Foodie Review #2 - GRUB Food Fair

It's a pleasure to welcome you to foodie review number two! Having had a great experience with our first trip out to eat since lockdown began, we thought we'd venture out again for a bit of grub. And where better to get that grub than GRUB Food Fair in Manchester's Green Quarter?

I'd seen GRUB pop up on my social media a few times in the past, so gave them a cheeky follow and have since been drooling over their insta posts, promising myself that I'd go and see for myself just how great it is. Well, let me tell you I was not disappointed at all! After having a look on Google Maps I discovered that it was about a ten minute walk from Manchester Victoria train station, which in turn is about half an hour's walk from our flat, so we decided to walk it. After getting lost a few times (nearly five years in this city and I still don't know my way around!) we saw the big 'GRUB' sign and headed inside excitedly.

We waited patiently at the front desk as a sign told us to, noticing the one-way system they had in place. As with our visit to 19 Cafe Bar recently, I was happy to see another establishment taking Covid-19 precautions seriously and immediately felt at ease. Within a minute we were approached by a member of staff wearing (a very funky patterned) face mask who led us through the building and out into the garden area pictured below. The staff member was very friendly and swiftly explained how GRUB worked, which was great for us first-timers. They took us to a table along the right-hand wall which gave us a great view of the rest of the garden area and explained that someone would be over to take a drinks order soon.

Decor & Atmosphere - 4.75/5

I've got to admit, whoever designed the garden has pretty cool taste. As you can see from the photo above there were two large wooden crate-like areas with picnic benches inside, plus loads of wooden pallets with plants dotted all over them. We were sat at a high "table" - which was actually a large, painted metal barrel - with two stools. It's quintessential quirky Manchester, and I am here for it. The only very slight issue was that the ground underneath us was uneven so our stools weren't too stable, but overall it didn't bother us too much.

The atmosphere was brilliant; there was chill music playing which I enjoyed bopping my head about to a little bit, plus as GRUB is family and dog friendly, there were a nice amount of, you guessed it, families and dogs! I enjoyed seeing families with kids having a little dance and some gorgeous pups having a blast with their owners too. Overall I thoroughly enjoyed the whole vibe of the place.

Drinks - 3.5/5

Whilst we drank in the quirky surroundings, another member of staff came over to get a drinks order from us. Being the hungover little beans that we were (hey, it's a miracle we even left the house) we decided to go for soft drinks. I chose a hibiscus lemonade by Steep Soda Co. and my partner chose a cola by the same company. As you can see from the picture, this company is local to Manchester, so good on GRUB for supporting local!

When the drinks arrived, my first thought was that the cans looked really cool, so was excited to try the contents. I wouldn't say we were disappointed as such, however the drinks were not as sweet as we expected them to be. I think we were both after something a little more "naughty" if you know what I mean? A little more of a treat.

Nonetheless, both the cola and the hibiscus lemonade refreshed us and quenched our thirst, which is what drinks are meant to do, right? If I visited again, I think I'd maybe try out another, sweeter drink, but hey, they were both advertised as ~SODA~ so I can't complain too much!

Food - 5/5

Now we're on to the bit that's making my mouth water even to type...FOOD! For a bit of background, it was by no coincidence that we (I) chose this specific date to visit GRUB for the first time. About eighteen months ago I visited one of my pals in Liverpool, where she took us to Baltic Market, a lovely little indoor space packed with loads of different food and drink stalls. It was here that I had what may be the best thing I have ever eaten - the Panzerotti, a deep fried calzone by Fritto UK. I am not exaggerating, this calzone was so incredibly satisfying - it was packed with bubbly, stringy melted cheese, crispy proscuitto, and pure happiness. On their Instagram, Fritto say that the Panzerotti will change your life and oh my gosh they are not wrong!

Anyway, my point is that I saw that Fritto UK were one of the vendors at GRUB and literally jumped up in excitement; I needed my second helping of what I hope will be a lifetime of deep fried calzones. So, even though the rest of the vendors' food looked amazing, I knew we were getting our scran from Fritto. I opted for a proscuitto and mushroom filled Panzerotto, and my partner chose the 'Salame', which was filled with salami and some other spicy meat. We got some scrummy Italian fries to share too, because #treatyourself.

Although both calzones were verrry hot heat-wise, and we got them mixed up at first, they were absolutely amazing, and completely lived up to my expectations and fond memories. They were super cheesy, salty, chewy (in a good way) and oh-so filling. The fries were also crunchy, salty (can you tell I love salt?) and were a delicious contrast to the cheesy goodness of the calzones. Overall, I absolutely adored this part of my GRUB experience, partly because it brought back great memories of a lovely trip and partly because the food was so damn good!

Although we were both pretty stuffed from our food from Fritto, we'd both been eyeing up the ice-cream stall Exclusive Scoop for some time too. So, once we'd finished up we decided to grab a sweet treat for the road. Being the sweet-tooth he is, my partner went for a cookie dough ice-cream in a chocolate cone with salted caramel sprinkles on top, which is pictured above. I wanted a bit more of a palate cleanser, so chose a simple mango sorbet in a tub. Both were exquisite - his had some hefty chunks of cookie dough, which I was given a bite of - and my sorbet was smooth and sweet without being overpoweringly mango-ey. Even though I devoured my sorbet, I'd definitely try out their ice-cream next time; I especially like the look of their Cherry Bakewell flavour!

All in all, we had a blast at GRUB and will definitely be paying them another visit soon. They're super active on social media so be sure to give them a follow to keep up to date with what they have going on and what vendors will be joining them soon. The food fair (when we visited) runs on Fridays and Saturdays, and on Sundays they're "Plant Powered", which is great if you're plant-based or vegan, or simply want to try out something different.

Overall rating: 4.5/5 - the staff and vendors were wonderful, friendly & helpful. The food was all delicious, and the only things I could possibly fault were the drinks and the ground where we were sat, but that's simply down to personal tastes and...nature I guess!

FYI...

We visited at 3.45pm on a Saturday, and the meal cost us £31 in total.