IT’S not a combo that sets Taste of Manchester’s taste buds immediately aflutter – milk shakes and halal burgers, but the good citizens of London’s diverse Tooting Bec district have taken it to their wallets, so why not Manchester?
Meat & Shake have confirmed to industry bible Big Hospitality that they hope to open in the £30m redeveloped Corn Exchange ‘food mecca’ early in 2016. We expect the new outlet to continue the decor formula of red leather booths and bare bulbs, an American diner look at odds with a refined approach to meat patties and flavoured milk.
In London they source 35 day dry-aged beef from Macken Bros, who run the meat counter at Selfridge’s, which adds a bit of bite to the company’s strident motto: “The burger is omnipotent and irresistible, it can never be weakened.”
In line with the beliefs of the three Muslim friends who founded the concept in 2013, the menu is fully halal and alcohol free, as will be the case in Ealing, where they are opening in July, and Manchester, but it is rumoured it may mutate from being a burger-led concept to a smokehouse-format under new exec Jasper Aykroyd, who bizarrely runs bacon-making courses under the monicker ‘Bacon Wizard’.
We hope he doesn’t tamper with a burger roster that includes the the Smoking Bandit – with chipotle mayo, smoky cheddar, smoked turkey bacon, lettuce, tomato, sautéed onions – which arrives at table under a dome of smoke (above).
The menu itself is inventive and intriguing, with options including a truffle-infused burger and another that arrives in its own smokey chamber. Then there’s the Truffle Shuffle, a beef patty with truffle mayo, gruyere cheese and a honey and onion truffle glaze. Burgers range from £7.50 to £11.
Of the milkshakes the standout looks the peanut butter and brownie flavour while for Manchester mocktails might be on the way.
