A Gooood Friday

As all good Christians know, on Good Friday, meat is off the menu. But for athiests, it's a very different story. So where better to start the bank holiday than Manchester's latest meat Valhalla, Friday Food Fight?

Friday Food Fight is a new event set up by B.Eat Street, which brings together 10 of Manchester's top independent eateries and street vendors in Upper Campfield Market Hall (just opposite the Hilton). With a 12-week schedule, each week a different group of vendors from the likes of Red's True BBQ, SoLiTa and Lucha Lubre, plus smaller indies like The Hip Hop Chip Shop, set up shop with four or five dishes each.

With the sun poking through the old roof windows of the market hall, the smell of the smokers that hits you as you walk in is mouth-wateringly good. Combine that with a DJ setup, a couple of pop up bars serving draught ales and you're in for a good night.

The best thing about Friday Food Fight is the choice. We've all been in that situation where the menu in a restaurant is so good that it's almost too hard to pick just one. Everything at Food Fight is designed not to bust your gut, so you can get involved with as many of the stands as you can handle. My cohorts and I tackled everything from Piggy Smalls' Amy Swinehouse to the Diamond Dogs Chilli Cheese number, plus there was room for some SoLiTa wings. For those of you with a sweeter tooth, Sugar Rush are in residency for the full 12 weeks, if you can handle cake after a meat overload.

For added entertainment, there's also eating contests a la Man vs. Food to get the inebriated stag and office parties going. Once you're full to the brim yourself, there's not much more enjoyable than watching an obnoxious meathead (no pun intended) crumble under the heat of a last man standing hot wing contest.

FFF is B.Eat Street's debut event so is only running until mid-May, but expect more to come. With each vendor covering half of the events, it's one to make the most of. Blink and you'll miss it.

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Strippers or Ribs?

There are two ways to spend a £20 note on Manchester's Lloyd Street: BBQ food and strippers - and it's open to debate which is dirtier.

Located next door to the ever-classy Silks nightclub, Red's True BBQ set up shop in Manchester in February to serve up God's beautiful animals to God's less beautiful animals. I've been hoping the positive things I've heard about Red's were true to form, and I'm happy to say they bloody well are...

Unfortunately, it turns out I'm not the only one to have heard about the meaty mountains on offer - no, I'm not digressing to lapdancing again. However, despite being given a waiting time of 80 minutes for a table - seriously, why don't these types of eatery offer small bookings? - the wait was most definitely worth it.

First of all, Red's is one of a number of the dirty food revolution who have put a lot of thought into the eating experience. Walking in, you're immediately hit by the boilerhouse chainlink, Saw-esque lighting and neon wall signs. Couple that with an on-display grill kitchen and the likes of REO Speedwagon and KISS blasting, and you know you're in for a pretty lively dining experience.

Initially, the menu doesn't exactly come across as 'budget' - I've mentioned before how much you can get a belly-busting burger and sides for at Almost Famous - but what you get for your money is worth every penny.

My man-date and I decided to split a healthy dose of brisket and pulled pork, alongside compulsory fries and a side portion of Texas toast - essentially grilled Monterey Jack on toast. The brisket and pulled pork were both bang on the money and were perfectly accompanied by Red's sauce rack. Each table comes armed with five sauce options, all with a different plate in mind, and give the meat extra sweetness to help you tackle the beastly quantities.

The real headline has to be reserved for their rib bucket though. Some people fill buckets with water to wash their car. Some with sand to build a castle. Red's fill theirs with every type of rib you could ever want. St. Louis, beef long, baby back, tips; they're all there and piled up high. Bearing in mind the no nonsense Bucket O'Bones appears as a single dish and not on the sharer menu, we barely made a dent in it, and not for want of trying - not that it's a bad thing to have enough to satisfy and more to take home for round two. All washed down with Red's homemade lemonade, you can't knock it.

Strippers or ribs? I rule this one a TKO in favour of the red corner.

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