Mar 7, 2025
“Words like ‘institution’ get banded about a lot these days. When it comes to food and drink, the phenomenon is particularly prominent. It often feels that all you need to make the cut is five years of business under your belt and a revenue that keeps your head above water. This & That Cafe makes a great case for being so much more than that. A half-hidden, nearly-impossible to track down back street curry spot that has been serving Mancunians and visitors its legendary ‘rice & three’ combination for as long as Finest has existed. And then a few decades more besides, first opening in 1984.
If you’re new in town, the term ‘rice & three’ can be applied to number of cuisines that serve customers a portion of rice and a trio of curry-style dishes. We’ve had it from Caribbean and Chinese kitchens, Korean too. But for This & That, recipes come straight from the heart of Manchester’s Indian communities. The idea is no frills, cheap, quick and easy, which is why the operation is small enough to walk past without clocking it’s there. Once inside expect simple fixtures, fittings and furnishings, queues of regulars and tourists looking for that ‘authentic Manchester dining experience.’
Curries rotate daily, on a weekly basis. So Monday involves lamb & pumpkin, fish, daal, kidney beans and potatoes, and mixed veg. Wednesday might be lamb & cauliflower, vegetable biryani, spinach & potatoes. While Saturday brings minced meat (keema) and lamb on the bone. Chicken tikka masala — aka 21st Century Britain’s national dish — is a permanent fixture no matter when you turn up. All this is priced at just £6 for rice and three veg, £6.50 with one meat dish, £7 with two, and for all three meat curries you’ll still only pay £8. A must-try, they don’t make them like this anymore but we wish they would.”