By Adam Maidment
Copyright manchestereveningnews
Some of Manchester’s finest food vendors and venues will be joining forces for a special one-off food festival this week. Food Fest at Freight Island will take place at the beloved venue, near Piccadilly Station , on Thursday night (October 2) and will feature a host of popular names and chefs as they bounce off one another to create unique creations that can’t be found anywhere else. Amongst the line-up taking part will be Manchester restaurant Skof, which was hailed last week as the Restaurant of the Year in England at this year’s AA Hospitality Awards. The venue, on Federation Street, near Victoria Station and within the NOMA district, only opened its doors last May. The restaurant is the first solo venture from acclaimed chef Tom Barnes and follows on just a few months after the venue earned itself a Michelin star for its focus on simplistic British cooking. Stay connected with our City Life newsletter here Speaking about the recent award win, as well as a three-star Rosette, which is only given to ‘consistently excellent’ venues which ‘demand national recognition’, chef Tom said he was ‘so proud of what we’ve been able to achieve in such a short space of time’. Thursday’s free-to-attend food festival at Freight Island will see SKOF team up with Nell’s Pizza for a unique collaboration, whilst Chorlton Street Mexican restaurant Madre will also partner up with Mega Gyros for a one-off dish. Open-fire restaurant Stow, based in Deansgate, will also take part in the event with a team-up alongside Ornella’s Little Kitchen, which is an authentic pasta-deli spot in Denton and also at Freight Island. The two venues will create a menu focused on bold flavours and refined comfort, with stand-out dishes set to include a grilled corn flatbread with lardo, and Spenwood, as well as a BBQ beef short rib with gnocchi, parmesan sauce, and BBQ tomatoes. There will also be a chargrilled crown prince pappardelle with walnuts, smoked butter sauce, crispy sage, and Spenwood. Another unique pair-up will see Stockport favourites Where The Light Gets In, which is led by chef Sam Buckley, join forces with Salford-based dark kitchen Burgerism for a special treat. The Stockport restaurant, which has a Michelin Green star, has also proven to be a trailblazer within the local food scene for its unique pop-ups in the city, which included a fast food joint selling ‘pretentious’ burgers as part of a £40 Happy Meal. Burgerism, meanwhile, which now has spots in the likes of the city centre and Gatley, has also become known for its top-tier smash burgers, and was named the Best Burger in the North of England and Midlands by Deliveroo earlier this year. At the food festival, the pair will serve up the WTLGI x Beefed Burger, which features double-smashed Cheshire beef patties alongside roasted Ishikura onion mayo and tangy house-pickled cucumbers in a soft brioche bun. There will also be a vegetarian option, the Confit Lion’s Mane Burger, which will feature crispy breaded mushrooms from Stockport Fungi alongside a rich BBQ apple sauce. In addition, there will also be unique pair-ups with the likes of Cardinal Rule x Pattersons, Sampa x Mia’s Arepas, Bangkok Diners Club x Morejoy, and Kongs NQ x Fuku, whilst DGHNT x Oh My Cheesecake will be offering something sweet to finish off with. Alongside the unique food partnerships, Food Fest at Freight Island will also feature a host of DJ sets as well as live performances from the likes of The Juice and Sola Guinto. Billed as a ‘true showcase of Manchester’s dynamic food culture’, tables for the event have now been fully reserved but walk-in’s are welcome. The food festival will run from 4pm to 11pm. Freight Island is on 11 Baring Street, Manchester, M1 2PZ. Join our Manc Life WhatsApp group HERE
