In 'My Top 10' we grill local industry experts on their favourite foodie spots in Manchester. Where do brewers go for a pint? Where to chefs go for dinner? We wanted to find out.
This week is the turn of acclaimed Manchester chef Robert Owen Brown, who earned his reputation heading up some of the finest restaurants in the city.
Renowned for his knowledge of regional ingredients, Taste collared the chef in the hope that his Top 10 list would reflect the ethos of his cooking; hearty, contemporary, with a nod to local heritage. We weren't disappointed. Over to Robert...
1. Top Bar
Any place @susiewong8 is working her fantastic boozy cocktail mischief (Molly House at the moment).
2. Top Pub
The Eagle Inn, Salford.
3. Top Restaurant
Per Tutti. Consistently great food service and drinks. Some fantastic value deals, and an owner who understands he is in the service industry.
4. Top Spot for Everyday Eats
Vivid Lounge, Great Ancoats Street. Simple great tasting food. Friendly service, brilliant Thai food as well.
5. Top Newcomer
The Lawn Club. Great design lovely food and drinks. The sort of place to sit in the sunshine and not recognise my own city. Perhaps mourn the old places, but then get really excited by the how the city looks now, and only wonder where we will be in 10 years.
6. Top Brewery
The explosion of young ale brewers has been amazing... give me a pint of Guinness please.
7. Top Café
Its got to be the Koffee Pot. How have got to love a cafe that cares so much about what they serve. They make their own pickles. I love the place, great coffee from the Ancoats coffee guys.
8. Top Street Food Trader
It has to be the Bangers & Bacon team. Love it,...all of it. They really are amazing pork merchants with great ethos and ethics.
9. Hidden Gem
Its got to be the Jolly Angler pub. One of the last real unmolested, gentrified, interior redesigned pubs in Manchester centre. And without a doubt one of the best because of that. The best Guinness in town. No, I am not telling you where it is.
10. Wild Card
Its Cook Manchester @cookmanchester (Shaun Fisher). This company offers commercial kitchen facilities to people wanting to start their own food companies. Literally giving a kick start to hundreds of young entrepreneurs in the city, where food is rapidly replacing the old king cotton, I do wonder if one day we will have to replace the cotton bud on the top of the town hall with a burger..?
If you want to catch some of Owen Brown's cooking, you can do so at the ambitious and intriguing Bio-Historic Banquet, hosted by the Manchester Food and Drink Festival. Set in the Manchester Museum, Owen Brown will be cooking with ingredients from the Biospheric Foundation, inspired by the history and stories of his surroundings. Find out more about the Bio-Historic Banquet here. A unique event, and one not to be missed.