retiredmartin

As Blackpool Jane told you about 2 years ago (here), she joined us in Manchester in June (on what was also Matt’s birthday) for a mini-Manc crawl.

Direct train to Oxford Road for us, meaning we get Italian pastries in Java Bar,

which means there’s no time for the Peveril,

before we meet Jane in Society.

Stupidly, I had a pint of the 1% Vocation; as any fule knows you should stick to the strongest in craft bars.

Read Jane’s report on how Mrs RM turned down the sour, as well as her thoughts on Mumsnet and crockery.

I then made Mrs RM and Jane walk the long way to Hulme down in student land, just to annoy them.

Now, my jury’s still out on Society, but I loved the Salutation on a second visit.

It was heaving, and noisy, which as Jane notes can be a negative as a well as a positive, but I loved the variety of customer and the Bollington Best was a cool, crisp and (yes, Jane) clean 3.5.

Best of all, Mrs RM was asked if she was a student. I think she missed a discount.

One more pub; I thought the Sandbar would be a good place to meet Matt and Emma, but Jane went “Oooh“ as we passed Footage and you should always succumb to an “Oooh“.

Looks like it used to be one of those It’s A Scream pubs that you loved when you were 20 (oh, YOU never were 20, were you ?).

It said CRAFT on the door, and indeed there was Stella as well as your Welsh wonders.

Jane opted for the Heineken seats,

and I judged Matt’s Stella the beer of the night. Have they improved the recipe ?

He’d not only turned 21 but also started a new barbering job at Helvete (appointments only), which is harder to find than the Globe in Dumfries.

Jane rushed for the train, we wobbled next door to a brand new Chinese restaurant/supermarket/ice cream place called “Hello Oriental“. They even have craft beers on tap

but it was the Mongolian Crispy Lamb, Crispy Beef and Steamed Rice that got my “Wow“. Dave, this was Chung Hwa standard.

One for the awards issue, as was the complimentary ice cream waffle they kindly gave Matt as it was his birthday.

Wonder what they’ll give me on my birthday (22 December, make a note).

I don’t know how strong that Gwei Lo IPA* was, but the folk on the train home from Piccadilly looked really odd…

*Probably a rebadged Cloudwater, most things are