El Capo, Manchester

Ah El Capo, my old friend. You tease me with your bursting burritos and fries piled high with all sorts of delicious glop! The mixture of melted cheese, slow cooked meats, spicy sauces and hot as hell chillies rocks my socks. It's like you can reach right into my heart and give it a squeeze. It's either love, or a heart attack waiting to happen.

They've done a bit of menu titivation recently, so I've been dying to try it out. I went on a random Wednesday night with some friends, and it was packed. I'm going to show you why. But I warn you, scroll down at your own risk. If you're hungry, forget it. We ordered lots of bits to share between us, so it was a bit like a big Mexican picnic!

Mamacita's empanadas - home made chilli wrapped in shortcrust pastry: These are like spicy little pasties packed with chilli (you can take the girl out of Horwich...). An essential item for any picnic.

Wings - green tomatillo and smoked chipotle: It was Wednesday, which is 'Wing it Wednesday'! That means wings for 50p each. You heard. Fifty English pence. That's insane! If you're a wing fan, get yo ass to El Capo. I'm not generally a fan of wings because they're normally a bit fatty and dripping in some harsh as hell sauce. El Capo's are plump and full of flavour, but do get all over your face as with any wings!

Patatas bravas: My first experience with patatas bravas was in some well dodgy tapas place in Bolton. They were hard as rocks with this naff tomato sauce poured on them. Sod that! These are like a fragrant roastie; crisp edges with a sauce I could cover myself in. I like them.

Prawnstar - fried prawns in garlic and chilli: Life long prawn hater, fully loving the little pink fellas these days! They had this wonderful sharpness mixed with a delicate warmth from the chillies.

Chipotle panga tacos - white fish in a herb and spice batter: More fish that I absolutely adored. This wasn't just a case of 'trying it', I loved them. Good call from my pal Tasha here, add a bit of the El Capo slaw to these. It turns them from tasty to spectacular. Mouth is watering.

Fries with smoked chipotle sauce: The perfect accompaniments to all this meat! Tip, dip these in the wing sauce. I know.

El Capo slaw: Crisp strips sweet potato, cabbage, onion and corn in abandoner sauce. As mentioned above, great with tacos.

Mac n cheese with chorizo: Sweet Jesus. If you go to El Capo and do not order this, you are a damn fool! Mix this with chips to produce a carb infused piece of actual heaven. I ate too much of this.

Chicken burrito - served with rice, guava, black beans, veggies and cheese: 'Do you want to chimichanga that?'... In unison, 'yes!'. This is why I knock around with these folks. Much love. What can make an already awesome item even better? That's right, deep frying the bugger. Check me into A&E.

Pedro's Changa: It's basically a spiced apple chimichanga burrito. I was very very excited about this. However, a heinous piece of misfortune was about to cross my path. I hadn't even been under any ladders. I eagerly cut it open, (despite the fact I had already eaten my monthly quota of carbs) took a big old bite... but NO! A terrible error had occurred. I wasn't quite quick enough to warm my pals. Turns out both desserts had been lavishly topped with salt instead of sugar! Bad times. However, after much laughter and many apologies, this was rectified. The only problem was this was the last one, so I will have to wait to sample this apple filled beauty. 

Churros: Churros are one of my favourite desserts in the whole world. Imagine them packed with spicy chocolate. Yep, inside the churros. Once we had the unsalted versions, we caned these. It numbed the pain of the salt.

Churro sundae: A valiant effort was made, but the battle was lost. Considering how much we had eaten between three of us, it was an impressive attempt. Warning, this dessert may cause extreme drowsiness within the hour. I've seen.

The cocktails deserve their own section, for they made me very happy indeed. I have a feeling that this wasn't all of them, but cut me some slack, I was involved in all that food above, and had consumed two cocktails before getting to El Capo. There are plenty of quirky drinks in the city; hell I've had them on fire, with sweets stuck in them, with popping candy and even one served in a ceramic elephant. However, these are some of my favourites. They have an element of fun, but taste bloody amazing. 

Clockwise...

El bambino: Brugal blanco, creme de peche, hibiscus syrup, lime juice, Ting and 100s and 1000s: It's pretty, but also utterly delicious. One for those who love a sweet cocktail. 

Cazcabel honey tequila: The best tequila I've ever tasted. It's like pure alcoholic honey syrup. I'm buying a bottle. I'll see you in group therapy. 

La eposa Tashita (The Wife) - Stoli red, lychee, lemon juice, vanilla and prosecco: This was my old fave before it was taken off the menu. I was fuming, but not quite as much as the owner's wife who it was named after... She's back kids, and just as beautiful as before with her little violet. 

Inca trail - Lemongrass infused pisco, guava, lime, agave and rhubarb bitters: Very refreshing with a sharp edge.

Cocktail with no name - Mango vodka, creme de peche, ruby red grapefruit, lime and lychee: Another fruity one which is also surprisingly boozy. 

Poya loco sharer - Ilegal Mezcal, lime, grapefruit, Courvosier, bon bon syrup, guava lime and apple juice (below): A tour de force! Not only is it served in a giant glass skull, but it was the perfect antidote to having eaten all the carbs and meat in the world. Bright eyed and bushy tailed (for 10 minutes) after we'd dealt with this.

We had a lovely evening filled with food, booze, laughter and fantastic music. The music here is just brilliant; one minute you're rapping along with Mase, next thing you're starting a conga... El Capo really is a great all rounder if you like Mexican food and fancy booze. Our waitress Eve also deserves a mention; she was an utter delight, despite the fact she was from Calgary and had never heard of Bret Hart. Go here with your homies for a night of drunken fun and singing!

Apple Pie Bundt Cake

Why have I never made this before? There were some serious smells going on in our house whilst this was baking.  Yesterday I was having my mum and dad round for Sunday lunch, and fancied making a dessert that I could serve warm with custard; a proper pudding. I genuinely nearly made a pie, but then thought better of it. An apple pie bundt was on the cards. Pretty much made up as I went along, this has to be one of my favourite bundts ever. Beautiful cold, but killer with hot vanilla custard!

I like all the components of apple pie, but sometimes struggle with the whole pastry and slightly undercooked apples thing. Now soft apples drenched in cinnamon, with plump sultanas are definitely my bag. As much as I love pie, I'm definitely more 'team cake'.

Ingredients:

• 225g butter
• 400g golden caster sugar (plus a little more for dusting the apples later)
• 50g dark muscovado sugar
• 4 medium eggs
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 350g plain flour
• 3 tsp cinnamon (plus a little more for dusting the apples later)
• 1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 100g sultanas (optional)
• 250ml apple yoghurt (I used Onken Greek Style)
• 1 medium Bramley apple
• 5 tbsp golden syrup
• 2 tbsp golden caster sugar
• 1 tbsp demerara sugar

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to gas 3/160 c
2. Prepare a regular sized bundt tin - 2.4l, 10 cup, 10 inch with Cake Release spray and dust with flour.
3. Cream the butter and sugars until pale and fluffy.
4. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. 
5. Add the extract.
6. In a separate bowl, measure out the flour, cinnamon, bicarbonate of soda, salt and sultanas.
7. Note: the sultanas will get trapped in the sieve later on. This is an easy way of coating them in flour so they don't sink!
8. Pour the yoghurt into a jug.
9. Meanwhile... Peel and core your apple, and thinly slice. Don't worry about lemon juice to stop browning, instead, cover in a sprinkling of caster sugar and dust with cinnamon - just enough to coat the apples. Give them a good stir. 
10. Sift a third of the flour mix into the main bowl, followed by half the yoghurt mix. Repeat this until everything is combined.
11. Stir in the sultanas.
12. Give everything a quick mix on a low speed for about 10 seconds.
13. Pour 3/4 of the mix into your prepared tin. 
14. Poke your apples in, in a clock formation - see pic.
15. Cover with the rest of the mix.
16. Bake in the centre of the oven for about 1 hour 15 minutes or until a skewer comes out clean. 
17. Leave the cake to cool for ten minutes before removing from the tin.
18. When the cake is fully cool, warm the golden syrup in the microwave until it's slightly runny, and brush over the cake. Dust the whole thing with caster sugar, and then just the top with demerara.

Where to buy this stuff:

Cake Release

Nordic Ware Blossom Bundt Tin

Bloggers: Please respect the fact I am sharing my own ideas and basic recipe. Blood, sweat and many tears have gone into getting this right, so you may enjoy a perfect bundt. If you wish to re-blog a recipe from these variations, please credit my blog and link to this original post rather than pasting the recipe on your own page.

Easter Bundty Rabbit Chocolate Cake

The Easter Bunny came to work today. Well, I did, and I brought cake. No, I didn't wear bunny ears and a bob-tail, that would just be weird. I had set myself a brief; all the chocolate. I was smitten by Marks and Spencer's little chocolate rabbits, so decided to design a cake around them. 

This is a rich, mega moist cake, with both milk and white chocolate chips, smothered in more white chocolate. This isn't exclusively for Easter, but I'm a big fan of naff Easter confectionary, so as you can see, I used it all! Taste has no place here. 

This cake got some cracking feedback at work, so I can see it being reinvented for lots of different occasions. 

 Ingredients:

• 225g butter
• 450g golden caster sugar
• 4 medium eggs
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 310g plain flour
• 40g good quality cocoa powder
• 1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 200ml vanilla yoghurt 
• 75ml chocolate milk
• 2 tablespoons of milk chocolate spread (optional)
• 100g milk chocolate chips
• 100g white chocolate chips
• Jar of white chocolate spread 
• Sweets to decorate

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to gas 3/160 c
2. Prepare a regular sized bundt tin - 2.4l, 10 cup, 10 inch with Cake Release spray and dust with flour mixed with a little cocoa.
3. Cream the butter and sugar until pale and fluffy.
4. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. 
5. Add the extract.
6. In a separate bowl, measure out the flour, cocoa, bicarbonate of soda, salt and chocolate chips.
7. Pour the yoghurt and chocolate milk into a jug and stir in the chocolate spread.
8. Sift in a third of the flour mix followed by half the yoghurt mix. Repeat this until everything is combined.
9. Note: Your chocolate chips will be caught in the sieve, ensuring they are covered in flour. This will stop them sinking!
10. Stir in the chocolate chips.
11. Give everything a quick mix on a low speed for about 10 seconds.
12. Pour the mix into your prepared tin. 
13. Bake in the centre of the oven for about 1 hour 20 minutes or until a skewer comes out clean. 
14. Leave the cake to cool for ten minutes before removing from the tin.
15. When the cake is fully cool, pop the white chocolate spread into a jug and heat in the microwave for around 20 seconds to loosen it. Tip over your cake and decorate with chocolate Easter bunnies and plus any other garish items you can get your paws on!

Where to buy this stuff:
Cake Release
Fleur De Lis Bundt
Round Cake Board

Bloggers: Please respect the fact I am sharing my own ideas and basic recipe. Blood, sweat and many tears have gone into getting this right, so you may enjoy a perfect bundt. If you wish to re-blog a recipe from these variations, please credit my blog and link to this original post rather than pasting the recipe on your own page.

Salvi's Mozzarella Bar, Manchester

A couple of years ago, I discovered the wonder that is Salvi's. I sampled their 'Cucina' on John Dalton Street, and was totally smitten. I'm generally a bit non-plussed by Italian food, often favouring spicier options like Indian or Mexican. Italian as I knew it changed when I went to Salvi's. Fresh pasta, constantly changing specials, home made desserts and entertaining waiters make this family run business, the business. 

Their 'Mozzarella Bar' has just reopened in the city's newest foodie haunt, The Corn Exchange. Gone are the drab, soulless days of 'The Triangle', and now Salvi's rub shoulders with the likes of Mowgli and Wahaca. However, unlike the fancy exteriors of their neighbours, Salvi's have a small, unassuming shop front which can only be accessed from outside. It may look like a small deli, but if you venture inside, you'll find one of the cutest dining rooms in the city. 

I'll be honest, this set up caused confusion to begin with. We walked inside to find we appeared to have joined a queue. When we got to the front, the chap serving appeared very confused when I explained we had a table booked, however after a few awkward seconds, pointed us towards some stairs at the back of the deli. It's tiny, so you will genuinely wonder whether you have gone horribly wrong.

Downstairs is a different story. We were warmly welcomed by a cheery Italian chap, who showed us to a lovely table in the dimly lit dining room. The lighting is low, but it feels far from gloomy with the brightly coloured furniture and shiny green leather. Drinks were offered swiftly, and menus were in hand, with the upstairs confusion strictly in the past. 

Minestrone soup: My husband's favourite, personally I'm not usually a fan. This was gorgeous. It tasted as strong as a tomato consommé, but with lovely chunky vegetables.

Bruschetta con Tallegio: Basically posh cheese on toast with a tangy balsamic glaze. I'd give it a big kiss if I wasn't too busy eating it. I'm adding balsamic vinegar to cheese on toast from now on; Bruschetta con Horwich.

Pasta with Italian sausage: Pasta never thrills me. It's just pasta. However, pasta from Salvi's is a very different story. I'm confident I could try any pasta dish of theirs and love it. Perfectly al dente with generous chunks of sausage.

Rib eye steak with roast potatoes: The photos do not do this beaut of a dish any form of justice. Seriously, it's one of the best things I've eaten in some time. Thick cut strips of rare rib eye steak, covered in cheese and that beautiful balsamic reduction. The potatoes are no afterthought either; perfectly crisp with fluffy interiors. It made me very happy indeed. I also need to add that this dish is under £15. Bargainous.

Apple strudel: Paddy, 'I'm just having a coffee'. I've heard that before. Needless to say, I only saw half of this. Genuine joy.  Genuine anger that it isn't in front of me this very second.

I've never had a bad meal from Salvi's. They were really busy on Saturday, and there were a couple of incidents where the wrong food was delivered (awkwardly, it was for the table next to us!), but this was dealt with using equal measures of sincere apology and humour. Forgiven in an instant. The front of house staff were excellent, and the food blew our socks off. It even prompted me to make fresh pasta for dinner on Sunday! Not the same, it turns out.

You're going to struggle to find better Italian food in the city.


Disclaimer: I was invited to go and sample the new menu at Salvi's Mozzarella Bar. However, this was met with genuine elation, as I already knew how much I loved them. They have not paid me to say nice things, and indeed I regularly pay them to feed my face. 

Bakchich, Manchester

Bakchich has been on my list since it opened. I'd seen their sister restaurant in Liverpool a few months earlier, so was suitably chuffed when I heard they were coming to Manchester. I've been eating out left, right and centre recently, but this week finally made time to visit.

It's set just off Oxford Road, near the Humanities block at Manchester University. Incidentally, this is where I did my degree. Imagine if this had been there when I was? I'd have been (more of) a disgrace. In my day we had a Gregg's, which already led to an unhealthy obsession with Belgian buns. Thinking about it, I lived off those and Cadbury's Tasters, with the occasional packet of strawberry Chewits thrown in.

We walked in from the cold to be greeted by lovely Sam; a genuine delight, who was keen to get us away from that nip and to a warmer spot at the back of the restaurant. We were pretty sure we loved him already. The restaurant itself is a pretty mix of bright furniture, beautiful tiles and numerous packets and tins of exotic looking food. The kitchen is open, which allows you to see the culinary wizardry being conjured in the back.

Bakchich don't serve alcohol, but we really didn't miss it, despite both having spent a busy morning in work and being partial to a lunchtime cocktail. 

Roza lemonade - lemon, line and rose water: These were our favourites! Slightly fizzy with a subtly hint of rose. We stayed on these. 

Apple, lime and ginger juice: Very refreshing with a little warmth from the fresh ginger. 

Bread and dips: We were starved by this point, so soft warm flatbreads were most welcome. That garlic mayo is just gorgeous. Fairly sure I still stink of it now, but I care very little, as it was totally worth it.

Hommous Beiruty: Thick and creamy with sweet pomegranate seeds. Great for slathering over falafel, just saying.

Sweet potato falafel: How lucky that was! Another dish where pictures don't do it justice. A nice change from the standard type, and something the staff are obviously very proud of. You must try these with a big old pile of assorted dips.

Bakchich Arayes: One of the standout dishes for me. They are described on the menu as pastries, however they are more like a thin, filled flatbread than a pasty style item (I had imagined something Cornish looking). Get this dipped in you hommous. The pickles deserve a separate mention; pickle fans, get involved in these!

Bourkouri halloumi: One of my other favourites. I can't get enough of halloumi. Served on delicate tomato bulgur wheat, this soft cheese had managed to avoid the 'squeak overload' you sometimes get when it's slightly overdone. I'm having this again.

Chicken shawarma platter: Basically this is strips of chicken, roasted on a spit like doner meat. It means it's incredibly juicy. The chips are pretty good too.

Mixed grill meshawi: Amazing if you're incredibly indecisive. There are four kebabs, including shish, taouk, lahma meshawi, kefta meshawi and chicken kofta. As much as I thought all of them were fantastic, the taouk (chicken skewers) were my favourites, owing to the charred edges.

The picture below looks like a rather civilised and sensible plate of food. This was round one! By the end of the meal, we had rice all over the show, and had consumed way too much. We were so happy!

Then our lovely waiter asked us whether we had room for dessert. We did not, but went with it anyway. He explained that all the desserts are home made in the Liverpool restaurant, then sent over to Manchester, thus the cheesecake being in a little plastic pot.

Lebanese coconut cheesecake: So light and creamy, with the subtlest hint of coconut.

Almond and pineapple cake: This one wins! I'm a sucker for anything with almond in it. Holy moly this is good. I don't care if you think you're full. Get a grip and revive your lethargy with this sugar fuelled beauty. Perfect in every way.

Teas - Moroccan mint and Lebanese: We were persuaded to have tea by the wise waiter who saw we may be unable to vacate the premises without assistance. He assured us that it would aid digestion and bring us back to the land of the living. Lee had mint whilst I went for the Lebanese blend, poured from a terrifying height. I can't say enough nice things about the soothing quality of Lebanese tea; a warming brew of rose water, zaatar and cardamom. Try it.

Note: no-one had tea poured onto their crotch, this is just an unfortunate angle where Lee managed to get her tea loving mug in the shot.

If you love lots of bits, genuinely adorable staff, and saying 'ooooh' a lot, go to Bakchich. You won't be disappointed.


Disclaimer: Lee and I were asked to go to Bakchich to check out their new restaurant. I was not paid to say anything nice, befriend their staff, or threaten to move in. However, I did find out that the food is wonderful, and if things get too much, there is a bed upstairs. Thanks Sam. 

Reese's Peanut Butter Cup Bundt Cake

Superbowl. A time for the boys in our clan to gather, eat BBQ food, play horse-racing games, drink too much, fall asleep mid-game, inevitably end up in a hot tub, and return home at 6.30am. No fantasy here folks, all actual fact from Superbowl 50. It's now tradition that the annual Superbowl party has an appropriately themed bundt, and this year it was the turn of Reese's Peanut Butter Cups to soak up some of the booze!

This is a lovely moist chocolate cake with a ripple of peanut butter going through the centre. Your kitchen will smell quite outstanding, I assure you.

Ingredients:

• 225g butter
• 350g golden caster sugar
• 100g soft brown sugar
• 4 medium eggs
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 310g plain flour
• 40g good quality cocoa powder
• 1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 200ml vanilla yoghurt 
• 75ml chocolate milk
• 2 tablespoons of chocolate spread
• 5 tbsp peanut butter
• Jar of chocolate spread (minus 2 tablespoons!)
• Reese's Mini Peanut Butter Cups to decorate

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to gas 3/160 c
2. Prepare a regular sized bundt tin - 2.4l, 10 cup, 10 inch with Cake Release spray and dust with flour mixed with a little cocoa.
3. Cream the butter and sugar until pale and fluffy.
4. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. 
5. Add the extract.
6. In a separate bowl, measure out the flour, cocoa, bicarbonate of soda and salt.
7. Pour the yoghurt and chocolate milk into a jug and stir in the chocolate spread.
8. Sift in a third of the flour mix followed by half the yoghurt mix. Repeat this until everything is combined.
9. Give everything a quick mix on a low speed for about 10 seconds.
10. Pour 3/4 of the mix into your prepared tin.
11. Cover with a layer of peanut butter.
12. Pour in the rest of the mix and smooth over. 
13. Bake in the centre of the oven for about 1 hour 15 minutes or until a skewer comes out clean. 
14. Leave the cake to cool for ten minutes before removing from the tin.
15. When the cake is fully cool, pop the chocolate spread into a jug and heat in the microwave for around 20 seconds to loosen it. Tip over your cake and decorate with the Reese's Peanut Butter Cups.

Where to buy this stuff:
Cake Release
Nordic Ware Chiffon Bundt
Reese's Minis
Reese's Peanut Butter

Bloggers: Please respect the fact I am sharing my own ideas and basic recipe. Blood, sweat and many tears have gone into getting this right, so you may enjoy a perfect bundt. If you wish to re-blog a recipe from these variations, please credit my blog and link to this original post rather than pasting the recipe on your own page.