Mezze and Moussaka: The MUNCHIES Supper Club in Manchester

On Monday, MUNCHIES and Old Blue Last Beer hosted a supper club in Manchester with The Ottö-Men, a catering duo who specialise in contemporary Ottoman and Mediterranean cuisine.

James Lavin and Nick Torkington (or “Broadbean” and “Chickpea” as they like to call each other) came together as The Ottö-Men after working on independently on Middle Eastern-inspired food stalls.

“Three years ago, we were working at Leverhulme Market, with Nick selling falafel, while I specialised in blackened Lebanese lamb,” says Lavin. “We soon realised that between us, we had a fantastic and different style of mezze in the making and formed The Ottö-Men.”

Held at TROVE, a bright cafe in the city's Ancoats area, the MUNCHIES Manchester supper club began with a selection of canapés, including fresh Armenian pastry filled with roasted vegetables and moussaka with smoked confit aubergine and a mountain of herb dressing—the kind of luscious green that makes you immediately think of summer, which is exactly what we needed on this cold January night.

Guests were seated at a long shared table for the starters, a mezze of battered tenderstem broccoli and cauliflower with white bean crush, baba ganoush, and hummus. After that was the main event: a centrepiece of squash, roasted “in the shell” with burned onion and sun-dried peppers. On the side was Iranian lentil dhal and colourful baked Persian rice. To finish was a trio of sweets: warm baklava with mango and rose nectar, topped with an oat and pistachio cream and pomegranates.

Here are some photos from the night.