Everyone knows where they stand with a McDonald’s drive-thru.
Fries that are either cold and droopy or so hot they singe chip-shaped lines into the roof of your mouth. Burgers with inexplicably sweet buns and a single gherkin lurking off-centre. Milkshakes so thick the veins pop out on your head when you try to suck them through the straw.
It’s a classic, but in recent years other brands have started to join the drive-thru brigade and blown your ‘I’m-hungry-but-I-don’t-want-to-leave-my-car’ options wide open.
The latest to join the fray is Chaiiwala, serving Indian-inspired fast food from a former petrol station forecourt.
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First founded on the streets of New Delhi in the 1920s, Chaiwala first began life as a small tea stall (hence the name) but today has 50 sites in the UK and even more abroad.
At its new drive-thru in Bolton, there are burgers, chips, wraps and sundaes, just like a Maccies, but these ones all feature an Indian twist.
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The Chaiiwala drive-thru. Credit: The Manc GroupInside Chaiiwala’s samosa burger. Credit: The Manc Group
The prices are comparable, too – you’re not looking at paying more than £3.25 for a burger here, whereas those golden arches are charging £4.59 for a Big Mac these days.
So it’s hard not to lose your head when you pull up to the familiar drive-thru system (which we did in a Tesla, because a posh drive-thru deserves a posh car).
We ordered a decent selection of Chaiiwala’s ‘first-of-its-kind’ drive-thru menu, including a portion of Gunpowder Masala Chips (£3.25), served wrapped in a newspaper-style paper cone, slathered with a tangy and sweet sauce and spring onions.
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Chaiiwala cheese naan. Credit: The Manc GroupAt Chaiiwala’s drive-thru in Bolton. Credit: The Manc GroupLotus Biscoff wrap. Credit: The Manc Group
Chaiiwala’s crispy Punjabi samosas come stuffed with potato and chickpea, and then those samosas come stuffed into a bread bun and loaded with slaw, onions, tomato, and tamarind sauce. I can’t imagine ever choosing a McChicken Sandwich again after this samosa burger (£3.25).
We also grabbed a cheese naan (£2.50), that gives one of the most satisfying cheese pulls you’ll ever see when you tear it open to stuff your chips inside, and a Lotus Biscoff roti wrap (£2.75).
There’s plenty more to come back for, like a butter chicken roll, and a cheese and jalapeno pasty, and pani puri, and samosa chat, and a chaii frappe.
You can eat it parked up outside Chaiiwala’s drive-thru, where your view is of… a McDonald’s.
And what a smug feeling it is to tuck into your freshly-made, reasonably-priced samosa burger, looking at the queue across the road of disgruntled soggy-chips eaters.
The fantastic fuss-free cafe in Stockport serving food just like your nan used to make
Lydia Mastrolonardo
Inside Stockport’s beautiful and historic Market Hall is where you can find Auntie Lou’s, a down-to-earth cafe serving up some top tier drinks and seriously hearty home-cooked meals.
Since opening late last year, Auntie Lou’s has rapidly grown in popularity, with food flying off the shelves at their first time taking part in Stockport’s Foodie Friday – and once you’ve tasted it you’ll understand why.
The food on offer is a combination of dishes influenced by owner Emily’s Irish and English heritage, with recipes passed down from generation to generation, from all of the amazing women in her family.
Their seasonal and carefully crafted menus play into nostalgia, with freshly made stews, warm focaccia sandwiches, savoury tarts and sausage rolls on offer, with a lot of dishes served with a slice of bread and butter – just like nan used to.
Emily prides herself on a homely, nostalgic and welcoming atmosphere, with a range of thrifted crockery, their signature paper doilies and all of the mugs made and hand-painted by her mum.
This space truly is an ode to Emily’s family members, with the name originating from their family middle name Louise.
And just when you thought Auntie Lou’s couldn’t possibly get any better, they’ve only gone and added a brand new outdoor seating area, just in time for summer.
Emily’s mum makes all the mugs for Auntie Lou’sAuntie Lou’s has just added a sunny outdoor seating areaA lot of dishes come with bread and butter, the old fashioned way
The new outdoor area is positioned on a sunny street right on Market Place and is the perfect spot for people watching. It is made up of second-hand wooden furniture, which cleverly feeds into the feeling of going round for tea at your aunty’s house.
Currently, Auntie Lou’s menu includes a rich sausage and pecorino pasta, french omelette with locally sourced sourdough, and a butterbean, courgette and asparagus stew, along with their consistently great selection of bakes and coffees.
Not to mention their recently sourced slushie machine, facilitating a variety of iced drinks to quench your thirst this summer.
Emily has always shared with her followers the raw experience of building this cafe from the very beginning with just a dream, some cleaning products and a whole lot of DIY. She really has built the cafe from scratch and we think that it truly deserves all of the praise it gets.
Dishes change regularly but currently include this beautiful pasta dishAuntie Lou’s cafe in Stockport Market Hall
If you’ve not given her a follow already, go and check out @auntielouscafe on Instagram and see her progress from the very beginning.
This cafe is definitely one well worth travelling for, so why not make a day of it and explore some of the other new spots in Stockport Old Town?
Auntie Lou’s is open Tuesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday 9.30am to 3pm (or until sell out) – go on down, show some support and see what all the fuss is about.
‘A lovely surprise’ says Manchester restaurant after being added to Michelin Guide
Daisy Jackson
A local restaurant in Manchester has said it’s a ‘proud moment’ as it gets added to the prestigious Michelin Guide.
10 Tib Lane, a gorgeous three-storey restaurant and bar tucked on a quiet city centre street, said it was ‘a lovely surprise’ to find themselves added to the guide.
The restaurant opened back in 2021, taking over the former Bock Biere Cafe on Tib Lane.
The beauty in its interiors lies in the building’s bones, with a stripped-back space showing off textured walls and wooden floors and big sash windows.
As you climb the stairs from the bar, you’ll find a restaurant serving up clever small plates with British produce but with a definite French influence.
10 Tib Lane comes from the same team behind beloved Chorlton neighbourhood bar Henry C, as well as the newly-opened Posie cocktail bar in the city centre.
The Michelin Guide said the restaurant is serving ‘well-crafted dishes’, highlighting its cheese beignets.
10 Tib Lane in ManchesterThe restaurant has been added to the Michelin Guide
The guide said: “Stretching over three floors of a tall, narrow townhouse, you enter this welcoming restaurant via its cosy bar – ideal for a cocktail or a glass from their selection of European natural and low-intervention wines – before heading up to dining rooms decked out in rustic, semi-industrial chic.
“Order some oysters or cheese beignets while you choose from a menu that shows off influences from both Spain (Cantabrian anchovies on toast) and France (chocolate ganache).
“Throughout the cooking, the well-crafted dishes allow top-quality ingredients to shine.”
Speaking of their Michelin Guide addition, 10 Tib Lane wrote: “What a lovely surprise to receive this week. Marking a proud moment for us and the team.”
Daisy Jackson -
6th May 2023 
