Yelp Event: Escape The City @ Reserve Wines | Manchester, UK

A great evening of cheese and wine (although I wasn't fond of the broccoli smelling cheese :/).

Reserve Wines can be found on Burton Road in West Didsbury and offers a magnificent array of wines. Shelves full from floor to ceiling with wines (red & white) from around the globe, and the store offers an intimate showroom to customers.

After the initial meet and greet with Prosecco, which I was uncharacteristically late for, we got settled down for the tasting. It was a select group of Yelpers on this event due to the size of the venue. The shop is so cosy, we only had boxes of wine to sit on around the counter as Nick, the manager, presents the wines. One of the first things he said, that a wine tastin may not be agood idea if you have a cold, as the tasting comes mostly from the smell. This must be the reason why my taste perception was the opposite of everyone else's,

Nick presented a lot of information about the various wines and fully engaged with the Yelpers coaxing our opinions and responses, although everyone was a little subdued to begin with, but after the fifth wine, we were doing ok.

With each wine came full information about the type, origin, production, and the group was fully educated. In between the wines, we were presented with a sample of cheeses from goats cheese, cheddar and to a horrible broccoli smelling one. I wouldn't  recommend this one.

To the wines! We were offered the following:

Lopez de Haro Rioja Blanco 2014 (Rioja, Spain)

A complex taste of ripe fruits, and I thought it was a bit rich and smooth, but had a strong distinct smell, which was offputting,

Bodega Atamisque Serbal Viognier 2014 (Mendoza, Argentina)

This one offers more acidity and full of zesty fruits. 

Chateau Pinerale Cahos 2012 (Cahors, France)

This was my favourite from the evening. Red. Smooth. Woody. Full of dark fruits (berries, plum, and spices). You really get an impact from the tannins.

Espirito do Coa, Mencia (jaen) 2012 (Beira Interior, Portugal)

Quite bitter, full of dark fruits.

Le Riche 'Richesse' 2013 (Stellenbosch, South Africa)

Full of fruity flavour from the dark fruits, and subtle smokiness.

Overall, an enjoyable evening, and it is great to be educated so enthusiastically and informatively, and if I was hunting for a good wine, then I would stop by here.

Credit to Nick and his staff for hosting a great evening, and also to Matt, for once again organising a superb evening, but no more broccoli smelling cheeses please!

Manchester United & Museum Tour | Manchester Museum

I had friends visiting me in Manchester, and as they have a young lad, we decided to have a day at the Museums. 

Manchester United Museum & Tour

It has been four years since I last participated in the Manchester United Museum and Tour, but it was great to be back. The tour guides are part of the woodwork, and Manchester United through and through. they are full of insight and personal knowledge. True embodiment of fans.

It is always great to see the clubs history, memorabilia, and the many many trophies won over the years, but it is truly magnificent to see everything on display. Weaving in and out, and around the stadium, you get a full understanding of the magnitude of the club and stadium. The best part is walking out to the pitch (obviously without stepping on the pitch, but veering to one side towards the Manager's dugout).

What's new: An exhibit dedicated to Ryan Giggs. Brilliant!

The tour ends with a little VT of United's success, and I am not ashamed to say that it brought a tear to my eye. (I look forward to those days returning :))

This tour is great for fans, but it is also great for visitors. If in Manchester, visit Old Trafford, the Theatre of Dreams.

Manchester Museum

Great place to take the family! 

Currently they have an Egyptian exhibit, dinosaur bones, and lots of great stuffed animals. 

Fun, educational, and free! The museum has such a prestigious collection. Worth a visit!

Yelp at BistroVin | Manchester, UK

Another great evening with the Manchester Yelp Community; this time at hidden gem BistroVin, situated on busy Deansgate opposite the likes of La Tasca, Prezzo, and Las Iguanas.

Walking past, one would think it was just a normal store specialising in wine, and spirits. However, once one is inside and takes a stroll upstairs, one is greeted by a lofty atmospheric dark woodened decor and furniture, which seems quite cosy for an establishment situated on Deansgate. With (more or less) floor to ceiling windows looking out over the street. The upstairs divided into two sections, with one side hosting a full cabinet full of splendid spirits, and a counter full of cheese.

After the normal meet and greet (with Champagne or Prosecco), and catchup between the Yelpers (from veterans, elite, and newbies), and then a brief intro from Lewis (joint Manager) we were ready to begin. BistroVin had set up three stalls, splitting the group up into the same number, the present a selection of their stock. This was a variety of red an white wines split between two tables, and a gin, a whiskey, and a rum set up at the third table.

My group started off with a selection of three good wines: French white wine Touraine Sauvignon; Chilean white wine Secret de Viu Manent; and French red wine Lauran Cabaret Minervois. With a quick demonstration on how to fully enjoy a wine tasting, we went through and tasted each wine. The sauvignon was quite fruity, full of flavour, and seemed to be a favourite amongst the group. The Chilean white was described as having a muddy texture, but I proposed it was more an earthly taste and quite sharp, but this was a bit hit-and-miss amongst the group, However, the red was a big hit with everyone: this had an old woody texture, very flavourful.

Moving on to the spirits presented my Jonathan, we had: Pinkster (gin), The Ben Riach aged 10 years (whiskey), and The Duppy Share (rum). Don't let the name or colour deceive you with the gin. The pinkness comes from raspberry, and it had a nice sharp taste to it, and one can quite easily drink this without a mixer. I know some gin fans, who I would recommend this to. One for the list! Apparently retails around £40. The rum was Caribbean and was quite sweet and had a warm taste, which is made from sugar canes. Finally, the whiskey! The smell was beautiful! Such a powerful aroma, and tasted great! Again, it had a very smooth taste and can easily be drunk without a mixer, which is what I would recommend.

The final table presented by manager Lewis had three more wines (one white, and two red). The first was white wine Saint Clair from New Zealand, which has quite an oceanic taste to it, and I would recommend this for a perfect evening on a beach front when all you have to do is relax. The second wine was red Bourgogne, which was quite nice, but my favourite wine from the evening was red wine Vibo Punta del Vienta; a flavourful fruity wine, with a bit of a savoury pinch to it.

After all the tastings, the Yelpers were able to mingle once again and going back and trying their favourites as the evening came to an end.

A super evening, and a fantastic establishment, and I look forward to returning, especially to attend one of their whiskey tastings. check out their Facebook page to see what tastings they have on offer, occurring every Thursday.

Elite Yelpers Takeover | The Kitchens, Manchester, UK

After a short break from Yelping and attending Elite Events, this was the perfect event to return to and get stuck in. It was brilliant to meet Matt for the first time in his capacity as Community Manager, and great to see the quality in event management has remained at the same high quality, which the bar was set by Jonny Q, 

The Kitchens can be found at the quiet end of Spinnigfields, but it is truly a hidden gem; it comprises of two units on opposite sides, and a mock garden area in the middle. However, the best part is what you can find in the two units; made up of three stalls in each, and hosted by: Chaat Cart; Bangers and Bacon; Dim Sum Su; The Hip Hop Chip Shop; Nasi Lemak; Well Hung.

An additional host were the good people from Shindigger Brew & Co, providing one of their fine ales, which is greatly recommended.

For the evening, Matt started with a run down and we split into two groups to occupy each unit and receive a presentation from each vendor before switching sides and then getting stuck into the food on offer.

My first visit was to Dim Sum Su to sample the Bao Pork Belly, which is slow cooked belly pork in a Chinese steamed bun with spring onions, toasted peanuts, rock sugar and some spices. The taste of this was unbelievable! If you do have a nut allergy, then I am sorry, because it is your loss. The addition of the toasted peanuts make this dish absolutely sublime, and it was a genuine pleasure to chat with the one and only Su from Dim Sum Su. Su has been doing the street food scene for quite some time attending regularly at Manchester's Friday Night Food Fight and other food markets and events. Returning to Dim Sum Su would be worth it just for the chat. Certainly my favourite food from the evening.

After my pork belly fix, I thought I would mix it with some beef salad from Well Hung. Unfortunately, I am used to more flavourful salads and the addition of the cold beef slices, weren't a hit for me, but I would love to return to sample something else from their menu as I do like a good bit of beef. One good point from Well Hung, is that they source their meet locally. Well Hung and Banger and Bacon are founded and ran by the same people, and focus on specific meat products. I sampled the Cubano from Bangers and Bacon, and it was absolutely delicious! The pork was cooked superbly and contained within a crusty bun, and mixed with pickled courgette and really tasty mustard. Once again, the meat is locally sourced and Bangers and Bacon are experienced vendors around the street food scene. I recommend that people get down here before June, as they may only be around until then.

After having my fill of good food, I still had to try Nasi Lemak and Chaat Cart. Chaat Cart were offering sample of their Chicken Slider 65. which was fried chicken on a mini bun and an onion bhaji to add to it, which adds to the flavour. Very delicious! 

Finally, to top it off and completely fill me up was the generous sample provided by Jimmy from Nasi Lemak Malay Street Food. This was fried chicken with sambal sauce, and was the perfect level of spiciness. Just how I like it. Very flavoursome, and very tasty.

One final note, is that I did not sample Hip Hop Chip Shop on the night, but have eaten their food before at Friday Night Food Fight, and if the quality has remained the same (which I believe so!), then it is definitely worth a visit, as they offer a concoction of alternative fish and chip flavours.

Thanks to Matt, the Vendors and all the other Yelpers for a great evening. It was nice to catch up with people and chat to some newbies. I look forward to the next time.