/THE BEST OF MANCHESTER
THE bleakness of January is behind us, bank balances have been replenished and dining out is back on the menu. Manchester has some exciting new restaurant and bar openings to look forward to this month as well as some that might have passed you by if Dry January and a drained account were keeping you at home.
From a retro video games bar to a health food restaurant with its own yoga studio, here are some new places to discover this month. NQ64 Gamers will love this arcade bar opening in the Northern Quarter this month.
NQ64 is opening next door to Crazy Pedro’s, and will be filled with retro games and classic consoles.
Expect Golden Axe, Pac-Man, Space Invaders, Point Blank, tabletop Donkey Kong and loads more, plus a cocktail menu inspired by the games.
2 Short Street, Northern Quarter | nq64.co.uk | Opens February 22 The FoodWell A health food restaurant/deli/bar with its own yoga studio, The FoodWell promises a holistic approach to healthy living when it opens at New Bailey.
The 150-cover restaurant will cater to all dietary needs, with dishes including poke bowls, ramen, cherry bakewell protein French toast and low-carb banana pancakes with maple bacon.
During the week, customers will be able to click and collect lunches from the deli, while at the weekends the venue will host live acoustic music, huge brunch platters and a Bloody Mary and Mimosa trolley.
It’ll also host yoga sessions, with a studio for up to 30 people to practise in, as well as mindfulness and meditation workshops and other classes.
New Bailey, Salford (across the bridge from Spinningfields)| thefoodwell.co.uk | Opens February 28 Mowgli Quite possibly Manchester’s most beautiful restaurant, Mowgli opened its second site, off Oxford Road, last month.
Inside it’s a twinkling grotto of fairy lights, which sparkle from every surface including a tree fashioned from driftwood that stretches up towards the double height ceiling.
Diners can sit down on a rope swing seat to enjoy classic Indian street snacks, daals, curries and bunny chow - a spiced chicken or chickpea and potato stew served inside a hollowed out bread loaf.
There’s also a new brunch menu with dishes including molasses-cured bacon on gheesmothered bloomer bread with tomato relish, spinach, mint and coriander chutney and spiced tamarind sauce; tandoori seared paneer, Bengal spiced scrambled eggs, wilted spinach, fenugreek fries and Darjeeling chickpeas; and cardamom and date molasses porridge in soy milk with puffed rice and mint. Diners can enjoy 50per cent off food at the new Mowgli until February 10.
University Green, Oxford Road | mowglistreetfood.com | Open now