There are some restaurants in Manchester that have been here for so long, it’s hard to remember life without them.
One such restaurant is Red Chilli, which has been on its corner of Chinatown for two decades, the neon red chilli sign above the door very much part of the Portland Street furniture even as the area has developed around it.
The clue for the food offering at Red Chilli is in its name – they really, really like spice. If you leave your dinner here without a sheen of sweat and a ringing in your ears, you’ve done it all wrong.
From its huge menu, there are those dishes that will be most familiar to British palates – sweet and sour, black bean, and lemon sauces, chow mein, crispy duck, spare ribs, salt and pepper wings.
But Red Chilli is best-known for its home-style cooking and its authentic Sichuan cuisine, and Sichuan cuisine is best-known for its obsession with all things spicy.
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In this south-western province of China, the cooking is bold and fiery, laced with Sichuan pepper, chillies, and garlic.
In Red Chilli, you’ll find casseroles, braised meats, and stews, with ingredients like beancurd, frog’s legs, and pig’s feet.
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An alarming portion of the menu is bullet-pointed with chilli icons – and when they list something as three chillies on the spice scale, they mean it.
In fact, if you search the restaurant’s Deliveroo page for ‘spicy’ or ‘chilli’, you get more than 60 dinner suggestions. It’s a lot.
That might be the Sichuan Dandan noodles with minced pork and chilli sauce, or the hot poached fish fillets in chilli oil, or the nerve-testing whole seabass grilled and served in a blanket of dried chilli.
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For our lunch on a recent episode of our Takeaway Champions series, we start off mild (ish) with wasabi prawns. You know you’re in for a spicy time when wasabi is the mildest dish on the table.
These huge, butter-soft prawns are deep-fried and then served in a pale green creamy wasabi sauce, which dials the heat of the horseradish right down but still allows that signature sinus-clearing magic to do its thing.
Next up is home-style poached chicken, served cold and swimming in a fiery red chilli oil.
The first thing that hits you is the perfect texture of the chicken itself – but then in marches the heat from the sauce.
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It’s so spicy that it makes you talk faster in a panic, words tumbling out of your tingling mouth – ‘I quite like pain so this is good, actually’.
Even licking a drop of the sauce off your finger is enough to make your eyes widen and your nostrils flare.
Much more gentle is a sautéed pork dish, with rings of intestine coated in a tangy and peppery sauce. Put aside any squeamish thoughts and think of this as what it is – one of the most flavourful and tender parts of a pig, cooked to perfection.
And really, whatever your spice tolerance is like, there will be something at Red Chilli to suit you. There’s a good reason it’s been here for so many years.
Beloved Manchester Italian restaurant unveils big refurb
Thomas Melia
Much-loved Italian restaurant Italiana Fifty-Five has just unveiled a beautiful refurbishment at one of its Manchester sites, along with a new menu of fresh, handmade pasta.
Gone is the famous yellow colour palette of this Italian eatery as they swap in a sophisticated and regal turquoise blue at their Liverpool Road restaurant.
This establishment is known for its impressive shop-window pasta making stations where you can see your food prepared live in-store and while walking past outside the venue.
They’re continuing their foodie legacy serving carby creations, like a flaming cheese wheel pasta where staff blowtorch the cheese to ensure it’s as melty as possible.
One of the biggest menu highlights at Italiana Fifty-Five is the cappellacci, which comes in two equally gorgeous forms and much like its English translation, emulates tiny hats.
These cute little plates come in two delicious stuffed pairings – the burrata, combined with a tangy tomato and beef filling, and a salmon with cream sauce and fresh lemon for a match made in heaven.
Beloved Manchester Italian restaurant Italiana Fifty-Five unveils big refurb. Credit: The Manc GroupInside Italiana Fifty-Five as it unveils a new look on Liverpool Road. Credit: The Manc Group
How can you think of anything more ideal than a table full of hearty and home-comforting meals than one that also features an array of beautiful sides?
Usual delights like the burrata on a bed of rocket, tomato and finished off with a balsamic vinegar glaze area great addition to your already faultless food.
Cheesy garlic pizza bread is quintessential when dining in an Italian restaurant, and Italiana 55’s lovely flavour-packed favourite is a go-to when ordering here.
The Liverpool Road restaurant also has a tonnata pizza which uses toppings that are an exact ingredient breakdown of the Mediterranean sauce, which it shares its name with.
In photos: Italiana Fifty-Five has undergone a refurb. Credit: The Manc Group
What better way to wolf down some incredible Italian feasts than with some perfectly paired alcoholic offerings like the classic Aperol spritz, trusted espresso martinis and a selection of fine wines.
Their menu is staying as tasty as ever with their delicious pizzas and pastas, with the new fresh pasta menu available at their restaurants on Liverpool Road and in Didsbury.
Bakery chain Gail’s is attempting to win over Prestwich after spelling mishap
Daisy Jackson
Gail’s has announced a plan to try and make amends with Prestwich after spelling the village’s name wrong on the new bakery’s signs.
The massive bakery chain finally confirmed that it would be moving into the suburb on the fringes of Bury and Manchester, but made a fatal flaw at the first step.
The huge posters are missing the letter ‘T’, instead saying ‘Hello Preswich’.
More than a few eyebrows were raised locally, with people saying it’s ‘not a great first impression for the locals…’.
And now Gail’s is attempting to put things right by offering free tea to Prestwich residents.
In new material released today, they wrote: “Oops… people of Prestwich, we owe you a ‘T’.
“You may have seen how we missed out a ‘t’ in our new bakery signage.
“We’re sorry for the mistake, and to make up for it we’d like to brew you a tea when we open.”
The new advertising has a QR code which people can scan to claim their free cuppa.
Gail’s has also passed its thanks on to ‘local resident Clair’, who actually came up with the suggestion on The Manc’s LinkedIn post here.
With this development, Gail’s has now confirmed it’ll be opening in Prestwich – directly opposite the new Rudy’s – in early 2025, with free tea served then to those who scan the QR code.
Gail’s will hand out free tea in Prestwich to apologise for spelling the village’s name wrongHuge bakery chain Gail’s confirms move to Prestwich – but spells village’s name wrong in signage