Popular Leeds ramen spot House of Fu has just opened up its second restaurant in Manchester city centre and now we know exactly why this place gets so much love.
Popping up in the perfect location along Portland Street, the Yorkshire favourite has taken over a stunning two-storey venue that combines that classic few-frills, red-brick Manc industrial look with a bright orange and white colour scheme, neon signage, graphic tees more.
Feeling not only like a modern noodle bar but genuinely giving off the vibe of a place you can drink at, House of Fu has brought along a stellar reputation from years of serving slurpers in Leeds to 0161 in style and we’ve been excited about seeing if it lives up to the hype forever since it was announced.
We’ll cut straight to the point: it did not disappoint — in fact, we left not only with full bellies but drowsy smiles and we prepared for the impending food coma. So worth it.
Trying a total of three different bowls of lip-smacking soup and noodles — the classic tonkotsu, the ‘Spicy Fu’ and the kimchi and cheese ramen — as well as a California super bowl (which certainly lived up to its name — we’re not joking when we tell you we could literally drink gallons of all these broths.
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With plenty of spice, great texture in the noods, a brilliant range of meat and veggie toppings, as well some really ace sides such as kakuni pork belly, whipped tofu, cripsy cauliflower and more.
We also treated ourselves to a few cheeky drinks from their wide selection of cocktails, all of which can be enjoyed during happy hour from 4-6pm where you can get two for £13.
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Speaking of making menus, there’s also the ‘Fu Style’ set menu, which promises a main and sharing portion of their sides from just £22, £28 if you want one of their frozen cocktails like the perfectly sour and sherbet-filled lemon drop, £30 if you want some extra gyozas and £35 if you want to finish off with some plum sake.
House of Fu’s Manchester location opens in style. (Credit: The Manc Group)
There honestly wasn’t a single thing we didn’t like about this place, from the food and service to the design and even cool merch that we’ll definitely be going far — we’ve been looking for a t-shirt that actively advertises our love for noodles and broth for ages.
They’ve even got a private dining room and karaoke booths downstairs because what’s better than polishing off a massive bowl of ramen and then having a bit of a drunken sing-song afterwards?
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House of Fu‘s new Manchester venue is open to the public from this Friday, 20 October onwards and we can assure you we’ll be spending a lot of time in here.
40-year-old Chinatown restaurant warns ‘we won’t last another decade’ in defiant statement
Daisy Jackson
There are some businesses that feel so much a part of the fabric of Manchester, it’s hard to imagine the city without them.
But a defiant statement from Happy Seasons, a decades-old family-run restaurant in Chinatown, has said that it’s ‘not sure how businesses like ours will survive in this new world’.
They wrote that is ‘feels like everything is stacked against small businesses’ and said ‘we won’t last another 5-10 years’.
Happy Seasons has been a cornerstone of Chinatown for more than 40 years, famed for its roast meats (proudly hung in the windows) and traditional Cantonese dishes.
Everyone who works in the restaurant has been in the trade for more than 20 years, they wrote, adding ‘it’s all they’ve ever known’.
Happy Seasons has said that their type of business – where everything is made fresh, from scratch, daily – is ‘slowly fading’.
They wrote: “Younger generations are slowly stepping away from hospitality. The government continues to increase costs on our industry, while bills, rent, and even basic stock keep rising. Sometimes it feels like everything is stacked against small businesses.”
Roast meats in the windows of Happy SeasonsHappy Seasons has been in Chinatown for more than 40 years
The restaurant added: “We don’t think places like ours will last another decade if things continue the way they are.”
But in their defiant video shared to customers, the Chinese restaurant said: “We’re not going to let that stop us.
“We’re still going to put the hours in. We’re still going to make everything fresh. We’re still not going to cut corners.
“From our sauces and roasted meats to our soy sauce and sweet and sour sauce, so much of what we serve is made from scratch. The time, effort, and cost that go into these everyday dishes are much higher than they used to be.
“Even though it’s costing us more and more to operate, we’re going to do our best to stick around for as long as we can. Because there may come a day when traditional Chinese food, made the old fashioned way, becomes much harder to find here in the UK.
“So let’s make this one hell of a decade. Thank you for all the support over the years. It truly means the world to us.”
It’s since expanded, launching in Sheffield earlier this year – and now Forbici has set its sights on the Trafford Centre.
The Neapolitan pizzeria will be taking over the former Franco Manca site in The Orient, bringing its biga dough and biga crusts with it to its third location.
Pizza dough here is slow-fermented to create a light, risen crust, before being topped with quality ingredients like San Marzano tomatoes and Italian produce.
Forbici will be bringing their Manchester special, the Lancashire Hotpot, to the Trafford Centre – a pizza topped with crisps.
Other signatures include the Provola e Pepe (topped with San Marzano tomato, smoked provola, black pepper and fresh basil), as well as indulgent white-base pizzas such as the Porcini e Tartufo, loaded with Fior di latte, porcini mushrooms, Italian truffle sauce and chives.
Forbici translates as ‘scissors’ in Italian, and pizzas here are always served with scissors rather than a knife and fork – diners are encouraged to snip their dinner into quarters for the ultimate pizza experience.
Toni Dennan at Forbici said: “We don’t believe pizza should ever be ordinary. Forbici is rooted in the traditions of Naples, made with real craft and precision, but it’s also built with the energy, creativity and ambition of the cities and locations we call home.
“Every detail matters to us, from the dough and ingredients to the atmosphere in the pizzeria. Opening at Trafford Centre gives us the opportunity to bring that experience to even more people and show that pizza, when it’s done properly, can still surprise, delight and create a real sense of occasion.”
Simon Layton, Centre Director at Trafford Centre, said: “We’re delighted to announce that Forbici will be joining us at Trafford Centre, adding to our ever-evolving range of fantastic restaurants.
“As a local success story, we’re thrilled to be championing another Manchester success story, and look forward to sampling some of their delicious pizzas when they open this summer.”
Forbici will open at The Orient at the Trafford Centre this summer.
Danny Jones -
18th October 2023 
