Digital JukeBox Machine In Manchester At The Courtyard!

I was starting to think that none of the bars in Manchester had a Digital Jukebox machine! And I was even more surprised that there were some bars which had those really old analog-based JukeBox machines! Supposedly, it’s a thing here in Manchester.

However after checking through more than dozen places and asking people around if they knew of a bar with Jukebox machine, I finally found The Courtyard which had a digital Jukebox Machine! While it isn’t one of the best Jukebox machine as I wasn’t able to find a number of songs, it’s one of the only options around the area I think.

There is a lot of space in front of the Jukebox so if you have a group of friends, you can easily dance on the floor as well and enjoy the music! While I was playing music, even the bartenders joined in dancing with me!

The place is actually big and has a pool tables (which are free during specific days/hours/specials) and also has a few gambling machines. I didn’t get to play but found it interesting.

The drinks are fairly priced, a bit lower than some of the other places in Manchester as I was able to get cocktails for around 3.50 quid.

This could be a good place for a group hangout, playing your own music, playing pool and a little bit of games. They also have a massive patio for hangout.

Address: 2 Chester St, Manchester M1 5SH, United Kingdom

Rating – 7/10

Tom Mehra

Tom Mehra, an Ottawa-based Software Engineer with a Masters in Information Systems from the University of Texas at Dallas, shares insights on local food spots and top attractions in Canada and the US. He’s also a former resident of the US, UK, and India, and in 2023, his blog was nominated for an Ottawa Award by Faces Magazine. He is also a cat sitter.

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Ultimate Rock Music Experience At Satans Hollow Manchester!

I have never really been to a proper Rock Music venue ever! But recently I ended up meeting a friend of mine who recommended that we head to this place called Satans Hollow. Satans Hollow is an exclusive Rock/Metal venue. Apparently, this place is quite popular and people from other cities far away from Manchester head to this place.

As soon as you enter the venue, you will notice that it has a bit of a dark theme and I think the owners of the establishment have tried to present it like you are in Hell. There are multiple large rooms at the venue. While some of them are as small as a bedroom and are suitable for a small party, the others were really large. There are different statues/paintings/sculptures everywhere you go!

I found one of the large rooms quite humid and felt like I was in a forest. I think it was some kind of theme but could just be everyone sweating lol. You will also notice that some of the people are wearing costumes. I didn’t notice any mosh pit so I think people are usually quite respectful of your space during the night.

This could be an awesome place to end your night with your friends. Drinks are reasonably prices and the atmosphere is good. There is an entrance charge of GBP 5 but is quite reasonable for the experience you will have at the venue.

I didn’t know any of the songs that were being played but I thoroughly enjoyed my time at the venue. Also you will notice that a lot of people vape inside the venue, they even a vape vending machine! something I have never noticed before in clubs in North America.

Address: 101 Princess St, Manchester M1 6DD, United Kingdom

Rating – 9/10

Tom Mehra

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Salsa Dancing Lessons At Man With The Fish Manchester!

If you are on your own and looking for something to do in Manchester on the weekend then maybe head down to Man With The Fish on a Friday night for Salsa Dancing! While the place is a restaurant during the daytime, it becomes a spot to learn Salsa during the evening. No prior experience is needed as the place does offer basic salsa lessons as well as a few intermediate moves!

No partner is required and you get to dance with some experienced people as well through rotation during your lessons which kind of helps you improve on yourself. You do get enough time to practice all your moves which I think is very good.

Once the lessons finish, the place turns into a Latin nightclub. You have Salsa/Bachata/Merengue music being played through the night and get to practice your moves! I also noticed that the place had Kizomba being played in the basement however noticed only a few people.

Salsa and Bachata Night At Man With The Fish

I had quite an enjoyable experience at this place learning Salsa! Even though I know a bit of Salsa, I was still able to learn some new moves! The place does get quite hot so I had to go outside quite often to get some fresh air and cool myself down. If you are planning to head there definitely wear something light.

There is a price to take the classes (I was charged 7 quid) however if you come in later during the night just for dancing then the price is reduced (4 quid). If you come in early (not for the lessons), you might be able to get in for free!

The venue also has other Latin dance lessons during the night, so if you don’t want to learn Salsa then they have Bachata as well as Kizomba Lessons by other instructors!

You might be denied entry to this place if you are not coming for dancing during their Latin nights.

Address: 78-88 High St, Manchester M4 1ES

Rating – 8.5/10

Tom Mehra

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Fun Sunday Night At Albert’s Schloss Manchester!

Don’t head to a night club on a Sunday Night in Manchester! Even if the venue is not busy, they will charge you a cover, sometimes even ask to pay for a whole table! Instead try heading out Albert’s Schloss in Manchester which turns into a dance bar late into the night! You will need to have a valid piece of ID to enter the venue.

They do have music before 9 pm however later into the night, they also have a DJ playing different genres of music. You will see a lot of people dancing on top of the benches (you are not allowed to dance on the tables!)

The place also has a patio though relatively small and it can be hard to get yourself some space there. I also noticed they have a photobooth downstairs which appeared to be busy through the night.

The venue is quite massive! They have a huge bar and it doesn’t take long to get served! The drinks are moderately priced, however I would recommend that you start drinking at one of the cheaper bars close by and then head here with your mates!

If you are on your own then I recommend you to checkout this place instead of a night club not only because it has free entry but also I ended up actually making a lot of friends during the night. There is loud music but you can still have a chat with the folks!

Just be cautious of your belongings while you are here as I noticed people losing their stuff and also some people getting kicked out for other reasons.

Address: 27 Peter St, Manchester M2 5QR

Rating: 9/10

Tom Mehra

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Fine Sushi Dining At Kato Japanese Fusion Restaurant!

This is prolly one of the best looking Sushi restaurants that I have been so far! As soon as you enter, you can see that they have put a decent amount of effort into the fine dining experience. KaTO Fusion Japonaise Restaurant is located right beside the Hilton Hotel Gatineau-Ottawa and Koena Spa!

I started with the starter – Beef Tacos and Kimchi! The Beef Tacos consisted of a crunchy taco shell, short rib beef (shredded), green onions and parsley! It also had some sauce which I think was spicy mayo! I found it to be flavorful!

Next I ordered two different types of Maki Rolls – Dragon Rolls and Spicy Yellow Tails! I must say that the food items served do have a visual appeal compared to other sushi places that you would usually go around the Ottawa-Gatineau area.

The Dragon Roll consisted of Spicy Salmon, Crab, Avocado and Mayo. Each sushi on the roll had a layer of rice ball. I found it a little hard to eat though as the pieces were a little bigger and wasn’t really impressed with the taste much.

The Spicy Yellow Tails roll consisted of Spicy Yellow Tail, Kizami Wasabi, Serrano, Tempura. I wasn’t really impressed by it’s flavor either.

Conclusion

I think the food tastes alright, does look visually appealing but is not as impressive to many other places in the city. The pricing is a little higher but that is what you would end up paying for dining at a fine dining restaurant. If you are looking to mainly have drinks and some sushi to go with it maybe this would be a nice go to spot!

Address: 1170 Chem. d’Aylmer Suite 100, Gatineau, Quebec J9H 7L3

Business website: https://restaurantkato.com/

Rating: 7/10

Tom Mehra

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A Memorable Sushi Experience At We Be Sushi Restaurant in SF!

While walking down Valence Street, I noticed this really small Sushi restaurant and decided to check it out as there weren’t many people and expected no wait times to be served! We were welcomed by the sushi chef himself, who was quite soft spoken.

I noticed that a lot of items on the sushi menu appeared quite new to me. Usually at other places I have gone for the maki rolls but on the advice of the chef, I decided to go with his suggestion which was to try a number of items off his menu.

Since we were two people, he offered to split each item into two, something I had never noticed any of the sushi restaurants do before! Also while he was making the sushi for us, we came to know a little bit about him. Apparently the chef had moved from Japan to the US a few decades back and ended up making SF his home.

The last item of Sushi that we got was something special he told on how all moms in Japan used to make sushi for their kids when he was young. It also aligned with the restaurant’s slogan ‘Like mom used to make’.

I think this is one of the few sushi restaurants that I am going to remember forever. It’s just the whole personalized sushi experience that I got and the feeling of being at home. And yes, the sushi was quite good! I do recommend you to check this place out if you are around the Mission-Dolores area.

Address: 538 Valencia St, San Francisco, CA 94110, United States

Rating: 9/10

Business website: https://www.webesushi.net/

Tom Mehra

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Combo Platter At The Halal Guys In San Francisco!

I didn’t knew this but just while walking around the city of San Francisco, I noticed that they have Halal Guys! If you haven’t heard about The Halal Guys, it’s a really popular restaurant chain that started in Manhattan, New York City. A lot of New Yorkers when they are done with their drinking, end up at this place for a meal before heading home!

And I love The Halal Guys (NYC), so I went in and ordered a combo platter. The Combo Platter contains a variety of meat (beef/chicken) and has rice, lettuce and tomatoes. In case you are vegetarian, you can get their falafel platter.

For some reason, I felt that the Combo Platter that they serve in New York City is much better than the one in San Francisco. I think part of the reason might be that the restaurant in San Francisco is Franchise owned and the quality can be a bit different.

I think the Halal Guys in San Francisco didn’t meet my expectations but that doesn’t mean that I won’t be visiting the other Halal Guys restaurant in New York whenever I am there 🙂 If you are in New York, do try The Halal Guys street carts as they offer the best pricing for the platter.

Address: 336 O’Farrell St, San Francisco, CA 94102, United States

Business website: https://thehalalguys.com/

Rating – 6.5/10

Tom Mehra

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Mystery Shots At Amado’s San Francisco!

While Bar Hopping at San Francisco’s Mission District, I decided to stop over at Amado’s as I was hearing really loud music coming from this bar. Turns out it’s not just a bar but the place has an underground music venue and is a restaurant as well!

I headed over to the bar which had a small sign that said $5 Mystery Shots and I was really curious what I would get for it, so instead of grabbing a beer or a cocktail, I decided to order their Mystery Shot! Turns out you get this really big shot glass with some really strong alcohol in it. I didn’t ask the bartender what was in my mystery shot but it was some good stuff!

Considering it’s San Francisco, this is prolly one of the cheaper drinking experiences you can have and this will get you buzzed real quick. However take caution if you are a light drinker! My stay at Amado’s was short however it was a good experience!

Address: 998 Valencia St, San Francisco, CA 94110, United States

Business website: https://amadossf.com/

Rating – 7.5/10

Tom Mehra

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How To Play With Two Cats At Once!

It can be a bit tricky to play with two cats at once! The game that I tried to play was very simple or so I thought! I would call them by their name and throw treats far away for them to chase however I noticed that both of them would chase the treats. This led to them fighting over who gets the treat.

Also, it appeared that one of the two cats would just stop playing because the other cat was being aggressive. I tried to train them for a couple of days but it was not working well.

So instead I tried a different approach. I decided to assign the cats specific paths to run in different directions of the house, I would still be calling them by their name when throwing the treats but I would not let them go into the other cat’s path.

After a bit of training, they stopped going into the other cat’s path fighting over the treats. The cats realized quick that during play, the specific path assigned belongs to them. This is prolly the simplest game I could think for me to play with both of them at once.

You could also try to throw treat for either cat when the other one is running. If both of them see you throwing the treat, then they might get confused sometimes and try to go in the other cat’s path. You want to avoid them crossing into the other cat’s path as much as possible during the initial training. It’s okay to tell them “No” so that they know when they go into the other cat’s path during playtime it’s wrong.

Tom Mehra

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Cats Review Dried Sardines Pet Treats!

I was looking for something interesting for my cat to try and found out about Dried Sardines by OnlyOneTreats that Winners/HomeSense was selling for CAD $7.99. Before this I have always given my cat, processed cat treats and some of them my cat goes absolutely crazy for.

As the name of the product suggests, it only contains Dried Sardines that have been dried naturally. There is nothing else in it that has been added to enhance it’s taste or preservation. The Pet Treats are suitable for both cats and dogs. Not only that, but they are human grade, so you can also try them out as well!

As per the nutrition notes, they are high in Omega 3 fatty acids and have calcium as well. While, the notes say low calories, It is actually 4.8 calories per 1.5g sardine! Compared to other treats, this might be a little higher but it really depends on how many are you going to end up feeding your cat.

I had another cat that I was sitting for the week so I thought why not let both cats try the treats out and tell me how it goes. The cats were quite curious when I opened the bag, and once I took the treat in front of them, they actually licked it but then never ended up eating them.

I then put the treats in front of them to see if they would try playing with it or do something but they just sniffed it and that was it. It seems that both cats do not seem to like these Dried Sardines much. With other treats, that I have tried, they can be a lot more playful and will eat them the moment I put it in front of them.

However, I have noticed that when I put the Dried Sardines Treats in my Cat’s food bowl with the wet food, he seems to eat it after a while. I think that while I can’t use these Dried Sardines as treats, I might end up using them as food toppers for my cat to have something a little different in his diet.

Tom Mehra

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