Rating:
In a Word:
CEREAL
Cuisine:
Mancunian
Appeals To:
The kid within that longs for the days when finding a toy in a cereal box was one of life’s most simple and greatest pleasures.
Sugar fiends who want to pretend that it’s acceptable to eat 3 bowls of cereal at 3 o’clock in the afternoon. Which it totally is, right? [Ed: seems legit]
The Venue:
Head into the hippy heart of Manchester’s Northern Quarter and you’ll stumble across an infamous indoor market that has been home to some of the most weird and wonderful shops in the city since 1981. Affleck’s Palace is a treasure trove of all things fringe, from kinky clothing to tattoo parlours and everything in between. Nestléd (see what I did there) amongst these shops is Black Milk Cereal Dive – a small, almost makeshift café that has already established itself as a highlight of Affleck’s Palace.
The Atmosphere:
Rocking up on a Saturday morning, you’d feel at home in Black Milk even with the most fragile of hangovers. The atmosphere was as chilled out as the chocolate milk served up with the cereal sliders; owner Ollie and his sidekicks Andy and Ben made you feel like old friends as they joked and chatted away. Despite the compact venue, it’s a place where you can take your time, relax and pretend you’re age 10 with no responsibilities again.
The Food:
In case you weren’t quite following, cereal is the name of the game and we were up for the challenge of sampling as many as possible.
Slider – £3.90
The 3-bowl slider gave us a chance to get our chops around some of this month’s bestselling cereals; Lucky Charms were an obvious choice, accompanied by Clusters and Golden Nuggets. However the amount of choice available was bewildering, and choosing three toppings to sprinkle over our bowls was almost too much – mini eggs and Oreos were just some of the tasty treats available. Not that we were complaining. Choice is good.
The team will be mixing up the cereal selection on a monthly basis, although with over 40 to choose from you can be sure that you’ll find one of those childhood favourites that you’ve been Krave-ing (sorry, had to be done). Gluten free and healthier cereals are also available, whilst you can drown your delicious wheaty bites in a range of flavoured milks, including soya and almond milk.
Easter Feast – £4.00
If you want to take your breakfast up a few notches, the Easter Feast is a dish to contend with for any sugar addict. Switching a bowl for a glorious half of an Easter egg, squished down to the wooden board with brownies lovingly made by Ollie’s 13-year-old sister, the Easter Feast is the stuff of dreams. A mix of cereals drizzled with freshly made salted caramel, a splash of chocolate milk brought these flavours to life. And if you can’t quite finish the chocolate shell at the end, nobody will judge you for taking it home. In fact, it’s very much encouraged.
In a rush? Get your cereal and hot drinks to go – after all, breakfast is the most important meal of the day.
Drinks:
Salted caramel is the new black, so it seems fitting that Black Milk’s speciality drink is a Salted Caramel Latte. A creamy hot concoction that managed to nail this popular drink without being overly sweet, it was the perfect way to start a Saturday. The hot chocolate was as dreamy as you would imagine, although if you want to keep it simple you can’t go far wrong with cup of tea or glass of OJ.
Keep an eye out for smoothies and milkshakes coming soon to Black Milk Cereal Dive, as well as lots more exciting new developments.
Having captured the interest of Manchester since its opening, the venue has already received a lot of attention from investors, the media and cereal-loving folks up North.
The Verdict:
Chatting to Ollie, it was clear that he has a passion for his new venture, and for Manchester itself. Supported by a tight-knit community of friends and family, he’s nailed the branding, set-up, and the menu. He strives to source as many products as possible locally – including Manchester based cereal-manufacturers, Trove bakery in Levenshulme, and of course his superstar baking prodigy sister.
Although it’s early days for Black Milk, this small but exciting café is bursting with potential, and we can’t wait to see how things play out for Ollie and the team in the coming months.
The Details
Black Milk Cereal Dive
Affleck’s Palace
52 Church Street
Manchester
M4 1PW