Author Topic: Meng and Ecker  (Read 15930 times)

memopad

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Meng and Ecker
« on: 08:59:17, 22/06/16 »
Does anyone remember Meng and Ecker a lovely old tea room that was situated between King Street and St. Anne's Square?   I used to go in there quite often when I worked in Manchester in the 1980s.  It had so much more character than the chains of coffee shops and pizza restaurants that make most towns seem the same these days.   Does anyone know why it closed and whether it relocated to different premises somewhere else?   If anyone has any knowledge of its history I would be really interested to know about it.   I think someone started a comic strip with characters called Meng and Ecker.   I don't know what that was about but were the names taken from the tearoom? (if so, WHY?)

celeste

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Re: Meng and Ecker
« Reply #1 on: 10:16:24, 22/06/16 »

Quote celeste: My dad used to go to the Kardomah, it changed to Scotts and was refurbished in tartan - it's now McDonalds, he also used to go to St. Ann's Passage to a cafe at the end called Meng & Ecker  (sp) it's now an opticians




All that's necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing

memopad

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Re: Meng and Ecker
« Reply #2 on: 10:40:19, 22/06/16 »
Yes I have very distant memories of the Kardomah cafés, I seem to remember one in the Market St/Piccadilly area.   I remember Meng and Ecker from the 1980s.   It was memorable because of the unusual name.   Does anyone know where the name originated from?   I remember the lady who ran the place in those days was very strict and tolerated no nonsense from the customers but it all added to the character of the place.

migky

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Re: Meng and Ecker
« Reply #3 on: 14:15:31, 22/06/16 »
It was on St Ann's Passage

I'm a bit like Marmite

memopad

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Re: Meng and Ecker
« Reply #4 on: 14:39:05, 22/06/16 »
Yes that was it, thanks Migky.   It was in a beautiful tranquil location just behind St. Anne's Church.   It was great to escape the noise and bustle of the shops and have a quiet drink and a bite to eat.   With no offence intended to the current occupants that site really is wasted on an opticians.

memopad

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Re: Meng and Ecker
« Reply #5 on: 20:21:13, 28/06/16 »
Does anyone have any information about the origins of the comic Meng and Ecker that was produced around 1990?   I know that it's publishers Savoy were a Manchester based organisation and that it was eventually banned under obscenity laws but why the name(s) Meng and Ecker?   It seems incredible that such a controversial publication would have the same unusual name as a perfectly harmless and respectable cafeteria.

kieran1975

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Re: Meng and Ecker
« Reply #6 on: 05:08:13, 16/01/17 »
i used to work next door in a clothes shop called Brooklands in the early 90s and was madly in love with a irish girl called donna but was petrified of her lol
they used to do the best cakes ever
kieran

memopad

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Re: Meng and Ecker
« Reply #7 on: 22:59:48, 08/02/17 »
Kieran yes the cakes were excellent.   In the 1970s and 80s I worked  in various parts of Manchester but, always, I would happily walk across town in the lunch break for a coffee and cake at Meng and Ecker.  :)

Didsburyman

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Re: Meng and Ecker
« Reply #8 on: 09:18:21, 21/07/17 »
I do remember meng and ecker with fondness - I did read just now that the owner died a number of years ago but was sold off in around 2004. Very sad day when that shop went. Coffee and cakes to die for or at least ravel into Manchester just to go there

Didsburyman

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Re: Meng and Ecker
« Reply #9 on: 16:53:00, 21/07/17 »

There was a book on Manchester and Manchester Life and it mentioned Meng and Ecker


I see that the owner of the shop Mrs Deakin died in late 2004


Then costa fortune came and well - you need a small mortgage to be in there

Jim44

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Re: Meng and Ecker
« Reply #10 on: 21:18:42, 21/07/17 »
  I used to think Meng and Ecker were a jewellers!

PinningtonJack

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Re: Meng and Ecker
« Reply #11 on: 14:52:39, 09/11/17 »
 I have just become a member of this forum and came across this thread. I have some information about Meng & Ecker’s.                                                                             
Three young men arrived in England in the 1890s from Switzerland.  At least one of them                             was a master confectioner.  They set up catering businesses in Newcastle and Sunderland.  After some time two of these three men formed a partnership and opened the tearooms in Manchester. Their names were Fleury Meng and Joseph Buchegger. The latter was my great uncle and he was a master confectioner. He changed his name to Joseph Ecker in 1915. Hence, Meng & Ecker.  My earliest memories of the cafe were during WW2. My mother worked in the cafe and she took me with her. The partnership was dissolved in 1915 on the death of Fleury Meng and Joseph Ecker took over the business. He ran the cafe until the late 40s and then retired back to Switzerland, where he resumed his original name Buchegger.
Obviously I have a lot of family information, but it would be of no interest to the readers of this forum.
I am aware of the comic book characters and feel very sad that there will be people who only know the names Meng & Ecker from them.
As this is my first posting on any forum, I hope I haven’t broken any rules. If I have, perhaps the moderator would let me know.
Jack
 

celeste

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Re: Meng and Ecker
« Reply #12 on: 22:06:53, 09/11/17 »
Welcome to the forum, your post was very interesting :)

My father's office was near Victoria Station, he would walk at a very brisk pace to eat at Meng and Ecker every day so your great-uncle was indeed a master confectioner ;)
All that's necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing

Janis

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Re: Meng and Ecker
« Reply #13 on: 19:59:35, 10/11/17 »
Not only do I remember it, it was my first Saturday job! My friend and I worked there, Saturdays only, in 1970!!
It's the most beautiful building, loved the curved glass window!

radiogak

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Re: Meng and Ecker
« Reply #14 on: 11:47:13, 12/11/17 »
My wife and I (before we married) used to have a coffee in Meng and Ecker when we were in town shopping, back in the early 70's. We still use the name as a reference point if one of us is trying to describe the location of somewhere in the area  e.g." It's around the corner from Meng and Ecker" or "it's in the passage near Meng and Ecker". We passed the old shop a few months ago and our first words were "There's "Meng and Ecker!!"