Beer and a curry: The traditional boozer in Salford reborn as a Desi pub
Eccles’ historic Kings Arms returns with Indian eats, cold ales and a whole lot of heart.
In this week’s newsletter, we look at the Eccles pub that has brought a traditional English pub with a brand new flavour.
The newsletter will also look at the new inclusive experiences offered at Salford Museums, a Swinton training academy offering young people a chance to construct their future, and the new focaccia sandwich shop opening on Chapel Street.
If you enjoyed it, please forward this newsletter to someone who might enjoy it. Got a tip? Let us know at Now@Salford.ac.uk
“We want to be a traditional English pub, which serves wonderful Indian food”
Travel down Barton Lane in Eccles and you will see what looks to be a traditional English pub; even if you were to walk through the doors you might think it was a typical boozer. Speak to the regulars, however, and you would hear a different story.
The Kings Head in Eccles is just yards from the Bridgewater Canal and Barton Swing Aqueduct, surrounded by a mix of Victorian terraces and new-build apartment blocks. The Dutton Arms is still going up the road, while the rather grander Rock House seems to be thriving. However the King’s Head closed in Summer 2023, with punters who praised its ‘proper pub’ atmosphere dismayed at the prospect it might be converted to apartments.
It appeared to be a sad end to the storied history of The King’s Arms. Appearing in the 1772 alehouse register, the original “Dog Behind the Door”, it is believed that the pub had been a common drinking destination even earlier during the eighteenth century.
And a hundred years later the digging of the Manchester Ship Canal led to the popularity of the pub, which by then had become The Kings Head. Purchased in 1888 for £4,130, the pub was described as having a bowling green, a smithy, a wheelwright’s shop and two cottages. But in the same year the pub was enlarged to make extra room for the navvies digging the canal.
Fast forward to November 2024 and the pub reopened — perhaps not as locals might have expected. New owners Sabarish Raj and Vinay Mandava have brought the much-loved community pub back to life — as a Desi pub, a phenomenon dating back to the 60s, when old-fashioned boozers were rejuvenated as a ‘pub owned or managed by a landlord of Indian origin’. “They generally serve Punjabi food while maintaining traditional British pub elements, such as ale and pub games,” says Wikipedia.
The Birmingham Dispatch has this to say about them: “Like any gastronomic phenomenon over the previous couple of decades, Desi pubs are trying to capitalise on this spike in attention whilst retaining their ability to serve local communities.” DJ and writer Stuart Maconie was more succinct: "A delicious tableau of integration" is how he described them.
Sabarish describes what attracted him and Vinay to the pub — and why it’s important to both of them that they retain the elements that first made the pub a success.
“This was a pub enjoyed by the locals and I should say it was a go-to place,” he says. “But in the aftermath of COVID this place closed, and people lost their pub.
“We were fortunate to take this place up again, because it is a wonderful traditional English pub. It was perfect because we had always had a passion for doing something like this on our own.”
After moving to England nine years ago, Sabarish had always wanted to own a business like this. He says: “It has always been a passion for us, we wanted to do something like this back home, but we were able to fulfil that passion here.
“My main passion was always for running the pub, and get more into different types of beers, and Vinay always had a passion for food and cooking, so it was a good mix.
“We stand out because pubs like this aren’t serving Indian food, so I thought this combination would work, and we are always responding to feedback. We want to adapt to what the locals need and change people’s minds through flavours.”
As I sit with owner Sabarish, with people waving and starting conversations with him, The King’s Arms feels like more than just a pub.
“This place is special as we feel like we belong here, we feel very local here now,” he confirms. “It is great to see that they have taken to us and are coming back to the pub.
“It is good as we have become so friendly with the locals as everyone has their own stories. But this has also been helped by the different night events we have — and that has allowed us to get familiar in the community.
With the decision made to buy and own the pub, they “wanted to bring in their own influence of Indian food to the menu.”
The duo opened in the downstairs of the pub and serve a variety of traditional Indian meals from the kitchen ‘Flavour Fusion’. Fusion indeed — the menu ranges from Indian staples such as Madras and Rogan Josh to street foods such as Masala Fries. Fear not, that British favourite, the Chicken Tikka Masala, is also present and correct.
“We have a selection of Indian starters and curries, and other things that have been doing well. It works because it blends well with the English culture.
“And as we are from the South of India, we have our traditional methods and food which separates us because of the spices we use. And we get them from India! So, most of the food is unique to us.
“Our chef also makes his own homemade traditional spice blends, which goes along with the meals. You wouldn’t normally get those with any other places, and when we get positive reviews, it is special, they don’t have to travel to India to try these flavours.”
What some would consider a risk, as a step from the traditional English meals, the duo has turned into a positive, with customers returning especially for the food.
Vinay added: “We want to be a traditional English pub, which serves wonderful Indian food. The whole concept of the food is to retain its English culture, which it already has, but bring in the Indian food.
The kitchen is now open to deliveries on the likes of UberEats, Deliveroo (where the food has a 4.6 / 5 rating) and JustEat — something the duo sees as a validation of their food.
“I do think our food stands alone, but it works so well with the combination of the drinks too. And it really does well on the pub’s game nights.
Ah, the games nights. The pub now boasts poker nights alongside football on big screens — and the pool table has survived too.
And despite the pub’s early successes, Sabarish believes that none of this would have been possible without the staff, who returned to the pub following its reopening.
He continued: “Stephen is our bar manager, and we have been supported by Demi, Jade, Kelly, Sean, and Chanese — these are the people who previously worked behind the bar, and they are doing a fantastic job for us.
“They have been keeping things going for us, and they love the pub - so it is good for us to have them behind the bar, and regular faces as they have all worked here before so they are supporting us.”
Sabarish is grateful to the staff returning and to the community for welcoming back as he reflects on the last six months.
“We have already had a lot of people say to us, ‘thank you for bringing it back’, so that’s good for us.”
Stories brought to life at the new immersive art experience at MediaCity
An immersive art experience that will bring the National Portrait Gallery’s collection to life is set to open this weekend in MediaCity.
The first immersive art experience of a UK national collection, Stories – Brought to Life, will open on Friday, 2 May and will be open until Sunday, 31 August.
The experience will be open for over three months in Salford before heading on a national tour with dates to be announced. Read more here.
New inclusive tours bringing Salford’s Museums to life for all
British Sign Language and Audio Described tours have been launched at Salford Museum & Art Gallery and Ordsall Hall.
The new tours were announced by the Salford Community Leisure group, with the work being a part of, “Unlocking the Collection Accessible Interpretation”, funded by Arts Council England. Read more here.
Swinton Training Academy is offering young people a chance to construct a future
A Swinton-based training academy that specialises in teaching trade skills to disadvantaged young people was recognised at the Spirit of Salford Awards.
The academy, Quick Bricks, won the award for their dedication towards young people in the community, with the ambition of offering a different alternative to school education. Read more here.
New Italian focaccia sandwich shop opens on Chapel Street
A new Italian sandwich shop on Chapel Street serving fresh focaccia and authentic “top quality ingredients” has opened its doors.
The new shop La Fugassa opened with a ‘soft launch’ on Sunday 27 April, and has since impressed Salford residents with their fresh and authentic meals.
And with the focus on authentic and high-quality Italian meat and sourdough focaccia, they are hoping to make meals “that people will never forget.” Read more here.
What’s On in Salford this week
🎾Former Premier League stars Padel court is set to open in Worsley this weekend. Find more here.
🎭 Lowry 360 is expected to open this weekend, offering an alternative and immersive experience to the famous ‘Going to the Match’ painting. Find out more here.
⚽️ Salford City will travel to Carlisle this weekend, as they aim to keep themselves in the playoff positions in the final game of the season. Find out more here.
Our photo of the week: Irlam Railway Viaduct
The Irlam Viaduct carries the main Liverpool-Manchester Railway line over the Manchester Ship Canal, just to the west of Irlam Locks. The bridge was built by the Cheshire Lines Committee Railway (CLC) and opened in 1893.
The centre span is 37m long and 23m above the water and the original steelwork for the viaduct was manufactured in Glasgow by Sir William Arrol and Co, the centre of the bridge having 550 tons of steel in its main span.
The approach to the main span of the bridge on each side was originally by brick arches but by June 1893 the main structural piers had started to move and cracks had started to appear.
In October 1893 the piers were propped and the decision was made to replace the arches with the horizontal steelwork you can see either side of the main span today, the work was undertaken whilst keeping the bridge open and completed in May 1895.
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