A new street food stall has opened inside the Arndale marketselling Takoyaki balls, a salty Japanese fried snack stuffed with diced octopus and topped with seaweed and bonito flakes.
Super scannable, they’re fried in a special pan, which gives them a much lighter texture than deep-fried balls, then topped with lashings of Japanese mayonnaise and Okonomi sauce.
The stall itself is called Takoyaki Master and has just taken over the former Wholesome Junkies space.
Image: The Manc Eats
Run by Violet and Pong Ho, it is pretty much a brand new arrival at the market. The pair have only been in Manchester a few months – having moved over here from Hong Kong, where they tell us they ran a very successful Takoyaki stall for “many years”.
Violet told us they want to continue their business here as it’s something they know how to do well – and that if customers don’t like octopus, they’ll happily switch it out for chicken, cheese or beef.
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They’ve only been in residence at the market for a fortnight, and currently have two styles of takoyaki on offer – one topped with scallions, and one without. Pong also tells us they’re planning to start offering sushi in the near future, once they’ve found their feet.
Although they come out looking like dumplings, in reality, these salty little balls are more akin to croquettes, or they are on the inside at least.
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Image: The Manc Eats
With a gooey, creamy texture inside that causes them to collapse in on themselves as soon as you spike them with a fork, on the outside they’re almost gelatinous – cooked in a special pan with individual semi-circles to give them a unique texture that’s unlike anything else we can think of.
They can be ordered on their own, with prices starting from £4.50 for four balls and £8.50 for eight, with french fries and a range of soft drinks also on offer.
You can find Takoyaki Master inside the Arndale market seven days a week, open from 11am-6pm Monday to Saturday and 11.30am-4.30pm on Sundays.
Feature image – The Manc Eats
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‘Prolific’ South Manchester burglar jailed for thefts which included peanuts…
Daisy Jackson
A ‘prolific’ burglar has been jailed for just over two years, for numerous thefts including sunglasses, airpods, and peanuts…
The man was caught red-handed inside someone’s property, where he claimed he was just wanting a glass of water – but was found by police officers to have the resident’s car keys in his pocket.
Fazal Alnesi, 26, from Moss Side, was then linked to a number of other burglaries, attempted burglaries, and thefts across South Manchester.
Fazal was sentenced to 27 months at Manchester Crown Court last week after pleading guilty to offences including six counts of burglary in June of this year.
He was arrested on 12 June, when a man returned to his home in Fallowfield in the early hours of the morning and discovered Fazal inside his address.
He claimed he was there because he wanted a glass of water but subsequently refused to leave, which led to police being called.
Officers placed Alnensi in handcuffs and found the resident’s car keys in his pocket, as well as indications that he’d been rummaging through the man’s drawers.
He was later linked to other thefts include a wrench set from a car, a pedal cycle worth £350, airpods, sunglasses – and even peanuts from one address.
He additionally took an electric bike charger from one address worth hundreds of pounds.
PC Jon Holden, from GMP’s City of Manchester district, said: “Alnensi took various items from several homes and cars across a two-week period earlier this year, making off with hundreds of pounds worth of goods.
“Ultimately, Alnensi left people feeling unsafe in his own home, and I am glad he is now behind bars.
“Our team will investigate all burglaries, and I would encourage people to get in touch with us – all intelligence helps us lock up criminals and bring them to justice.”
The top 10 ‘happiest’ places to live in the North West in 2026 have been named
Emily Sergeant
The top 10 happiest places to live in the North West have been named for 2026.
It comes as Rightmove has published its annual ‘Happy at Home’ index this week, just as it has done for the last 14 years now, exploring exactly what it is that makes people feel content about where they live, and highlighting the happiest places nationwide ahead of the new year – with thousands of residents across more than 200 locations providing feedback.
The residents told the leading property listing platform what they love (or don’t love) about their community, from the friendliness of their neighbours, to job opportunities, access to green spaces, and so much more.
The survey also outlined the differences in happiness in rural, urban, and suburban environments, as well as the way our sense of ‘home happiness’ changes as we age.
So, when it comes to the North West as a whole then, where do we have in the top 10?
Well, to kick things off, you may have already seen that one Lancashire market town has earned its place in the top 10 nationwide, not just for the North West region – and that’s Chorley.
Closest to the Bolton and Wigan boroughs, Chorley – which is is about a 40-minute drive outside of Manchester, and sits on a direct train route into the city centre.
But aside from the national top 10, when it comes to the regional top 10, the next two towns following Chorley in second and third are both in Greater Manchester.
The North West’s top 10 happiest places to live 2026
Chorley
Stockport
Altrincham
Chester
Macclesfield
Southport
Kendal
Wirral
Northwich
Carlisle
Altrincham has been named one of the North West’s happiest places to live / Credit: The Manc Group
The ever-thriving Stockport comes in at number two, followed by Trafford favourite Altrincham directly behind it at number three.
Other of the region’s inclusions like Bury, Bolton, Wigan, and the Manchester borough itself all ranked towards the bottom.
Speaking on this year’s list, Colleen Babcock – a property expert at Rightmove – explained: “The balance between greenery and everyday convenience runs through the wider findings. Even among people who would ideally choose a rural setting, access to amenities, parks and public transport remains important.
“This year’s results suggest that the places people rate most highly aren’t simply urban or rural, but often bring together some of the best elements of both.”
Featured Image – Roger Kidd (via Wikimedia Commons)
Georgina Pellant -
1st July 2022 
