The BEASTro boys – the busiest foodies in Manchester

The Kitchens have seemed rather quiet since the competition wound down.  Carl’s, the only trader, has left, with Pret and the likes open for business as usual. So does this signal the end of The Kitchens? The answer is no, quite the opposite.

With the departure of one trader comes the temporary replacement in the shape of BEASTro, donning their old Bangers and Bacon hats to serve up breakfast and brunch to the Spinningfields masses, and a new trader, Yard Food Shop, serving healthy Jamaican food.

That’s The Kitchens looking strong but, wait a minute, BEASTro are popping up? If you thought they were opening a restaurant, don’t worry, they are, together with this brief stint at The Kitchens as well as stalls at Bar Hutte and The Winter Gathering at London Road Fire Station.

James and Richard are all over Manchester serving up meaty joy, whilst fitting out their soon to be permanent home on The Leftbank, with a view to opening in January 2017.

Things have taken a little longer than expected, but their supper club at London Road Fire Station last week was another chance to get a bite of the beast.

If you follow the logic that Bangers and Bacon + Well Hung = BEASTro, you could be forgiven for expecting massive steak sandwiches with chips. But you’d be wrong. While the concept is inevitably meat heavy, the dishes served up at the supper club were refined and delicate – generous portions of red meat prepared with finesse and skill.

and now time for the rest 👌🏻@beastromcr @LondonRoadMCR @wintergathering 🍴💯 pic.twitter.com/0jK7iSMF6F

— jess (@jesshigham_) November 24, 2016

First course, game rillettes, came served with bread from Pollen Bakery bread, which is genuinely out of this world, and velvety chorizo butter and not a chip in sight.

Over the course of the meal we were treated to robust, wholesome dishes with standout surprises on the plate, the crispy ham hock bon bon being this man’s favourite. And being Thanksgiving, the lads gave us a hearty bowl of smoked turkey and corn chowder with slices of smoky bacon on top.

While it seems BEASTro menu varies quite a bit from festive burgers at the Winter Gathering to roasted lamb rump and salsify and wild mushrooms at their supper club, this is actually a fairly good indicator of what the final version of BEASTro will look like.

Their aim is to combine the breakfast elements that Kitchens customers loved (the breakfast wrap coming back as of next week) with a more refined and complex menu in the evening, giving each day two very distinctive and honed food offerings.

And when can you try all this loveliness in one place? That would be 10th January 2017, so make a note in those diaries, folks. This is going to be one of Manchester’s biggest restaurant openings of the year.