Salut Wine Opens, BBC's Smelly Staff, Dish Of The Week

SleuthSleuth is a sideways glance at the city every week, it's the truth, but Sleuth's truth. He's several people all at once. We give £25 for every story/rumour and piece of absurdity you find for us to publish. Sleuth sometimes even gets serious. We ask for the money back if any legal action follows. Follow Sleuth on twitter @mcrsleuth

Salut Wine Opens

Sleuth was strolling along Cooper Street when lo! he saw a fine new wine emporium. It was Salut and there was co-owner Sarah, a smile as wide as the Nile, waving a token at him. Sleuth went in and downed some glorious Amarone wine. The idea is to load up the credit card-like token with whatever amount you desire, say £20, and then move down to a whole wall of dispensers and sample a variety of wine up to the amount you have paid on the card. Of course you can buy take-out wine too or just get a bottle and sit down with a platter of Salut nosh. There's a review on Confidential coming up. In the meantime Sleuth recommends this good-looking grog spot.

Row upon row of loveliness

Sleuth And The Salisbury: A Big Worry

Sleuth has talked to several people and is worried that should the Cornerhouse site be sold off by the Council then it won't just be that landmark building to bite the dust. Apparently the excellent Salisbury pub might come down as well. In the area developers are being asked to submit ideas and plans for lies the charming boozer and beloved playground of Friday and Saturday night rockers. 

Sleuth thinks only one thing should happen with the buildings including the Cornerhouse and The Salisbury: nothing. Some of them need to be tidied up and refurbed, but the streetscene here, stairs up to Oxford Road Station, cobbled streets, a variety of rooflines should be undisturbed, a reminder of the older city. This is too important an area to mess up with some lump like the one that houses the Sainsbury's opposite the Palace Theatre. The editor will have an article up about the plans and opportunities next week.

There's a Facebook page set up for those who wish to preserve the Cornerhouse building.

The Salisbury - doomed?

BBC's Surprising Staff Request

Sleuth is pleased to see the BBC at MediaCityUK ensuring the site is adequately explained to guests but isn't sure they have the right candidates in mind.

It'll take a right pair of sh*ts to guide this properly

Sleuth's Defecation Surprised By Male Member In The Sky Video Of The Week

Speaking of shits Sleuth is a bit weirded out by this video from the Splendid Sausage Company - especially the tubular brown thing acting the part of the sweaty mayor.

Sleuth's Satanic Cheese Of The Week

This from Pita Pits of Hellfire supplied by Beelzebrie. 

Devil in a wrap

Cyclist Hunts Down Tram

This cyclist at St Peter's Square is clearly more used to track cycling than road racing.

"Get that bloody tram!"

Sleuth's Dish Of The Week

Sleuth went into Mr Cooper's House and Garden at The Midland Hotel this week and fell in love with a dish of chicken, various funghi, pasta and a sauce so exquisite he danced a jig of self-effacing joy, balletically flung his arms wide and climbed the tree in the centre of the restaurant, perching in its boughs with a Cheshire Cat smile.

This was a shame as a production company were in filming a four episode fly-on-the-wall documentary called The Midland - after Restaurant Wars, hasn't the place had enough TV? The picture below the picture below (the one with the two men and a woman having a crafty fag) shows Mr Cooper's manager Stephen explaining why Sleuth is in the tree.

Chicken, pasta, mushrooms and absolute delight

Stephen in 'The Midland'

The Tree

Sleuth's View Of The Week Part One

This is the view from the Vimto Gardens development back into the city, showing Salford Cathedral, the Civil Justice Centre, Beetham Tower and the entrance to the escape tunnel of the Guardian Exchange, the deep communications network built under the city to ensure communications with Nato were maintained if Britain were attacked by the Soviet Union with atomic weapons. Sleuth will let you try and spot that. It is a state secret after all.

Manchester skyline from Salford