a fun-filled evening with great food, drinks, company and regular Yelp shenanigans.

[Find this review and more on http://mcrphil.yelp.co.uk]

KRO Bar | Manchester, UK

Nestled perfectly on the Oxford Corridor and amidst the student populous, Kro (a "Danish Village Pub") constantly has an influx of visitors from lunchtime to evening, and as other reviewers have highlighted, this is probably to its detriment, as this popularity means that Kro may struggle to compete during Academic vacations or entice customers from other parts of the city centre.  Nonetheless, the service, standard, food and variety of drinks on offer are superb.

I seem to be a regular, especially for lunch, as I am visiting on average 10 times per year.  It is also great if one attends Manchester Academy for a gig, as it is just over the road.

The food is good quality, however, it often seems to be low on stock for certain items, such as the Schnitzel.  This has occurred too often.  My recent visit, I ordered the pulled pork sandwich, which was marinated in Kro's special sauce on toasted Focaccia bread.  The sandwich was delicious,  The marinate was tasty and creamy and the pulled pork falling apart with every bite.  The menu is Danish cuisine, which comprises of Frikadelle, Schnitzel, a variety of burgers, sausage and fish (mackeral, salmon, etc).  I often have the Schitzel which comes with a fried egg on top, or the chicken burger.  All very tasty, and I have always been more than satisfied with the quality.  A friend of mine would recommend the Vegetarian Meze. 

Kro offers a variety of drinks, especially one of my favourite brands König Ludwig Weißbier, which is a wheat beer from Bavaria.  Kro is also good for coffee and cake!

The decor in Kro is quite rustic and minimal, but I it doesn't take anything away from the service or food.  Most importantly it has a small beer garden at the front and rear of the building.

[Find this review and more on http://mcrphil.yelp.co.uk]

The reasons why I'm IN: I vote REMAIN in the EU #StrongerIn

There has never been any doubt where my vote would lie in the EU Referendum.  I'm IN

Britain IS stronger remaining in the EU, financially and politically.  The EU offers collegiality, especially with information to ensure Britain and the whole of Europe ARE safer together.  It also provides consistency throughout, enshrining equal pay and employment rights, and even though Britain currently goes beyond the base levels of minimum wage, and the variety of leave (mat, pat, sick, etc), by remaining in the EU it ensures these base levels are protected, which would not be guaranteed if Britain breaks from the EU.

Businesses flourish because Britain IS part of a bigger community, and with all global businesses there are no borders, and it would be foolish to put restrictions on these businesses by forcing them to renegotiate hundreds of trade deals and change the way their businesses are run in one country all because they deviate from standardised legislation and policies.

I missed the memo when Britain 'lost its control' for it to be in a position where it feels it must "take back control".  As far as I am aware, we vote our representatives in Europe who speak for us.  Unfortunately, MANCHESTER (and the Northwest) elected several UKIP members as MEPs who have often failed to turn up AND vote.  So are these the people who can be trusted with our economy, public services, and future if we break from the EU?

Personally, I've reaped many benefits from being an EU Citizen.  Many years of frequent and cheap travel around Europe, especially Germany, and love going through the "EU" security gate at the airport.  I hate the rigmarole of visas and customs like in the USA.  The tactics I use to get to the front of the queue are astounding!

Due to ERASMUS (EU funded programme and exchange), I have collaborated with another leading European university (Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München) on best practices and process improvement; a great opportunity for my career and mostly funded by the ERASMUS scheme.  Plus, living in one of the World's best cities and experiencing and surrounding myself with the wonderful German culture.  I highly doubt this would be possible if Britain was not in the EU.

Finally, in reference to the EU immigrants:   Being in the EU has enabled myself to work outside of Britain, but also friends to work here in Britain.  Forgetting the huge financial contributions other Europeans make towards Britain's economy, what is important to me, is the contribution other Europeans (and International citizens) make towards our culture and lives.  Not to  mention, as I work at a university, I work with a diverse range of people of many nationalities (and not just the from the EU), who are specialists in their fields.  Not only do they enrich my life as colleagues and friends, they also enrich the educational environment that I work in.  Breaking from the EU would greatly hinder these opportunities.

I believe by leaving the EU it would limit our World making it smaller and isolating  ourselves from a bigger, better, safer, stronger European community.

I vote to remain in the EU.

I LOVE PIES | My review of Pie and Ale | Manchester, UK

I've visited Pie and Ale several times over the years, but not as often as I should have!  The food is genuinely delicious and offers a good variety and not the usual options for pies.  Another plus for Pie and Ale is, it has a great variety of quality drinks, such as Erdinger.  The best part is that one gets change from a tenner when buying two pints.  Always a bonus!

My recent visit was during the Champions League Final 2016.  This was for two reasons:  I wanted quality food after a long day and a cool place to watch the final.

Pie and Ale is divided into two sides, separated by the kitchen and bar in the middle, but this helps the place separate the types of evenings:  For an evening for beer, food and good conversation, enter through the door on the right; and to watch sport (cricket, football, etc!) enter on the left.  This section has one large projector screen and long bench and tables, which is great for groups, and it even has a VIP-type section on a mezzanine with a smaller TV Screen.

The evening was a great atmosphere, full but not overly busy.  I think it is a good spot to watch some sport ;)

As for the food; DELICIOUS !!  On this occasion I ordered the Hunters Pheasant pie:  Wild pheasant breast and cooked with onion, celery, sherry vinegar, carrots, parsnip and thyme with red wine gravy.  A dollop of mash potato accompanies the pie on top and it sits in a bed of gravy.  Initially, I though the gravy was too much, but the mash and pie soaks it all up and it was actually the perfect amount.  The pie was so tasty combining the pheasant and red wine and full of flavour from all the veg.

My friend ordered the Sticky Boar Balls:  wild Boar meatballs with cous cous.  It looked great, and I believe it tasted just as good!

[Find this review and more on http://mcrphil.yelp.co.uk]

Yelp goes to India - World Food Tour XL

I am a big fan of the food from Zouk.  The curries are so creamy and full of flavour, no matter which one you choose, and Zouk was the perfect venue to kick off Yelp's World Food Tour.

Zouk are great hosts and really go that extra mile to make their guests feel welcome.  The service is impeccable and all servers are completely knowledgeable when it comes to the food that they are serving.

When we arrived, all Yelpers gathered on the terrace, welcomed with canapés and cocktails.  The canapés included a very tasty chicken pate tikka bruschetta and falafel with a signature hummus.  the bruschetta was so nice, I had two!  As for the cocktails, I also managed to acquire two different ones for tasting.  The first was primarily gin and cucumber, which was a refreshing taste.  The other cocktail was a standard passion fruit mojito.  The mojito was my favourite as the smoother and fruitier taste was more satisfying.

When seated, we were presented with the usual poppadoms, chutney, etc., to nibble before the starter platter arrived.  The starter platter was incredible!  Such a variety to share and extremely delicious.  It contained veggie samosas, Nepalese chicken, chickpeas, and Sheikh kebabs.  All very tasty and all very filling; it was almost a shock to realise the main courses would be coming after this.

Now for the main, we were given pilau rice, and three beautiful curries.  At first, I thought my favourite would have been the buttercream chicken curry, which was the mildest.  I prefer spicy food, but I am also a fan of the buttercream, but this dish was quite sweet.  Another curry was another chicken curry with a dark creamy sauce; this was certainly spicier!  However, my favourite was the lamb curry.  Lamb meat, off the bone, which must have been cooked in the curry and the lamb just fell away and the sauce itself was very meaty and tasty, much like a stew.  Yummy!

The evening offered the usual fun and laughs amongst the Manchester Yelp Community, and it is always a pleasure getting to know new people participating in these events.  Not to mention the regular Yelp photo competition to win some alcohol.  Congratulations to the winners.  Well-deserved!

Thanks Matt for organising and Zouk for hosting a wonderful evening.

[Find this review and more on http://mcrphil.yelp.co.uk]

Cocktails in the City | Manchester

Cocktails in the City was a great event, offering 23 different cocktails from 23 popular Manchester establishments.  Lovers of gin and whiskey would be at home here, as mostly top class and top quality brands were celebrated.

The event in Manchester took place at the old plot where the remnants of the old Granada Studios still stand. Inside, the setting is bare and rustic, like most street food festivals and venues encompassing a hollowed out shell of an old building, factory, or warehouse.  It was the perfect setting for this event.  Close to the entrance offered guests to try out their surfing skills at HULA where they had a mechanical surf board to test balance and endurance.  This area had a very relaxed beach bum theme.  Nearby, guests could enjoy a round (or more) of UV Golf hosted by Junk Yard Golf.  

A stage was set up for presentations, and the first up was Tom from The Liquorists with the theme "Five Cocktails that Changed the World".  I've had the pleasure of taking one of The Liquorists Tequila Trails around the Northern Quarter, and it was brilliant.  Not to mention, Tom is a really nice guy, and remembers everybody, and is always happy for a quick chat.  The Liquorists presented a variety of cocktails accompanied by stories and facts, giving the audience a well educated session on specific cocktails.  We also got to sample some of the cocktails on offer.

Before one arrives at the main studio area, there was TATTU and Agave Garden occupying two rooms.  TATTU looked like a spicy oriental themed establishment with mannequins dotted around for guests to graffiti, and somber red lighting.  That was fun! 

The main studio had the remainder of the bars occupying differently designed stalls, and it all looked fantastic, from Narnia themed to Mad Scientists to Floral to rustic wooden; Cocktails in the City had it all.  Check out the photos!

I like whiskey and I like gin!  Therefore after having a look around and looking at the nifty cocktail brochure/event programme, I sampled the following:

Woodford Reserve Old Fashioned from Tipplesworth.  It was bloody lovely!  Woodford Reserve Bourbon, orange zest, sugar syrup and Angostura Bitters.  Perfect combo for a whiskey cocktail, and great first drink to kick off the evening.

A really flavourful gin cocktail by Cane & Grain called American Gangster made with Death's Door Gin mixed with "homemade" citrus & rhubarb cordial, Yuzu juice, fresh lime, Branca Menta Salt Solution, and Seline Air.  Very tasty!  I recommend this to all gin lovers!

My favourite cocktail of the night was Fairytale of New York, made with The Pogues Irish Whiskey by The Fitzgerald; mixed with plum bitters, cherry heering and Gomme, the cocktails offers sweetness to a whiskey cocktail, which should please both whiskey drinkers and non whiskey drinkers.   

Oriental Expression from TATTU made with Opihr Gin.  This cocktail was perfect to end the evening.  A cocktail that offers oriental spice mixed with ginger, bell pepper, lemon juice, lychee, and ginger beer.

As well as cocktails, on each night, the event offered food from three street food vendors.  On the night I attended was Bart's Dog Kart, Chaat Cart, and Poffertjes King.  All great vendors, and I opted for Chaat Cart's delicious Chicken  Burger, with an onion bhaji on top.  Yum!

Currency was easy:  guests purchased tokens at £6.50 a pop and then used the tokens for food or cocktails.

Fantastic evening full of wonderful stylish guests and a fantastic array of vendors.