Ply, Manchester - Winter Offerings and Bottomless Brunch

Evening all. Apologies for the absence, but I'm sure you've seen from my Instagram that I've still been a busy little bee, eating all the food and drinking all the cocktails. As we're embarking on the festive season, I thought I'd do a couple of posts on some of the nice little weekend escapades I've been on, which you could incorporate into your Christmas shopping! Double whammy...

So first to Ply; those of the disco pizza oven and fluffy dough bases. Launched just last week, are their festive cocktails. They were still being perfected, so we got to be guinea pigs. Not a problem my friends.

Dolce Vita - pannetone infused rum, spiced syrup, orange and egg: It's basically a Christmas egg custard in liquid form. Lovely bit of nutmeg on top to warm those cockles and get you in the mood for some festivities. Better than freezing your bits off in some crowded market sipping hot muck from a mug.

BlackBerry Messenger - a blend of rum, prosecco, blackberry, orgeat, ginger and honey: Refreshing yet still has that delicate warmth from the ginger.

White Chocolate Snowball featuring a flurry of vodka, white chocolate liqueur, prosecco and milk: Only for those with sweet teeth (not tooth). This is like a fizzy milkshake, and not for the faint hearted.
Roast Peach Old Fashioned - roasted peach infused bourbon, honey and sage: By far Phil's favourite. We both thought the peach may be a little over-powering, but it's actually very delicate, and worked beautifully with the honey.

And so to the carbs my loves. This Sunday saw the launch of Pasta Paul’s Super Soundtrack Sunday, 'bringing the beats whilst Ply serves up the best in bottomless brunch'. Basically, this is unlimited pizza (once you've scoffed your first one), and bottomless Bloody Marys or prosecco, for an hour and a half. It's £25, and is served between 12-6pm every Sunday.

We were utter lightweights and ate one pizza each. I had the poorest of form, and made Phil eat some of mine! (Rings bell...) Shame! We did however try two of the newest items on the menu.

Brunch Pizza - crispy pancetta, portobello mushroom, sausage, egg and mozzarella with a tomato base: A full English on a pizza. Nice sausage.

Alpino - bianca, asiago, panna, speck, spinach, roast potato, garlic with a white base: I love white based pizzas, as I find tomato sometimes distracts from the flavour of the topping. The Alpine has thinly sliced potatoes which crisp beautifully in the inferno style pizza oven. 

Absolutely love Ply. I've never had a bad pizza from there, and the staff are always the right level of chatty. Our lovely waitress was getting well giddy about her post shift roast, and had we not just gorged on pizza, we would have been very tempted to join her! We're all about the gravy.

Go here for a chilled afternoon of eclectic tunes, pizza, fizz and some cracking winter warmers.

Disclaimer: I was invited to Ply to try their new offerings. Let's face it, I'd have gone anyway! They did not threaten to throw me in the pizza oven if I said anything nasty, and we did not gatecrash our waitress' roast. Too far. And we were full. 

Mezzaluna, Whitefield

Am I the only one who is desperate to eat outside when it's nice weather? Don't get me wrong, the current 'Hades' levels we are experiencing at the moment are even too much for me, but on this particular day it was about 23C, which is perfect. Then comes the question, where can we eat outside, which won't be full of Stella fuelled idiots with no tops on?

Mezzaluna in Whitefield is a bit of a hidden gem on the al fresco dining front. I had no idea they had a beautiful garden, until we drove past and could see the doors open at the back. It was gorgeous. Picnic benches with optional parasols, pretty flowers, and food and drink flowing in the blazing sunshine.

My favourite type of food on a nice day is 'picky bits', and Mezzaluna was perfect for this. A pizza, sharing board, and chips appeared to be the perfect garden picnic on a warm day. Real picnics are a bit too much faff!

Antipasti platter: A selection of lovely strong cheeses, a full ball of mozzarella, continental meats, salad, olives, honey and bread. Now let me tell you, it turns out that mozzarella and honey are my new favourite thing. I may have recreated this in my own garden. Twice.

Pizza with fennel sausage, broccoli and mushrooms: Cannot for the life of me find this on the current menu, but noticed you can still build your own to this effect. Broccoli and sausage is such a wonderful combo that I have it wherever I go. If you've never tried it, I really must insist that you get your act together.

I kind of didn't want to tell you about this place, as it was serenely quiet in the midst of summer mayhem. Hidden away behind a busy road, this really is a little oasis for sunny days. Go here for a relaxed afternoon where you can pretend you're in the Mediterranean, not Manchester. Drink wine, eat some lovely food, and laugh with your nearest and dearest.

Walrus, Manchester

My first experience of Walrus was about eight years ago, back in the days where I thought I didn't like cocktails, and clearly knew nothing. Since then, the Northern Quarter exploded with new restaurants and watering holes, with Walrus sat there as a bit of a veteran in this ever expanding part of town.

Last week we were invited to try the new menu, so off we went, with empty bellies and open minds. It was like press central in there, which always makes me feel like a bit of an interloper, despite the fact I've been doing this blogging malarky for around seven years now. Lots of people taking pictures of the new menu, with fancy cameras working the angles. Ladies and gents, I am here to give you the average Doll's view of proceedings!

Let's start with the feel of the place. Comfy booths, friendly bar staff, and a rather lovely front of house manager. We liked her a lot! Drinks were swiftly in hand, with cocktail being sipped and beer poured within a few minutes. I feel I have to warn you that opting for multiple Um Bongos may leave you legless after a few, as it tastes like actual pop. Not a bad thing.

Also recommended from the cocktail menu are the Solero (yes, of the ice lolly fame) and a Manchester take on the classic Bramble, with Vimto poured over the top.

So onto the food. There's nothing fussy here, and I'd suggest that this menu has been designed to be an accompaniment to the lovely drinks.

Chipotle beef pizza with sweetcorn and tomato salsa: Massive. Perfect to share, or eat it alone if you don't mind dozing off. Tasty chipotle beef, however we felt there needed to be more cheese on this, and maybe some sort of herbs for seasoning.

Mac n cheese balls with tomato and basil sauce: Do you even reside in the Northern Quarter if you don't serve these? Nice and crispy on the outside with lots of cheese on the inside.

Dirty fries - doner meat, pickled chillis, mozzarella, and yoghurt sauce: By far my favourite thing I tried. Imagine the scene... you're five cocktails deep and you have the munchies - THIS. My only slight issue is that the 'doner' is too high quality! This is not a real criticism, just the ramblings of my 'five cocktails deep' self. Apologies for the terrible lighting on this one, we were nowhere near a window (blogger problems).

When I review somewhere, I like to imagine who might go, and for what occasion. Many of my friends go to Manchester purely to drink, which is a totally alien concept for me, as I am ruled by food. This is the perfect compromise. Drinkers, you are going to be rather happy with the choice of cocktails and beers on offer, whilst your little piglet friends like me can enjoy some tasty nibbles on the side.

Book yourself a booth, get settled, let the DJ spin some tunes and relax.

Crust, Liverpool

Crust... I've been meaning to visit you for a while. I'd heard tales of fancy dough, chocolate ravioli, an excellent selection of craft beers, and delicious cocktails. This sounded very much like my natural habitat.

I love Liverpool's Bold Street. Home of many a cute independent restaurant, it has to be one of the best places to wander to when you have no idea what you want. It has everything; there are pretty tea shops, somewhere for a hearty breakfast, and places where you can happily stuff your face. Whatever your preferred cuisine, there's something for you. There's Italian, Lebanese, Indian, fish 'n' chips, burgers, tapas, Caribbean and Chinese, to names the ones I know of!

I went last week with some of my faves, to finally suss out the elusive Crust. We saw some sunshine for what felt like the first time in 17 years, so on arrival Lee and I decided to sample some of the home made lemonade rather than cane the cocktails. I like interesting drinks like this, shows a bit of effort. The boys on the other hand went straight for the local brew, Love Lane Pale.

Red Lemonade - fresh lemon juice, sugar syrup, fresh strawberries, soda and ice

Peach Lemonade - fresh lemon juice, sugar syrup, fresh peach, thyme, soda and ice

Love Lane Pale 4.5%

10/10 for presentation guys!

It wasn't long before a cocktail called my name (they do that...). I can highly recommend the fruity and refreshing signature Crustyberry. Perfect for a sunny day, but I have to admit I was a bit awkward with that silver bucket. I'm awkward at the best of times, but I was particularly so with these odd receptacles. 

Renagade West Coast Pale Ale 5.1%
Rye Pale Ale 5.6%

Sauvignon IGT, Anno Domini: intense spiced nuances of peppers, sage, elderflower & tomato leaf, typical characteristics of this grape variety

Crustyberry - brown sugar, fresh raspberry, Chambord, Malibu, coconut syrup & raspberry juice

And so to the food. Brace... The menu looks like any other pizza gaff; I will forgive you for thinking this if you have never visited. Read on...

Bresaola - cured beef fillet, rocket and parmesan: Wafer thin slices of cured beef with cheese and a sharp balsamic glaze. Absolute carnivorous heaven.

Burrata - creamy burrata mozzarella, cherry tomatoes and pesto: One for those who are not as keen on meat, but you still get a whole ball of burrata, all to yourself. One suggestion, perhaps a little more bread is needed.

Prosciutti Di Parma - parma ham and buffalo mozzarella: Another meat lover's dream. A big old pile of parma ham and that huge mozzarella. I could eat this stuff every day of my life.

Smokey Ham - woodfired, Tuscan bread topped with Mortadella ham, smoked provola cheese, cherry tomatoes, balsamic glaze: I won. I didn't realise we were playing a game, but everyone agreed this ham smashes all other starters out of the ball park. I know I'm coming across as an eager beaver, but if you listen to me once in your life, order this!

Porchetta Pizza - tomato, fior di latte mozzarella, porchetta roast pork, caramelised onions. 

Base - five grain - the wholesome one. A unique blend of flax wheat germ, oat, spelt and rice flour, this dough is packed with health benefits to nourish you from within: I thought the five grain base might be a bit tough, but no such tooth troubling stuff came to fruition. Warrior-like behaviour displayed here, with this entire pizza being polished with relative ease. 

'Nduja Pizza - Tomato, fior di latte mozzarella, spicy salami, spicy 'nduja sausage, fresh chilli.

Base - Organic - handmade from the finest flour imported directly from Italy, this is a truly special ‘Crust’: An upgrade from the traditional base, this organic choice was beautifully soft with a crispy edge. Nicely spicy, this lad.

Bella Napoli Pizza - Buffalo mozzarella, smoked provola, friarielli broccoli, Italian sausage.

Base - Organic: This was my choice. I always prefer a blanco pizza (no tomato base), and Crust have four to choose from. I adored this! All the cheese.

Quattro Fromaggi Pizza - Fior di latte mozzarella, gorgonzola, smoked provola, parmesan.

Base - black dough - this unique and healthy black dough uses a natural vegetable charcoal, recommended to improve your insides and assist in detoxifying the body: Black dough... we were unsure how this would go down. Looks a bit odd, and they're saying it cleans your pipes up a treat. I'm not sure how Lee found the Mr Muscle effect, but I tried a bit, and can confirm it's actually very similar to a normal pizza base. It's definitely one to try!

French fries and sweet potato wedges: Because obviously we didn't have enough carbs...

We were stuffed beyond belief. Two of us were nursing pizza overload, and the others were putting on a brave face. Then the lovely Stefan returns with dessert giddiness and that infectious enthusiasm he has... before we know it, we're ordering this little lot! I don't know how we didn't just die on first glimpse of it all.

Pizza Dolce - handmade pizza, topped with custard cream, pistachio nuts and chocolate: Yes, that's right, pizza base topped with custard. Sweet pizza. It sounds so wrong, but it's just so so right.

Pizza Nutella - handmade pizza, smeared with soft Nutella, fresh cream and sliced strawberries: This was the one I ordered, although I now realise that it appeared minus the cream. This may have been linked to an ice cream incident explained earlier (awful occurrence where someone had let it all melt - manager was fuming bless him). I think I'd have preferred more strawberries too, as psychologically it's more balanced.

Ravioli al Cioccolato - handcrafted sweet ravioli filled with a decadent chocolate sauce: You'd think these would be really dense, but they were nothing of the sort. Beautifully light chocolate pasta pumped with chocolate sauce.

Once again, we were coerced by that Stefan one... Apparently a meal is not complete without a shot of Limoncello! It did actually help with the carb-coma.

So we didn't actually eat it all. We felt terrible. But never fear! It was boxed up tout suite.

We had such a great time at Crust. I really think the pictures in this post say more than I can with words. Their concept is pretty simple; great pizza, pasta and beer. We saw that this was correct, and the staff were just lovely too. We did have a bit of a mix up regarding the reservation when we first arrived, but this was quickly forgotten when we realised just how fantastic the food is.

Crust is suitable for a whole plethora of scenarios. Their pizza wraps are perfect for lunch or if you're pushed for time, but if you have a little longer, enjoy their full range with a lovely cocktail or local beer.


Disclaimer: I was under no obligation to provide Crust with such gushing praise, but when someone presents you with so much delicious meat and cheese, it's very hard not to!

Ply, Manchester

One of the things I adore about blogging is that I get the chance to share my many escapades with some of the people I hold dearest. On Sunday, poor Paddy was hutch-bound doing some work, so our pal Lee kindly stepped in like the total pizza devouring warrior that she is. She adored Ply from the moment we walked in the door, so much in fact that she requested to write this review herself. Take it away Teller... 

So part way through a delightful cheesenfilled Saturday evening Rachel informed me that she had a reservation at Ply the following day. 'Unfortunately' her husband was busy, 'fortunately' I was not; my Sunday ironing marathon could wait!

After a very dramatic car journey which definitely didn't involve turning the wrong way down a one way street, we arrived at Ply. The restaurant is cool and airy and full of little corners to squirrel away in. The bar is huge and offered an impressive array of spirits, wines and beers; we will definitely be back for an evening session!

Our lovely waitress,whose name I sadly forgot to note, found us a perfect people watching spot in a high window. We ordered some drinks, and as Rachel was the designated driver she enquired about soft drinks and requested a 'surprise' mocktail, which turned out to be a delicious raspberry mojito style drink - very fruity and refreshing. As I total gin fiend I went for a Georgetown Tea, made with Beefeater gin, apricot, elderflower, ginger and tea. This was amazing, light enough for a lunch time drink but with enough kick that I could have happily sunk a whole pot of it.

For starters we shared the Heritage tomato salad and Coppa ham and burrata. These were perfect; the tomatoes were so fresh and tasty and the ham with mozzarella was so morish I didn't do a very good job of sharing.

Tomato Salad - heritage tomatoes, sourdough croutons, aged balsamic, basil

Coppa Ham and Burrata - coppa ham, burrata, confit tomato, rocket

Then it was pizza time. I had ordered my favourite, goats' cheese. This was very tasty and peppered with little pockets of basil pesto. Rachel ordered the brunch special which included smoked pancetta and fennel sausage. The pizzas are on sourdough bases which is a lovely change, and seeing them cooked to order in the super snazzy pizza oven at the bar was very cool. Both pizzas were gorgeous, not much left but we did take that home too. We couldn't leave without a take out pizza for Rachel's husband who had missed out, I believe he destroyed this in minutes!

Brunch Special - (available Sundays) tomato, mozzarella, smoked pancetta, fennel sausage, portobello, egg (sans egg)

Goats' Cheese - tomato, goats' cheese, confit tomatoes, basil pesto, rocket

We had a very relaxed and fun lunch at Ply, the service was fantastic; where else would your waitress come over to tell you that Cilla Black had sadly passed away?!? We will certainly be back en masse for more pizza and cocktail fun. Thanks Ply for brightening up what would otherwise have been a very dull Sunday indeed!!

Peachy Keen's, Manchester

I have two conflicting memories of buffet style restaurants. The first was some horrific Chinese place that made me horrendously sick. That was a low point in my culinary escapades. The second is the Wynn in Las Vegas; home to toffee apples for breakfast, a wondrous place that would have brought a tear to Willy Wonka's eye.

So to Peachy Keen's. There's no apostrophe in their name, but I'm running with one because that makes me feel wholly uncomfortable. When I first received the invite to test out their Manchester restaurant, I was haunted by the Chinese buffet memory, but decided to give it a go because there was promise of a dessert bar. What can I say, I'm weak.

My pal Lee and I took a random Wednesday off work and headed to the bright lights of Peachy Keen's. The restaurant is upstairs in the Printworks, but from inside looks like it could be night time in Vegas rather than 2pm in drizzly Manchester. It's much bigger than I expected, and although quite subdued at lunchtime, I imagine it's a hive of activity in the evening, with several live cooking stations serving food from around the world.

We were a bit overwhelmed on arrival, and did a bit of an investigatory lap before committing to any single cuisine type. We obviously started with Indian - rude not to!

There was a game plan. Little bits of lots of things. Don't overdo it, otherwise our plan to raid the Mr Whippy machine would have been done for. We had a delicious mixture of daal, Bombay potatoes, chicken curry, rice, chutneys, naan bread and onion bhajis. A natural follow up to this was Italian... This consisted of pizza, spicy wedges, chips (don't judge us...) coleslaw, tomatoes with Mozzarella and freshly cooked carbonara from the live station.

Our plans to eat more were somewhat scuppered by our earlier (and costly) decision to share a pastrami toastie in Proper Tea. Like we needed that. We had to have a rest before attacking the dessert counter, but we soldiered on in the interest of food blogging. I know, total warrior-like behaviour.

I managed a mini mango cheesecake, a jelly shot (sadly not alcoholic), some apple crumble and custard and a token piece of peach. Lee fared a little better, sampling numerous Jelly babies, some marshmallows dipped in the chocolate fountain, jelly and some undisclosed cheesecake of which I have no recollection.

We sat there, fit to burst with our eyes on the prize... The Mr Whippy machine. I've always wanted to pull my own ice cream (watch it...). Lee went for the 'giddy kippered - pile it on' approach, whereas my inner cake decorator forced me to do the 'icing a cupcake' routine. Either way, we had a bloody good time! Move over Softy's Hard Stuff...

Lunch at Peachy Keen's is £7.95 per person, which is a bit of a bargain considering the variety and volume of food on offer. Unlike some buffet restaurants, the food is of a decent standard and the dining room is clean and spacious. Granted, you can get a better curry or Italian in the city, but this is a bit of fun. I have to say that it exceeded my expectations, and both of us had a cracking little afternoon.