Just a few weeks ago many of us were heading into the city for the Manchester Christmas Markets, sipping on mugs of gluhwein and getting our fill of bratwurst. If you're already missing the latter the good news is there's a brand new restaurant where you can get your fix.
Opening in the heart of John Dalton Street is Sausage Shack, a brand new restaurant concept, which opened its doors just before Christmas. Billing itself as the only place in Manchester to serve a menu dedicated to sausages, dishes here span everything from hot dogs and burgers to loaded boxes, salads and more.
Walk into the restaurant and you'll immediately notice a sign across the wall which reads 'More than hot dogs' - and it's true, the concept, which offers both sit-in and takeaway options has been carefully developed and is looking to provide a point a point of difference in the city centre.
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"The concept started because we saw a gap in the market in as far as there's no restaurant specialising in sausages", explains Operations Director Mohammad Waseem. "A a lot of restaurants have sausages, but just as a single item such as a hot dog, and its always a side dish rather than the main event."
Spanning breakfast dishes like shack pancakes and frittata muffins to lunch items such as hot dogs, subs and burgers, as well as loaded boxes and pasta bakes, the new eatery is proving that you there's plenty of choice when it comes to the humble sausage. And, in the case of Sausage Shack, the meat here is halal and of a very high quality.
"Another factor is that when you come into the city centre, you won't find places that serve halal sausages so our concept is totally halal and we don't serve any alcohol," adds Mohammad. "Plus whenever you speak to people about sausages, most people will think of hotdogs but as you can see, our menu builds on this and is a lot more varied, with dishes that can be prepared to include sausages.
"The final thing that brought the concept together was that when you go to other restaurants and supermarkets, the sausages are usually quite low in meat content, they have an average of anywhere between 42 percent and 56 per cent, the rest is all leftovers and fillers. So, we wanted to bring a healthier and meatier option.
"Our sausages are only beef and chicken sausages, and our beef sausages are 80 per cent beef and 20 per cent fat, while our chicken sausages are 98 per cent chicken and two per cent fat." Highlights of the menu include the Katsu Shack box comprising chicken or beef sausages coated in breadcrumbs on a bed of French fries topped with a subtly spicy katsu sauce, spring onions and chillies, and the Shack Beef Duo burger with relish and melted cheese which oozes from the toasted brioche bun.
The menu, which also includes chicken pasta salad, a Shack Cesar salad, Greek salad and nachos, has been developed in partnership with a top chef, whose guidance was sought to take the concept to the next level. As Mohammad explains: "To elevate it we brought in Michelin-starred chef Peter Gordon from Devon who we explained our idea to - he loved it and has helped us finalise the menu."
Described as "the godfather of fusion cooking", New Zealander Peter Gordon has been championing global flavours since 1995 and is considered a "pioneer of fusion food". His culinary portfolio includes a roll call of award-winning restaurants at home and away, plus eight books and the honour of cooking for former United States President Barack Obama.
While Sausage Shack doesn't serve alcohol, is does offer a variety of soft drinks, as well as teas and coffees. For those with room left for desserts, the counter is stocked full of cookies, apples pies, muffins and cakes - plus there's are range of Shack Shacks spanning flavours such as chocolate, funky banana and salted caramel.
Shake Shack is open now and can be found as 37 John Dalton Street, M2 6DN.
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