Rock Spice - Stretford, Manchester

Bubbles, lots of lovely food, good company and even a bit of magic. Sounds like a fun filled Friday evening to me.

Rock Spice is tipped to be a new breed of Asian restaurant, taking a step away from the local curry house, and fusing Pakistani, Indian and Bangladeshi cuisines with Western influences. They appear to be setting their sights high, with another three sites planned for Blackpool, Liverpool and London, with 20-30 eventually on the cards. Literally in the shadows of Old Trafford's East Stand, it's an ideal place to go pre or post match, although I fear if I went beforehand, I would sleep through the game. Although that may be a blessing at the moment...

Bubbles were flowing on arrival, and we soon spotted blogging pals Charlie and Simon (Gin Fuelled Blue Stocking), and Carl and Stephen (The Gourmet Gays).

So to the food. We were given lots of dishes to try, which the team felt showcased what they had on offer. Apologies in advance for the poor lighting, we were not in a photo friendly spot! I'm sure you'll get the gist though.

Tandoori fish and vegetable canapés: Lovely bitesized pieces of white fish or vegetables covered in tandoori style spices, with tamarind and mint dips. Perfect with a glass of fizz. I'm not even going to lie, our table ate a lot of these.

Golgappas topped with panipuri: It was very unclear what was going on here. One was mint, the other was 'spicy', both had a little panipuri on the top, filled with spicy onions. Jeez Louise these packed a punch! A little strong for me, but a fun concept which got the table talking. They are hot dammit. 

Between courses, the delightful Harry Robson (fresh out of Hogwarts) was entertaining us with some magic tricks. I'm the first to say I hate table magic, and most magicians in general, but Harry is a right little diamond. He brings humour and some really clever tricks. Met with a table of over-thinkers and hand watchers, he managed to baffle us all by getting Simon's card into a sealed envelope. You're a wizard Harry.

Mixed grill platter: I'm pretty sure this is the Bolton influence in this 'fusion' style of cuisine. A big platter of meat which was very well received at this stage, as we were mightily peckish. My highlight was the charred spicy lamb chop.

Mixed pepper and mango salsa: Who even knew that I'd be sat here raving about a salad? This was absolutely delicious. Shards of tricoloured peppers with ribbons of carrot, mango and coriander. I could have eaten this whole platter. I want this with every curry from now on. A real star of the show considering it was something so simple.

Chicken biriyani: God bless the arrival of carbs. My cousin's wife is from Pakistan (special mention to Sakba), and makes the best chicken biriyani. Very few come close, but I have to say this was pretty near. The chicken was well marinaded, and the rice had taken on rich flavours from the cooking liquor. 

Channa masala: Lifelong carnivore, absolutely loving this dish. The only one that we ate every scrap of. Cooked down to perfection, this was best paired with fluffy naan bread. Could just have this now. Furious.

Chicken afzaa: A pleasant creamy dish, which I expected to taste like a korma because of its colour. It was actually nowhere near as sweet, yet still very creamy.

Lamb karahi: Tender slow-cooked lamb in a thick, fragrant sauce. Great with rice. It was nice to see three very different sauces showcased over the variety of curry dishes.

Garlic butter naan bread: The lovely fluffy variety, rather than the type where the edges are like toast. The addition of melted butter infused with garlic kept them wonderfully moist too. Perfect for dipping in those sauces.

The chefs at Rock Spice had a lot of people to serve on Friday, all on the same sitting. Much respect to the kitchen, who managed to turn out great food which was fresh and piping hot throughout the night. Evenings spent eating lots of tasty food, catching up with friends, and sipping bubbles are the best type. Huge thanks go to Caroline and the Rock Spice team for our invite, and a very pleasant evening indeed.

Disclaimer: This was a free press event. I was not coerced into saying nice things, and to the best of my knowledge, no spells were put on me by Harry in order to sway my judgement. I just really like curry. 

Scene Indian Street Kitchen, Manchester

I've been a bit of a fan of Scene since I first visited back in May last year. Lee and I had been shopping and ordered so much food that it would have easily fed four. Last December we went en masse for our work Christmas Do, and once again, ate so much food that we had to call it a night at about 10pm, declaring ourselves too full for cocktails.

A couple of weeks ago I was invited to go and try out their new superfoods menu, which was created by executive chef Sudesh Singh and celebrity Nutritional Biochemist, Jeannette Jackson. Both were on hand to explain the menu, and how it had been developed. These new offerings promise 'a special focus on superfoods and healthy eating to nourish the mind, body and soul'. Let's see what they've got then.

First up was the obligatory poppadoms and dabba. I'm not sure how they fit into the superfood category, but they were very welcome all the same. We were starved.

Carrot and coriander soup: This soup was gorgeous, but gee whiz, it blew our heads off. All memories of the chilly walk from Deansgate train station were blown away after a mouth full of this. The general consensus was that everyone enjoyed it, but perhaps a little less heat next time. We ate it all though...

Chicken 65, Lucknowi chicken wing and paneer pakora: A nice little selection of starters, my favourite being the paneer, although again, I'm not sure how much of a superfood fried cheese is. 

Potato and mint chaat: Loved this dish. Just look at it, I couldn't wait to dig in. Lots of protein in the chickpeas, bursting with colour and a subtle minty flavour in the potato chaat.

Mirchi pakora: One of my favourites. A green pepper filled with 'Scene's special stuffing'. I have no idea what this was, I just know that I liked it.

Spiced grilled chicken, and kale & beetroot with spiced orange: This chicken was fantastic. Really nice depth of flavour and still very moist. Luckily for me, it seems someone forgot to add the beetroot (mortal enemy) to the salad. Bonus!

Chicken biryani: My absolute favourite dish. I love a good biryani. Mix this with the daal and scoop it up with that soft nan bread. Heaven.

Nan: So simple, yet often got so wrong. This was perfect, soft and fluffy, and warm from the tandoor.

Daal Punjabi: Very popular on our table, this one. My mouth is watering remembering how well this went with the two dishes above. I could eat this every day. At least once.

It was quite a long evening, and not a natural way to try the dishes to be honest, however, we enjoyed everything we ate. There's quite some competition in Manchester now in the realms of Indian food, so it's interesting that Scene are trying to appeal to a different market. Healthy isn't a word that I would have associated with Indian street food before, so I'll be interested to see how this one pans out. I can imagine it would be more popular with people ordering tiffin for lunch, rather than those wanting a sit down meal, but it's great to have a healthy option available too.

Disclaimer: This was a press evening run by Scene. We were given samples of the food from the new menu, and were asked for our honest opinion throughout the evening. 

Mowgli, Manchester

Two posts, back to back, both Mowgli. The only difference was the city. Last Saturday my husband and I went to Mowgli in Liverpool. I loved it so much, I was texting my friend pictures of the food and suggesting that we go the following Friday. I was hooked.

Manchester's Corn Exchange has had a major refit recently. It's gone from being a drab collection of shops that no-one knew about, to a bright, open space to go and enjoy lots of wonderful food and drink. I've already been to Wahaca, and The Cosy Club and Banyan for drinks, and also have my eyes on Pho and Cabana in the next few weeks. There's even another Byron popped up in there. It's all very exciting indeed.

Mowgli's Manchester site is very different to that on quaint little Bold Street in Liverpool. They've maintained the cute interior, but outside is treated to that wonderful light that splashes through the glass ceiling of the Corn Exchange.

Friday was my friend Clare's birthday. She's a veggie so if I'm picking where we go, I like to make sure it's somewhere where she has more than vegetable moussaka or baked fungus to choose from. Mowgli seemed the perfect answer, as much of authentic Indian cuisine is vegetable based anyway, without compromising on flavour.

Once again, we were greeted by some lovely front of house staff, who made a point of putting us in a 'nice booth'. The menu was explained, and drinks arrived soon after. You'll notice I didn't take as many pictures this time. There were two reasons for this; firstly we had a lot of the dishes I had covered in my Liverpool review, and secondly it was very dark in there!

Cocktails
Sweet Delhi Diazepam - Gin, raspberries, green chartreuse, fresh ginger, lemon, passion fruit & apple juice: Not pictured, but covered in my last post. My friend Clare likes a sweet, fruity cocktail, so I recommended this. Bursting full of fresh raspberries, it does exactly what you'd imagine from the name; chills you right out.
Lychee Rose Martini - Vodka, fresh lychee and lemon juice, infused and shaken with rose petals: This one was a recommendation from our lovely waitress. I may have declared it the best cocktail I've ever had. My friend Lee pointed out that I have said this many times, but upon trying it, understood.
Smoked Cardamom Old Fashioned - Monkey shoulder whisky, apricot liqueur, smoke of freshly fired black cardamom, fresh curry leaves finished with an orange twist: Usually an Old Fashioned is a little on the boozy side for me, but the cardamom gave this a beautiful warmth which mellowed the whisky a little.

Now to try and remember everything we ate! Don't judge us... there were four of us and we were hungry like the wolf...


Food
Tamarind Chat Bombs - Tangy tamarind mint water bombs: So weird... yet so good! They are literally like spicy water-bombs. Put it in your mouth in one go and pop it! You can keep your molecular gastronomy 'spherification' - I prefer this!
The Bombay Chip Butty - Roti wrap, fenugreek kissed turmeric fries, chilli pickle, red onion, coriander, green chilli and Mowgli tomato relish: This was on my radar in Liverpool. I urge you to try this! Crisp, spicy chunks of potato mixed with a load of goodies in a wrap. Show me the carbs.
Himalayan Cheese Toast - Coriander, red onion and green chilli dressing, sharp cheddar and served with Indian pickle: Just as heavenly as last time. A thick wedge of bread with a thick topping of cheese and chilli.
Calcutta Kati Wrap - Fragrant masala frittata with coriander herbed cheese in a soft wholemeal roti wrap: We all loved this. That soft cheese was surprisingly sweet, but worked perfectly. This is the kind of thing I'd happy nibble on whilst watching telly in the evening. Perfect snacking item.
Rooti - Grilled wholemeal flat breads: Soft and lovely, and perfect for scooping the other goodies.
Mowgli Basmati Rice - Steamed with black cardamom and cumin: Nothing terribly exciting, but cooked wonderfully and fragranced with spice.
Mowgli Paneer - Tender cubes of soft paneer cheese simmered with velvet, sweet, spiced tomatoes, garden peas and fresh spinach: We may have ordered two of these, because I'd raved about it so much! It didn't disappoint second time round. Still just as heavenly.
Tea Steeped Chickpeas - Chickpeas simmered in a rich Darjeeling and spiced tomato and spinach sauce: Perfect when piled on a rooti with some keema. Top tip for you there...
Picnic Potato Curry - Tossed in fenugreek, tomato and the haunting Bengali Five Spice: Simple again, yet did the job. The perfect partner to something like the butter chicken.
Mowgli House Keema - Succulent ground lamb, roasted cumin, cloves, cinnamon, nutmeg, tomatoes and pulses: One of my faves. My carnivorous pals had to agree, and one isn't a massive meat eater.
Mother Butter Chicken - Tandoori chicken pieces simmered in a rich, sweet, spiced tomato and yoghurt sauce finished with a gloss of butter: I'm so glad we tried this. Forget everything you know of butter chicken. This, picnic potato and a bit of paneer in a rooti... you heard.

Aunty Geeta’s Prawn Curry - Tanged with nigella seed, green chilli, tomato, garden peas and mustard: I didn't try this one as I'm not a prawn lover (despite my recent brush with them at Ning). However, Carlton managed to polish the lot, so I'm presuming it was a winner.

I feel that at some point I must meet owner Nisha, and kiss her face. Maybe I'll settle for a nice chat, but either way, I feel compelled to tell her how happy her food makes me. My blogging partner in crime Lee is also going to be doing a review of her book, Pimp My Rice in the next couple of weeks so keep your eyes peeled.

Go to either of the Mowgli restaurants if you enjoy 'bits' or grazing like I do. It's a lovely way to try lots of new things, without dicing with gout or actual death. I may have been twice in a week, but I'm already trying to think of an excuse to go again.

Mowgli, Liverpool

So we decided on a last minute trip to Liverpool. Having heard wonderful things about Mowgli's new Manchester site, plus one very enthusiastic recommendation from a friend, it was decision made. I'd also been having a chat to them on Twitter the week before, and it turns out they are pretty nice folk indeed.

Their Liverpool joint is set in my favourite part of the city, Bold Street. If you're a regular to my site, you'll remember me raving about Nolita a couple of weeks ago. It's the kind of place where you could have a different type of cuisine every weekend for a couple of months! It's packed with beautiful little independent cafes and restaurants, including Turkish, Lebanese, Indian, Italian, Mexican and even a decent chippy. There are many more, I just had to stop because I was making myself hungry.

We arrived just before the lunchtime rush, and were advised we could sit wherever we liked. I loved this laid-back approach. We felt lie we were being invited into someone's home rather than packed into a 'best fit' spot in a crate.

Just like Nolita, the front of house team were warm and chatty, and more than happy to recommend dishes. Drinks were quickly offered, and arrived a few minutes later. We had a really good feeling!

Drinks

Anchor Californian Lager - 4.9%: one of the husband's faves.

Homemade mango lassi: I have to have it wherever I go! A very fine example indeed.

Sweet Delhi Diazepam: Gin, raspberries, green chartreuse, fresh ginger, lemon, passion fruit and apple juice. Clearly made by a cocktail lover, for cocktail lovers. 

Gunpowder Chicken - Mowgli’s chicken poppers, ginger, garlic, garam masala and golden fried in a chickpea batter: Even my onion fearing husband was all over this. Beautifully crisp strips of chicken with a definite spicy aftershock!

Mowgli Paneer - Staff favourite. Tender cubes of soft paneer cheese simmered with velvet, sweet, spiced tomatoes, garden peas & fresh spinach: Dish of the day for me. I adore paneer, and this was an example worth bleating about. Genuinely couldn't leave the bugger alone.

Agra Ginger Chicken - Chicken breast cooked in bright fresh ginger, North Indian garam masala, sweet tomato, coriander & spinach: Really tender chunks of chicken breast in a rich tomato sauce. The ginger was just lovely in this.

Temple Dhal - The ultimate Indian home comfort food. Red lentil simmered with toasted cumin, coriander and lemon: Lentils... little bland yellow discs turned into something magical by the power of the Mowgli kitchen! You'll be wanting something to dip in these.

Mowgli House Keema - Succulent ground lamb, roasted cumin, cloves, cinnamon, nutmeg, tomatoes and pulses: Oh lord. My own keema will forever taste rubbish in comparison. I think the secret here is time. This keema is simmered for hours to let the spices infuse into the meat and pulses. Definitely my husband's dish of the day.

Himalayan Cheese Toast - Coriander, red onion & green chilli dressing, sharp cheddar and served with Indian pickle: That's right, Indian rarebit. Look at it. My mouth is watering and separation anxiety has set in. Delirious.

Puri - Soft, fried, flat breads: The perfect receptacle for dealing with that dhal!

A little bit of everything: I was utterly stuffed after that feast! We left quite a lot too, but don't panic. Our chappie boxed it all up for us and we had the best toasties Horwich has ever seen later that night! Class act...

What a lovely little venue; outstanding food and wonderful service. I'm dying to try Manchester now! I can also highly recommend stuffing your leftovers into a toastie... snack of champions if you ask me. 

Scene Dining, Manchester

A good curry has to be up there as one of my favourite types of foods. I adore 'bits' - anything I can graze on where there's variety. I love Mexican and tapas for the same reason, but when push comes to shove, I'm always going for the spicy option. Scene Dining is a new Indian 'street kitchen' in Spinningfields which does just that. 

I'm naturally wary of this part of town, as I often find some of the venues' Twitter accounts awash with pictures of footballers and their subsequently papped beautiful people, a sniff tiresome. In reality, I can't ever recall seeing a footballer in these parts during the day, and the only busty blonde I've been photographed with is my homie Lee, and that was a selfie! I think we're safe. 

So this week the above mentioned busty one and I went to sample Scene Dining. We picked the windiest day ever, and unfortunately arrived looking a tad dishevelled. Our attentive waiter arranged a bottle of Pinot Grigio pretty sharpish, and a few fights with a brush later, it was business as usual. 

Although there is the standard 'starter, main, dessert' format, we opted for the street food style dining so we could sample lots of dishes without appearing pigs of the week. However, we ordered so much food, that this happened anyway. Ah well. 

Plain and spicy poppadoms with dips: Given the choice, we went for both. Great dips and plenty of them too.

 Chicken tikka: Moist chicken with slightly charred edges, served with yoghurt dip.

Seekh kebab: Served slightly pink with soft onions and a coriander dip. Yes, they were as good as they look.

Gunpowder potatoes: These are definitely the new kid on the block when it comes to Indian potatoes. Whether chipped or chunked, I adore these. Just enough spice to give a subtle kick, but no harsh raw chilli powder taste.

Paneer butter massala: By far my favourite dish of the evening. A rich sauce with big chunks of creamy paneer. Team this with a cheese naan and it's a match made in heaven. Plenty of calcium for those bones...

Samosa chaat: It's genius. Samosas with chickpeas, salad and pomegranate seeds, served in a spicy poppadom. This was the dish that finished us off. Loved it.

Saffron lemon rice: Fluffy and light with a subtle zing. A perfect accompaniment to our other dishes.

Cheese kulcha: I'm a sucker for a cheese naan. If it's on the menu, I'm having it. Lee didn't even question that this was being ordered. This is the 'cheese inside' variety, which makes everything that bit tidier whilst stuffing your face.

Just look how much food that is for two girls... Our attempt at eating it all was pitiful, however a lovely waitress suggested that she could box it up for us to take home. What a legend.  We sat nursing our bulging bellies, vowing we never needed to eat ever again, and remeniscing about the lovely goodies we had just eaten. Then there it was. The mention of gulab jamon, and Lee announcing that she had never tried it.

Gulab jamon: So there we were. Separate dessert stomachs engaged and powering through one of the best examples of this dish I've ever eaten. If you've never tried these, they're like syrup soaked doughnuts which have the texture of frangipan. We destroyed them.

Scene's street food menu is all about sociable eating, so go with your friends and enjoy sampling lots of different dishes, and complaining about how full you are. The staff are fantastic, the dining room is spacious and bright, and the quality of the food was just bob on.