Liverpool’s dim sum and roasted meats kitchen Yum Cha has revealed plans to open a new restaurant here in Manchester.
Known for its richly lacquered roasted meats, dainty dim sum and Chinese small plates, the restaurant will move into the Kampus garden neighbourhood later this spring.
Already well established on Liverpool’s Lark Lane, the move marks owners Adam and Neil Wan’s first move out of their hometown.
Set up by the brothers 11 years ago, Yuma Cha has built an enviable reputation in its home city for its bold dishes and delicate Chinese teas.
Pushing the burgeoning modern Chinese food trend, chefs here are known for taking traditional dishes and dragging them, boldly, into the 21st century.
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The menu features a dedicated roast meats section, with choices like crispy belly pork, char sui, duck and chicken – all roasted for 24 hours in Yum Cha’s custom-made roasting oven on site.
Served from 2pm with a choice of steamed rice or noodles and curry, soy or bbq sauce, it’s affordable too – priced at just £9.50 a plate.
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The dim sum list is pretty extensive, with a good choice of steamed dumplings and bao buns, as well as a crispy section featuring classics like spring rolls and bbq ribs, alongside more adventurous options such as crisp fried cuttlefish cake.
Image: Yum Cha
Image: Yum Cha
Image: Yum Cha
Elsewhere, you’ll find a decent selection of large plates spanning a range of different curry and noodle dishes, and another section dedicated entirely to noodle soup. There’s plenty for vegans, too, with a good selection of plant-based alternatives on offer.
Yum Cha at Kampus will be open seven days a week, with a relaxed atmosphere. Think industrial chic with polished concrete, softened with lanterns, wood carvings from China and neon lighting.
Adam Wan, Yum Cha Co-founder, said: “People can expect honest, authentic Chinese food, packed with flavour and made for sharing with friends and family.
“More than ever, people are craving spending quality time with loved ones. Yum Cha is the tradition, passed down over centuries, of gathering to swap stories over tea and food.
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“We’re bringing a piece of that ancient culture, to a laid back but stylish space in the heart of Manchester.
“We’ve always had big dreams to expand Yum Cha and bring our delicious, home-cooked Dim Sum to new communities and Kampus couldn’t be more perfect. We’ll be among a family of foodies in one of the most amazing places in the city.”
Yum Cha is the latest in a long line of new and expanding independents joining the community, including recently announced Madre, The Beeswing, Cloudwater Brewery and Great North Pie, alongside Nell’s, Pollen and General Store.
Adam Brady at HBD said: “Not only is Kampus shaping up to be one of the best collections of indie operators in Manchester, but it’s a really eclectic offering that’ll keep people visiting time and time again.
“Yum Cha are exactly what we’re all about – delicious food, an effortlessly stylish venue and spaces custom built for people coming together as a community. We’re chuffed to be adding another business, born in the North West, to the neighbourhood.”
Image: Yum ChaImage: Yum Cha
The Kampus collection of old and new buildings offers a melting pot of architectural styles and builds on a rich cultural heritage, making use of historic buildings that lay derelict for years, right next to the famous Canal Street in Manchester’s Gay Village and just minutes from Piccadilly Station.
The Kampus gardens and Bungalow are the central feature of the community and are permanently open to the public, with the Bungalow operating as a village hall for pop-up events and community groups.
The neighbourhood is alive with events and will be home to local independent bars, restaurants, cafés and retail from brands.
Feature image – Yum Cha
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Oasis finally confirm ‘private ballot’ ticket information for reunion tour
Daisy Jackson
Oasis have just announced more information about how tickets will be sold through a ‘private ballot’ for their extra reunion tour dates.
The group added two additional shows at Wembley Stadium after their initial 17 gigs across London, Manchester, Dublin, Edinburgh and Cardiff generated huge demand and sold out in a day.
Oasis and Ticketmaster came under fire though for the use of dynamic pricing, which saw ticket prices shoot up by hundreds of pounds by the time people made it through the online queues.
For these additional reunion tour dates at Wembley, ticket sales will look a little different.
They’ll be using a ‘private ballot’, which will give first dibs to those who missed out on the first ticket sale.
You’ll only be invited to register for the sale if you signed into your Ticketmaster account on Saturday 31 August, and joined a queue for a specific show.
And you’ll only receive an invitation if you DIDN’T manage to bag tickets the first time round.
THEN you’ll be able to register for the actual ballot, which still doesn’t guarantee you a ticket but does at least get you into a (hopefully less lengthy) queue.
“Invitations to enter the private ballot will be sent overnight tonight (Saturday) to eligible fans we have been able to identify.
“If you signed into your Ticketmaster UK account on Saturday, 31st August, and were able to join a queue for a specific show, but didn’t get a ticket-then you may be eligible to take part and will receive an email on how to register for the ballot.
“Keep an eye on the inbox associated with your Ticketmaster account, and don’t forget to check your junkmail.
“Once successfully registered, you will be entered into the ballot for a code for access to the final Wembley on sale.
“Due to the demand for the shows and to avoid last week’s long queues, codes will be strictly limited. Entry to the ballot does not guarantee you will receive a code.
“The ballot is only open to invited fans. You must register with the email to which your invitation was sent and which is registered with your Ticketmaster account.
“All other entries will be discounted. If you do not receive an email then unfortunately you will not be eligible for the ballot.
“You will be automatically discounted from the ballot, even if you go through the registration process.”
Featured image: Simon Emmett
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Manchester Airport named UK’s worst in annual Which? survey for third year running
Emily Sergeant
Manchester Airport has officially been declared the worst airport in the UK, according to a new survey by Which?… yet again.
The summer travel season may be drawing to a close now, with hundreds of flights having taken off and landed in our region over the last couple of months, but for any Greater Manchester holidaymakers who are still yet to jet off, an annual ranking by consumer choice group Which? has proved to be pretty grim reading.
That’s because several terminals at the UK’s third largest airport have found themselves at the bottom of the list in Which? latest findings.
Manchester Airport has hit back at the survey and defended itself, saying its own passenger surveys suggest people are “much more positive” about the airport, adding that it was “proud to give people in all parts of the North easy and affordable access to nearly 200 different destinations across the world”.
For its annual survey, Which? spoke to nearly 7,000 passengers to gather feedback about their experiences of flying from UK airports over the last 12 months, and asked them to score the airports across 11 categories.
Manchester Airport has been named the worst in the UK for the third year running / Credit: The Manc Group
Some of these categories including seating, staff, toilets, and of course, the queues we all dread at check in, bag drop, passport control, and security.
And just like in both 2022 and again in 2023, it was Manchester Airport Terminal 3 that ranked right at the bottom, receiving the lowest customer satisfaction score of 37%.
Manchester Terminal 1 ranked one place above that with a score of 40%, while Manchester Terminal 2 was a little further up the the list with a score of 51%, and just saw Luton Airport, London Stansted, and Belfast International Airport sandwiched in between it.
According to Which?, some of the complaints it received about Manchester Airport from passengers who responded to the survey this year was that older people struggled with long walks due to travelators being broken since 2021, difficulties with finding a seat, and “horrendous” queues with people apparently being “corralled like cattle”.
As mentioned though, Manchester Airport has slammed Which?’s findings in a formal statement.
The UK’s third largest airport has hit back at the survey results and defended itself / Credit:
Describing the survey as “disappointing to see”, Manchester Airport’s statement reads: “We understand not every experience is perfect and want all passengers to feel able to raise their concerns directly with us. That is why we speak to them on a daily basis, surveying hundreds of people a month to get in-the-moment feedback from a full range of perspectives.
“That is in stark contrast to Which?, which conducted a tiny and unrepresentative survey of its members six months ago, asking them to recollect airport experiences that could have been as far back in time as April 2023.
“Which? fully understands that its readers form a narrow group of passengers whose views cannot in any way be taken to represent those of the travelling public at large, but chooses to promote its survey findings as if they do.”
Manchester Airport says it’s disappointing see Which? “chase cheap headlines” with its “sensational and over-simplified characterisation of airports” and the different roles they play, adding: “To make matters worse, it has printed inaccurate statements about our facilities and security waiting times that paint a more negative picture than reality.