DIECAST

Venue coverage: If you’ve not been to Diecast yet, here’s a primer: there’s a lot going on. It’s basically all of Manchester compressed into one huge stylish venue, a few minutes from Piccadilly train station. Bar, club, dining space, theatre, there’s even a corner shop. And when it comes to the end of the week, what does the city do best? Sunday dinner, of course – which is why we’re here today. 

And somehow, their roasts are up there with the best in Manchester. For such a vast multi-functional venue, it’s to the Diecast team’s credit that they’re managing to do everything right. Food aside, it’s an awe-inspiring space with huge ceilings, great lighting, and most pleasing of all, happy and relaxed staff. 

The Sunday roast menu ticks all key boxes. There’s a vegan option, a pork option and a roast chicken option, with a short but impressive dessert menu if you’re feeling gluttonous – and when are we ever not, fellow food-lovers? 

Probably the stand-out meat option is the slow-roasted porchetta. It’s a thick slice of rolled-up pork belly, cooked with a mouth-tingling array of herbs and spices, and wonderfully salty – the ideal cure for the night before. 

That’s not to do down the chicken. Made with garlic, thyme and lemon, the breast is the best in the business. So soft it practically melts, I defy anyone to make it as good as this at home. The leg meat is great too, though the skin could do with being a little crispier, if we’re being picky. 

It also comes with a big chunk of pork, apricot and pistachio stuffing –  a genius addition that adds a welcome tangy zing to the plate. 

Both meat come with a top-tier line-up of sides: an imposing Yorkshire pudding which tears apart satisfyingly, crispy beef dripping roast potatoes, honey-glazed carrots and parsnips with thyme, buttered greens and the soon-to-be-award-winning house gravy. Not a foot put wrong. 

By now, you’ll be full – these are monster portions, but you’re advised to keep room for dessert. For us, the lemon meringue baked Alaska pie. It’s a delightful little thing, all beautiful sugar swirls, light as air yet somehow gooey – the polar opposite of those horrible school dinner meringues – with a sparkling lemony treat inside. Enticingly, it’s finished off in Diecast’s in-house Neapolitan oven, giving a wonderful golden hue to the whipped-up peaks. 

Diecast is undoubtedly one of the most intriguing and exciting new additions to Manchester in 2023. Based on the food alone, the forecasts are very, very good. It’s clear that intense care and attention has gone into these meals, but front-of-house makes it all seem effortless, as it should be. Easily one of the city’s best Sunday roasts, and a must for all fans of those week-ending feasts.

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Venue review by Anne-Marie Pattenden: DIECAST is a cavernous space born of a former foundry and machine works on Ducie Street, which has been transformed into a 5,000-capacity entertainment venue. Phase one of this project, entitled Leno Ex Machina, held its sold-out grand opening in early July 2023. This phase includes House of Daiquiri – an innovative new supersized marble bar with twenty machines churning frozen daiquiris for your drinking pleasure – and the Warehouse Kitchen, brought to you by the team behind Ramona. Want more? There’s also the Galleria late-night party concept, and the DIECAST Beer Garden & Rum Caravans outside.

The Warehouse Kitchen is rightly proud of its new creation, the ‘Neopan’ pizza

The party area itself is truly of grandiose proportions. On launch night, it’s so huge and full of partygoers that it takes several minutes to spot the DJ, who is spinning excellent disco and 90s house at an outrageous volume. The acoustic effect is magnified by the sheer height of the ceiling and the steel and concrete surroundings.

A visit to House of Daiquiri is a must. You may think of frozen daiquiri as Slush Puppies for adults, and in a way you’d be right. Some of the eight flavours, such as sugary sweet Watermelon and Mint, hit right in the childhood. At the other end of the scale is the vibrant orange, mysteriously named ‘Garibaldi’, which has a sophisticated, complex taste reminiscent of Campari. Somewhere in between, our favourites are the tangy Sour Cherry and tropical Pineapple and Passionfruit. If you fancy mixing things up (literally) by having two flavours at a time, this is very much encouraged – it’s even an official option on the drinks menu and costs the same as having a single flavour.

Sit down at one of the bookable tables for food, and fuel your party with a range of small plates, wood-fired flatbreads, pizza, burgers and waffle fries. The Calabrian chicken wings are juicy, high-quality meat in a crispy coating rolled in a sweet and sour, spicy sauce. They come with a sour cream and Sicilian oregano dip – a perfect foil to the neon red stickiness. 

The Warehouse Kitchen is rightly proud of its new creation, the ‘Neopan’ pizza. It’s the lovechild of New York and Neapolitan-style pizzas, resulting in a fluffy, Neapolitan-style crust with an extra crispy, almost deep pan base holding plenty of topping. The Margherita with San Marzano tomatoes, extra virgin olive oil, fior de latte, basil and parmesan fulfils these promises with a crisp, chewy, fluffy base which rivals the toppings for your tastebuds’ attention. Embellish your crust with one of the nine house-made dipping sauces – from verdant pesto singing with fresh basil and pistachio, to summer truffle mayo and ‘Nduja chilli honey.

House of Daiquiri’s novel drinks offering means you can get your night off to a flying start

We believe they should be even more proud of their excellent burgers. The Vegan Burger has vegan cheeze and a top-notch meat-free patty from Arley’s of Altrincham, whose smoky flavour and convincingly meaty texture suggests it may be made from jackfruit. The Leno Burger, on the other hand, has us sighing with delight with its juicy, dry-aged Angus beef short rib patty. It’s incredibly flavoursome and has the perfect lean-to-fat ratio. Both burgers come in delicious potato based brioche buns. A side of baked waffle fries topped with a mountain of grated truffle and pecorino goes very nicely.

DIECAST looks set to be the city’s hottest new party venue, with plenty of glamorous young things strutting their stuff on the steel platforms to pounding, pounding techno music. House of Daiquiri’s novel drinks offering and Warehouse Kitchen means you can get your night off to a flying start.