A restaurant that only serves viral food inspired by trends seen on TikTok is opening in Manchester this summer, it has been revealed.
From nibbles like fluffy cloud bread and corn ribs to trendy pasta dishes like spicy vodka penne and whole baked feta fusilli, Mancs can expect to see all of their favourite TikTok recipes on the menu when PlateTok opens its doors in the Northern Quarter this summer.
It’s tipped to be taking over the old Nexus Art Cafe unit, a once-iconic basement cafe that has stood empty for the past two years after being hit hard in the early days of the Covid pandemic.
The new restaurant is the brainchild of Pete Stake – a former social media manager who decided to venture into the world of restaurants after seeing just how popular some of these viral food trends had become online in the last few years.
‘Ribs’ made out of sweetcorn took the world by storm – now they’re coming to PlateTok’s menu. / Image: Twitter
Pete spent a lot of lockdown eating TikTok recipes his partner would cook for him and, after being made redundant from his position at the end of last year, decided to delve into hospitality instead – taking his years of social media marketing experience with him.
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Now, he’s gearing up to open PlateTok this summer with a launch date set for the start of June.
Speaking on the new opening, Mr P Stake said: “I’m so excited to bring PlateTok to Manchester, I just can’t believe that no one has thought to do this before. Gimmicky restaurants seem to be all the rage right now.
“I came up with the idea in part thanks to my partner, who’ll cook me Nando’s pasta as a treat when I needed cheering up. It just got me thinking, I’d definitely go out for dinner to have this – and maybe others will be into it too.
“Sometimes it’s the maddest ideas that are the most successful – just look at Salt Bae’s Nusr-Et. People will really go and pay £100 to eat a sh*t burger wrapped in gold leaf, in the hopes of seeing him sprinkle a bit of salt off his arm.
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Mermaid toast with blue-green algae powders and almond milk cream cheese on Pollen sourdough is one of the dishes set to appear on PlateTok’s menu. / Image: Youtube
“Don’t worry, our prices won’t be anywhere near that – but the overall feeling of quirky, fun dishes that look good on your feed is still there. It’s all about bringing the social media experience to life in the restaurant.”
Further viral foods set to appear on the menu include burger tortilla ‘crunch’ wraps (made using locally-sourced beef from PlateTok’s neighbours The Butcher’s Quarter), baked pasta ‘chips’ with an olive tapenade dip, green and red bell pepper sandwiches, salmon rice bowls and a dish initially created by Lizzo called ‘nature’s cereal’ – which is really anything but.
Elsewhere, you’ll find ocean-blue Mermaid toast (blue-green algae powders and almond milk cream cheese on Pollen sourdough) and ‘Galaxy bagels’ loaded with pink cream cheese – a twist on the popular Rainbow Bagel trend that instead uses food colouring to create a cosmic starry-sky illusion.
As for drinks, think whipped coffees, bottles of pre-batched Jungle Juice, tamarind-rimmed mimosas packed with frozen fruit ice cubes and more, as well as a range of standard soft drinks, wines and beers.
Suffice to say, we’re really through that looking glass now, Alice.
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The site is expected to open this summer with a fresh, modern look.
Expect bright neon signs, industrial elements nodding to Manchester’s history and plenty of selfie traps – including a digital photo cutout board that can be customised with your own images, taking the TikTok Camera Roll Sticker firmly ‘irl’.
Due to open in Manchester sometime this June, no official launch date has yet been set so make sure to follow PlateTok on social media to keep up with further updates.
And if you made it this far without twigging the date… we are sorry.
Feature image – Google/ Twitter
News
Kevin De Bruyne confirms he is leaving Manchester City
Danny Jones
One of the Premier League’s best-ever players and a true Manchester City legend, Kevin De Bruyne, has confirmed he will soon be leaving the club.
Announced in a series of emotional social media posts on Friday, 4 April, the brilliant Belgian footballer will be calling time on his career at the Etihad Stadium come the end of this season.
Having spent a decade in the iconic blue of Man City, De Bruyne will undoubtedly go down as one of their all-time greats, having helped them to their first Champions League trophy during the Treble-winning year and a record four consecutive Premier League titles – of which he’s won six in total.
As you can see in the lengthy message shared on his social media, ‘King Kev’ informed City supporters that this current campaign will be his last in their colours, writing: “Every story comes to an end, but this has definitely been the best chapter.”
The 33-year-old, who has suffered from increasing injury problems over the last couple of years, goes on to say that “Nothing about this is easy to write, but as football players we all know this day eventually come. That day is here – and you deserve to hear it from me first.”
In what is clearly a heartfelt and just as difficult a post for him to write as it is for fans to hear, he added: Football led me to all of you – and this city […] This will always be our HOME.”
Blues all over Greater Manchester and beyond will be heartbroken, but many won’t be completely shocked given his in-and-out
It’s a sad day to be a Cityzen, no doubt.
Speaking in the pre-match press conference ahead of the Manchester derby, manager Pep Guardiola said: “In the Premier League, he is one of the greatest midfielders in this country and top of the Club. Great, if not the greatest.
Manchester City will bid an emotional farewell to Kevin De Bruyne this summer when his contract expires, bringing an end to a glittering 10-year period at the Club 🩵
Although his talent will never come into question, it’s no secret that he’s struggled to stay fit and be as prolific a creator in Guardiola‘s side – though this is largely in contrast to his ridiculously high levels and just how much of a talisman he has been over the past 10 years.
Starting just 19 matches this season, he’s still managed to score four goals and register seven assists, but a recurring hamstring problem has seen game time limited.
Regardless, when he’s at his best, there’s no question about it: he’s the best player in the Premier League, and the club have promised to pay fitting tributes to their generational number 17.
With 106 goals to his name in 413 appearances – the first midfielder since Colin Bell to reach over a century – across all competitions for City, not to mention 118 assists in the Premier League alone, he’s been one of the most creative and, frankly, ingenious players on the planet for more than a decade.
Whether you’re a Blue, a Red or otherwise, no one can deny the joy of watching him play football. Thanks for the memories, KdB.
Featured Images — Brad Tutterow (via Flickr)/soccer.ru (via WikiCommons) Kevin De Bruyne (via X)
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Prestwich’s regeneration plans take another step forward
Danny Jones
The regeneration plans being put forward for Prestwich have taken another step forward as a construction company has new been appointed to bring the vision of a new village centre to life.
With full planning permission for phase one of the redevelopment granted back in July 2024, it’s been pretty much full speed ahead on lining up one of Greater Manchester’s latest regeneration projects and adding more to what is already one of its best up-and-coming suburbs.
Prestwich Village Regeneration LLP are pumping over £100 million into developing the main square, and with Chroma Consulting having now passed on the baton to those erecting this new-look town centre, the joint venture between Bury Council and national ‘place maker’ Muse, work can soon begin.
You can see one of the first early renders down below:
CGIs of the new space around the Longfield Centre. (Credit: Supplied)
VINCI Building were officially appointed as construction partners last month, and with enabling works (surveys, ground investigations and so forth) now complete, the contractors are expected to get underway soon.
Additions to the vibrant new village centre will include a multi-storey Travel Hub, which will also see 301 new parking spaces, along with electric vehicle charging points, cycle storage and a car club. This will replace the Fairfax Road car park, which closed when the early stage began last December.
Beyond this, the Prestwich regeneration plans are set to include a community hub, library and flexible community space for arts and cultural events, a new Prestwich Health Centre; a fresh village square with ‘family-friendly social places’ and room for open-air markets, festivals and more.
A dedicated Prestwich Village Market hall will be the perfect place to house local retailers as well as food and drink vendors, not to mention a much better entry point into the village courtesy of plans to transform the “arrival experience from the tram” by integrating with surrounding green spaces.
Speaking of which, there will also be extensive landscaping in and around the village centre, with the existing fountain set to be removed and new public art installations created in its place.
A glimpse at the new Prestwich Village Market.An overview of all three phases.Credit: Supplied
Beyond the public spaces, over 200 new homes – which made up a big part of the initial application – are also included in the wider vision, with a mix of affordable housing and FTB (first-time buyers) properties.
Leader of Bury Council, Eamonn O’Brien, said of the latest developments: “We are thrilled to announce the next stage in this multi-million pound transformational regeneration scheme, which marks a significant step towards revitalising the heart of Prestwich Village and creating a vibrant, sustainable future for all.
“As well as enhancing local infrastructure, our ambitious plans will foster economic growth and improve the quality of life for the whole community.” A final completion date is yet to be confirmed, but work on the Travel Hub specifically is set to carry over into next year.
Exciting times are ahead for Prestwich. It’s not the only borough making plans for the next chapter and set for a bit of TLC.
Georgina Pellant -
1st April 2022 
