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Day: 17 March 2015

Review: Ask Italian

Written by Mancunion on . Posted in News.

When the longstanding (and, in my opinion, long-disappointing) Piccadilly branch of Kro closed its doors at the end of 2014, many Manchester diners were filled with speculation, wondering what may take on the imposing space arguably slap-bang in the centre of the city. Shortly after Kro’s admittal of defeat, I read that two businesses had signed up to split the place down the middle. The first, another of the fast-growing ‘Byron’ burger chains (because we need more burgers in Manchester), and the second, an Ask Pizza. Growing up around York, I have always been familiar with this chain, as many of my friends from the South are. To me, it has the reputation as one of the better corporate pizza places, delivering dependable and familiar food favourites. However, funnily, Ask seems to have eluded the Manchester dining scene, the newly opened Piccadilly Gardens branch being their first in the city.

I was invited along to their launch event, and as soon as we were seated and happily gulping down glasses of complimentary Prosecco, we were introduced to Chris, the Brand Manager; I asked him why Manchester had so long remained off Ask’s map. His response, that they were waiting for the perfect site and would settle for no less, cannily both asserted the high standards of the chain and implied that the chosen site is something special. On the second point, he was certainly right: the space is huge, with high ceilings and lofty acoustics. There is plenty of light, with candles ensuring intimacy on each of the many tables that snake around the bar and open kitchen. Floor to ceiling windows make for excellent people watching, and anyone who has cast their eyes around Piccadilly Gardens will see the merit in such a vantage point (I once saw a guy walking his pet raccoon around there).

With no raccoons in sight, however, we turned our gaze to the menu. Whilst perusing, we nibbled on ‘Piccanti’ almonds – served hot, lathered in chilli oil, they were an unusual and delicious addition to the bog-standard menu we expected. To start, we split a single serving of the ‘Fritto Misto’ – a mixture of peppers, courgettes, calamari and whitebait all battered and fried and served with a zingy aioli dip. The vegetables retained an al dente bite, while the seafood – in particular the salty, meaty whitebait – added softness to the dish.

For mains, we decided to go Dutch, a seeming geographical fauxpas. On Chris’ recommendation, we shared one of Ask’s intriguing new sourdough pizza bases, this one, the ‘Carne’, topped with Luganica sausage, dollops of pork and beef ragu, smoked prosciutto and fresh herbs. The base was light and the distinctive sourdough flavour gave a delightful undertone to the rich, meaty and smoky toppings. Our second sharer was the ‘Ravioli Marittimi’ – soft pasta pillows filled with crayfish, crab, salmon and ricotta, served in a creamy tomato sauce, with a massive shelled king prawn whacked on top for good measure. The sauce was sweet and mellow, lifting the delicate taste of the ravioli, and I had a high old time seductively sucking the meat from the mammoth prawn shell. All was accompanied by a large glass of red wine (unfortunately, due to the previously mentioned Prosecco-necking, I do not remember exactly of which variety).

Slowly approaching satiety, I sounded the alarm with my companion, and we got what remained of our mains packed up to go in order to make way for dessert. Sadly, the special I had my greedy eye on, a pistachio and olive oil cake, was sold out, so I settled for a slice of warm chocolate and almond cake, served with hazelnut gelato. I wasn’t grumbling; the cake was rich and strong, yet surprisingly unsweet, leaving the ice cream’s sugariness to cut through. My companion chose a warm almond, plum and pistachio cake, which stood rather solitarily on its plate, but the harmonious flavours of which served to explain its lack of accompaniment. These we washed down with single measures of Disaronno amaretto, and squiffily discussed the lunacy of those who don’t appreciate its glory.

With nowhere on the menu left to venture, we stirred our stumps to leave. Promptly, however, we were sidetracked by the offer of more free Prosecco. After all, it would have been rude to let it go to waste. Finally defeated, we tottered out of the vast glass doors and parted company. On my 500-metre walk home, I mused on the difference between my expectations of a meal at Ask Pizza and the realities of my evening. I went in expecting tasty yet unsurprising and unimaginative food. I got the tasty part right; however, considering the variety and authenticity of their menu, I saw a healthy amount of surprise and imagination in their food. Enough to warrant a return trip, but not too much to repel the everyday diner. Ask me about Ask, and I’ll tell you its appearance in Manchester may just have been worth the wait.

Pub of The Week: The Beagle

Written by Mancunion on . Posted in News.

The Beagle is a bar/eatery in trendy Chorlton which has recently undergone a major menu and interior revamp. We had been drooling over their Tex-Mex food on Twitter for a while now, so we decided to swing by and check them out. We were glad to be seated in the conservatory, which seemed to be the buzzing heart of the bar. The funky orange wall paintings and candlelit tables combine to create this sort of perpetual warm summers evening vibe.

The beer selection was impressive, and you’d expect nothing less from the sister bar of Port Street Beer House. We stuck to the Beagle pale, an impressively hopped session beer brewed in collaboration with Summer Wine Brewery in New Mills. It was nice to drink, a really enjoyable house beer especially after hundreds of ram lagers.

We didn’t have starters, we had ‘pick and mix snacks’ (we secretly think these may have just been starters). We went for Jalapeno Cornbread, Popcorn Shrimp, and because we came with a vegan, the Korean Tofu Tacos. All were a success, the Jalapeno cornbread was lovely, nice and buttery and perfect with the spicy sauce, we would have appreciated a bit more of that though. The Korean Tofu Tacos went down well, it’s nice to see a place make a real effort to cater to the vegans amongst us. The highlight though was the shrimp, lovely and crunchy and balanced well with the chipotle mayo.
On to the mains, which we had decided upon well in advance. Our vegan continued the tofu theme, this time a burrito stuffed as tight as can be with various veggie goodies including sweet potato fries. The Mexican Burger had beef (from a local butchers) jalapenos, nachos, pico de gallo and copious amounts of cheese and hot sauce, all nestled between two brioche buns. It’s the kind of burger you excitedly smash into your face, and you actually could taste each individual component, provided those components aren’t running down your arm and into your lap.

The homeslice chicken bucket was what we had all been looking forward to, however. An actual stainless steel bucket, bursting with homemade fries and buttermilk fried chicken was carted over to our table. Now, we have eaten a lot of fried chicken. I’d go ahead and say I’m a fried chicken connoisseur, and I approve. The wings were just greasy enough to be fantastic, and the coating was crispy and on point.

In all honestly, we were really impressed with the food at the beagle, and we would return again to get better acquainted with their burritos and burgers. We did like the atmosphere as well, but us being a bunch of students, there is little chance of us returning for a casual pint with their beer prices as they are.

Review: The Breakfast Club

Written by Annabel Cartwright on . Posted in Theatre.

With the recent growth in hipster trends, 80s pop culture has never been more prevalent (since the decade itself, of course). With this new interest in the old, the university’s arts scene is no stranger to its influences, having recently seen the debut of Sam Ebner-Landy’s stage adaptation of the 1985 cult classic film The Breakfast Club as part of the University of Manchester Drama Society’s Manchester In-Fringe Theatre Awards season.

On a long Saturday in 1984, one teacher and four unwilling Shermer High School students find themselves stuck indoors for a day’s worth of detention. When asked to write an essay about who the students think they are, they unwittingly discover that the ‘brain’, ‘athlete’, ‘basket case’, ‘princess’ and ‘criminal’ have more things in common than they ever knew. The Breakfast Club presents a typical journey of self-discovery, packaged in an atypical way; over one day, in one room.

Needless to say, audience members flocked to see this exciting new piece of drama, and the attention was well-deserved. The difficulty with film-to-stage adaptations often seems to lie in the task of staying ‘true’ to the source material, both in terms of narrative and spirit. In his role as adaptor and director, Ebner-Landy succeeded in accurately bringing the story to life with astounding attention to detail, whilst maintaining 1980s Zeitgeist, and the essence of the coming-of-age genre. To die-hard fans of The Breakfast Club, this MIFTA performance could certainly have been the perfect homage to the film, however it might have been interesting to see Ebner-Landy take more of a risk and put a little more of his own flair into the adaptation.

Once again, the Drama Society displayed more of its impressive range of acting talent. Each member of this ensemble cast took on their role with incredible sensitivity and boldness. As the play’s unconventional protagonist, Bender, Ollie Kaiper-Leach took on the most complex role. In all aspects of performance, he put across every ounce of Bender’s humour, anger and vulnerability in a moving and candid way. Similarly, the other members of this ensemble cast took turns to encourage laughter and tears from the audience, building up delicate layers of emotion before the ultimate realisation of the plot.

The Breakfast Club represents another triumph for the Drama Society, thus maintaining its stellar reputation for producing plays of a near-professional standard. Both the thoughtful direction of Ebner-Landy and the acting skills of this staggeringly talented cast made this MIFTA play a production to remember.

UKIP chairman advocates “a UN nuclear deterrent”

Written by news on . Posted in News.

A debate focusing on the foreign policy lines of the five major British political parties took place on the 6th of March in the Samuel Alexander Building. Approximately 70 people attended the event, which was hosted by the university’s International Affairs Society (IAS).

The debate was chaired by Professor Dimitris Papadimitriou, from the university’s Politics department, and the panel comprised Harry Williams (member, Conservative Future), Kevin Peel (executive member, Labour Movement for Europe), Dominic Hardwick (Liberal Democrat activist for South Manchester), John Stanyer (chairman, UKIP North West) and Laura Bannister (Green candidate for Fallowfield and Gorton).

Some controversial statements lit up what could otherwise have been a tasteless occasion.

John Stayner, chairman of UKIP North West, said: “I would almost like to see a United Nations nuclear deterrent. A deterrent that was kept as a second-strike only weapon; that an independent organization was there to say that should anyone in the world use a weapon or sell weapons or attack any member, that they would then be attacked by this force.”

The event also made use of some of the political talent deriving from the University of Manchester. Harry Williams, who was representing the Conservative party, is a music student at the university. Dominic Hardwick, the Liberal Democrat speaker, is a recent Politics, Philosophy and Economics graduate.

There were five preselected questions that were put forward to the debaters. These involved the relationship between the UK and the European Union; Russia; and IS, and also the amount spent by the UK in foreign aid and the importance of the country’s nuclear deterrent. The speakers then had two minutes each to make their case.

Speaking to The Mancunion, IAS Chair Matthew Amey said: “We had really great discussion between the party representatives, and some really interesting points raised and some real clashes of styles as well.

“The turnout was great. Debates like this are hugely important because we have to remember, even in election times, that we’re not the only state with problems. There are countries like the Ukraine and Syria who need our assistance, we can’t act like we’re the sole civilisation in this world and that goes for voting, too.

“Also, I hear that we had some protesters outside the building because we had a UKIP representative coming in. It’s good to see people exercising their right to protest, we need more of that at university.”

About a dozen protesters were outside the Samuel Alexander building before the debate, distributing leaflets and voicing their opposition to UKIP. They were from a socialist organization.

Top 5 Feminist Books

Written by Leonie Dunn on . Posted in Books.

5. Why Be Happy When You Could Be Normal?, Jeanette Winterson (2012)

Winterson’s novel is a memoir about a life’s work to find happiness. It’s a book full of stories but also a book about other people’s literature, one that shows how fiction and poetry can form a sting of guiding lights. This work, if anything else, highlights the power of the individual and the hope of finding an identity and equally a belonging.

4. Fat Is a Feminist Issue, Susie Orbach (1978)

Orbach’s original exploration of the body fascism of diets and body obsession was ground breaking in 1978 and yet is, sadly, even more relevant in today’s society. This book is a pioneer on the focus of body image and anti-dieting which has now firmly established itself as a classic.

3. The Vagina Monologues, Eve Ensler (1996)

The Vagina Monologues, a play made up of a series of monologues, premiered in New York City in 1996. The monologues cover a variety of topics from a feminist perspective from sex to menstruation, birth, rape, female genital mutilation, and more. When the play first debuted, Ensler performed all the monologues herself. Now it’s been staged internationally and televised by HBO.

2. The Feminine Mystique, Betty Friedan (1963)

Friedan’s investigation into ‘the problem that has no name’—that being the unrepentant unhappiness she found among housewives—is by far on of the most influential books of the 20th century. Friedan originally intended to publish an article on the topic, but no magazine would publish her article and, as such, her book became a controversial bestseller and is generally credited with being the catalyst for the rise of the second-wave of feminism in the US.

1. A Vindication of the Rights of Women, Mary Wollstonecraft (1792)

One of the earliest works of feminist philosophy. It is a response to 18th century political and educational theorists who did not believe women should have an education. As a result, this principled and logical tract has been an inspiration for three centuries of subsequent human rights thinking. While in today’s world it is lacking in many areas, this book has been credited as one of the most original and influential feminist works ever.

Religion and faith: Two entirely different ideas

Written by Marina Iskander on . Posted in Opinion.

With the world constantly afire with news of terrorist groups carrying out brutal crimes, it seems as if they all have one common basis: Religion. At first face, it truly seems that any belief so strong and radical, be it of any God or allegedly holy book, must be a source of evil. However, by looking at different cultures and backgrounds, the issue seems to be a problem of how religion is addressed and not religion itself.

In a recent poll by the Students’ Union, University of Manchester students were asked if the world would be more peaceful without religion. With 49 votes for the “undecided” option, a very slim majority (141) believed that it wouldn’t be, as opposed to the 107 voters who did. However, had the question been asked to students of the same age group in a different part of the world, say the Middle East, for example, the outcome would not have been so close; there would be an almost unanimous agreement that religion is a source of good. It seems, therefore, that how one is raised to regard religion has a much bigger affect on their attitude towards it than whatever their religion actually is.

For the purpose of comparing how religion is seen in different cultures, societies can be divided into two categories—individualist and collectivist. The terms were first coined in the 1970s by researcher Geert Hofstede, who collected information about different cultures and divided them into different dimensions. On one hand, a collectivist culture is one where people are encouraged to do what is best for society as a whole; community needs are put before those of the individual, and the idea of family is central. On the other hand, in individualistic cultures, people are more independent and their actions do not represent their family as a whole. Unsurprisingly, it is the collectivist cultures that tend to be more religious. In places like central Asia, the Middle East and South America, religion is central to one’s identity, mainly because of the inherent need to have a unifying force between the closely-knit members of each community. Generation after generation, it becomes firmly established that everyone must fall neatly into a certain faith and not step out of its traditions or morals. Any change of the norm does not only shame the individual, but also their family and friends.

Take Egypt for example. While this may seem hard to believe here, in Egypt, a citizen’s religion is written on their national identification card. Religion, in such cultures, is more than a matter of faith, but it is instead part of one’s identity. In Egypt specifically, your ID will either read out Muslim or Christian—there is no middle ground. People may have their own beliefs, but that can never change the family they were born into. It also does not matter that the majority of Egyptians are Muslim, this culture of religiosity makes Egyptian Christians more religious and traditional than Christians in countries like the United States, for example. It is unsurprising, therefore, that something so essential and close to one’s persona is of great value to them. Attacking their religion is more than attacking their opinion, and is rather an attack and on their very core.

This often has devastating consequences. Setting aside any stereotypes attached to either of the above-mentioned religions, the most essentially peacefully religions can easily become radicalised when their followers feel personally victimised or attacked. Whether these feelings, or their reactions towards them, are justified is a whole other issue.

As an Egyptian Christian who has only recently moved here, my first visit to church proved one thing: there is a huge difference between whole-heartedly choosing to follow a religion and being raised into it. In Egypt, being a Christian means that your parents are both Christians who baptised you when you were young and have taken you to church every Sunday since. Being a Christian here, however, more often than not, means that you took the educated choice of following a certain faith with all it may entail. The former, which is often found in collectivist cultures, fits its purpose perfectly—you are raised to traditionally follow your religion, without stepping out of line or embarrassing your family. The latter option, however, entails that you actually chose whom to be, and will thus follow your faith as a matter of personal autonomy and not because you feel you are forced to.

At the end of the day, all that is left is a group of people who, to their core, are taught to follow the rules of their community. Their religion has determined their way of life for as long as they have existed, and thus it means more to them than any westerner can fathom. While this in no way vindicates the inhumane acts of any terrorist claiming to fight for their religion, it at least serves to explain that it is more than a belief that has made them so violent—it’s their identity.

Review: Soup Kitchen

Written by Elena Gibbs on . Posted in News.

At around £6.50 per dish, Soup Kitchen is little pricey for something that takes its name from a concept based on providing free nourishing food, but this is made up for by the generous portions and vibrant, quality ingredients pleasantly un-reminiscent of a school canteen. Begrudging dinner ladies are replaced by bubbly staff, stinginess exchanged for extra helpings.

Soup Kitchen have a relatively fixed menu with daily changing soups. This works well for variety as each time you can expect to find something new and enticing on the menu, with reassuring knowledge that the fail-safe jerk chicken, Caribbean dumplings with jack fruit and sweet yam curry will be present and steaming away in their industrial sized steel buckets.

Everything is served with the option of jumbo purple coleslaw, chickpea salad, fresh herby tomatoes and help-yourself bread rolls. Water is available in thick swing-top glass bottles on the bar which is perfect if you’re the type to drink at least 3 pints with every meal and feel embarrassed to continually nag the waiter (I hate being served a half pint – of anything).

The serving counter also doubles up as a bar which comes fully stocked with the usual NQ-style craft beers, quirky bottled brews and range of tasty liqueurs. It’s worth mentioning that SK has a downstairs club so it’s theoretically somewhere you could spend the whole night. Long trestle tables make this a good spot for large parties for evening drinks, though the music is a little loud even in the day so be prepared to raise your voice for a decent conversation. Or just resign to enjoy your food in silence and save your talking topics for later.

That being said, the restaurant is cosy and friendly and perfect for a lunch that’s guaranteed to be delicious. Being able to walk through the door and be comfortably sat down with a ceramic bowl of hot food in the space of five minutes is a blessing that the Northern Quarter would struggle without. There’s no waiting for a table, no risk that it might not be right, and no gamble on how long it will take for the food to arrive.

The atmosphere is warm, wholesome and the embodiment of what its name derives from with extra funding, which I suppose is exactly what it is – apart from its customers are not homeless, though they may dress like they are (guilty).

Recipe: Dark ‘n’ Stormy

Written by Tom Bruce on . Posted in News.

Ingredients:
Ice
50ml (aka 2 shots) Dark Spiced Rum
Ginger Beer
Lime
Fresh ginger

Fill glass with ice. Add rum top up with ginger beer (because of the spicy kick) but NEVER ginger ale. Lightly squeeze and drop a quarter lime into glass. Garnish rim of glass with lime wedge. Oh and a slice of fresh ginger. Adds to the aroma, though in no way helps you to get drunk.