After making it into the top 4 on Masterchef a couple of years ago, Jackie aka 'the Hungry Gecko', made the decision to follow her true passion of cooking Asian street food full time and the world is a world place because of it.
The slightly unassuming Beech Inn, Chorlton, is Jackie and Barbarella's (the very cool Silver Bullet trailer all the food is served out of) full time home and parked up in the beer garden. Food is ordered from the hatch and can be eaten either in the beer garden or, thankfully (because Manc doesn't have the climate of California unfortunately), inside the pub.
The menu consists of a number of regular dishes such as pad thai, dal, beef rendang and jungle curry as well as regularly changing specials to keep you on your toes. Having tried pretty much all the food at various times I can quite happily proclaim everything to be amazing. The ingredients are all locally sourced where possible and the meat and fish are higher welfare, something that is very important to Jackie.
Everything is freshly made and the flavours are just fantastic, a true sign of the passion in Jackie's cooking. The food is also exceptional value with dishes such as the rendang (one of my favourites) priced at around the £6.50 mark with the portions being pretty darn generous.
Don't wait until summer, this is definitely a year round beer garden treat! read more