Sara is a bit of a foodie but found herself stuck with establishments ‘focused on making money with drinks like night clubs, not quality food’ (to be fair, she has a point on this one…)
She also said that she couldn’t find ‘good sushi or fresh food’ and said that ‘everything is frozen’.
Gundogan’s stunning wife did eventually find one place in Manchester that fit the bill, when they went to the glittering Musu.
But she’s been gone a whole year now, and in a city as big as ours you end up with a lot of new openings in that time.
So here are five restaurants Ilkay Gundogan and his wife should try now they’re back in Manchester.
Skof, NOMA
Inside Skof in Manchester
This list could end here, because Skof is an exceptional restaurant.
Under the steer of chef Tom Barnes, and as part of Simon Rogan’s UMBEL Restaurants group, this is a newcomer that has rocketed to the top of our favourite restaurants list.
Michelin-worthy tasting menus weave in local produce from around the Greater Manchester as well as produce grown specifically for the restaurant from Our Farm in the Cartmel Valley.
The beautiful space has lofty ambitions and looks set to smash them all.
Caravan, St John’s
Ilkay Gundogan’s wife Sara should try Caravan when she’s back in ManchesterCheese and kimchi on toast at Caravan in Manchester
This is a new new restaurant for Manchester, having only opened its doors last week – and if Mrs Gundogan likes brunches, sourdough pizzas, coffee and cocktails, this is one for her list.
Caravan bring a little taste of New Zealand to St John’s with an all-day ‘well-travelled’ menu.
Its hero dishes include jalapeño cornbread with chilli butter, sourdough pizzas, and healthy (but hearty) grain bowls.
It’s not quite as fancy as MUSU, but for a relaxed lunch or dinner you can’t go far wrong.
Lucky Cat, Spring Gardens
Lucky Cat is a Manchester restaurant Ilkay Gundogan’s wife Sara should try and review. Credit: Supplied
Ilkay Gundogan and Sara Arfaoui may have just managed to visit Lucky Cat before they left Manchester – but if not, its incredible interiors are sure to tick a few boxes.
Gordon Ramsay’s Asian-inspired restaurant on King Street is in the old Art Deco bank that once housed Jamie’s Italian, and has a menu that fuses the vibrant atmosphere of 1930s Tokyo jazz kissas and drinking dens with a world-class dining experience.
Diners are invited to ’embark on a gastronomic journey of culinary icons’, digging into the likes of sublime black cod, sumptuous sirloin weeping tiger and the legendary Lucky Cat Duck Bao.
Maya, Canal Street
Maya in Manchester has been added to the Michelin Guide already. Credit: THe Manc GroupMaya’s £25 asparagus has been removed from the menu
This one was a long time coming, but Maya is making waves on Canal Street after bringing a lavish new restaurant to the Gay Village.
Sprawling across three floors – including a ‘no-photos-allowed’ basement bar – the beautiful restaurant has already wormed its way into the Michelin Guide.
The food side of things is all headed up by Mancunian chef Gabe Lea, whose CV includes Michelin-starred Le Manoir and The French at the Midland Hotel.
Its menu has been tweaked and perfected since its launch – which is good, because the earliest menu featured four pieces of asparagus as a ‘main course’ for £24, with no sides…
Raft, Spinningfields
This one’s a bit of a curveball because I think, if we’re being honest, Sara might actually hate it.
Raft is a stunning new opening in Spinningfields, taking over what was previously SakkuSamba and instead turning it into a dark and moody ‘island’ restaurant with a ‘coastal boozer’ on the ground floor.
The main attraction at Raft is its ‘Island Dining’ and ‘Boheme Brunch’ offerings, which when you boil it down are… buffets. Beautiful ones, but buffets.
There’s also an a la carte menu that features small plates like lobster karaage rolls, North African lamb chops, and birria beef croquettes, plus a luxury carvery on Sundays.
I’d really like to know what Sara thinks of it, actually.
More new openings comign to Manchester
There are plenty of places set to open in the coming weeks that should tickle the pair’s fancy, too.
Blacklock is heading up from London bringing its exceptional meat-led menu with it – it’s renowned for its modern take on the Great British chophouse, serving a range of chops and high-quality steaks cooked over charcoal.
Also opening very soon is Louis, an Italian-American restaurant in Spinningfields from the Tattu team, which will have a no-photos policy, live music every night, and will generally be creating a little piece of mid-century New York to Manchester.
And finally, The Cut and Craft is opening its first restaurant here very soon, taking over an old bank building on Mosley Street. It’ll serve premium locally-reared steaks, as well as a menu of expertly delivered seafood specials and meat butchered in-house.
Hope you like your time here a little better this time around Ilkay and Sara – Manchester is happy to have you back.
Inside the Hotel Chocolat Velvetiser Cafe in Manchester
Daisy Jackson
Hotel Chocolat has today opened the doors to its first Velvetiser Cafe in Manchester, serving up shakes, hot chocolates, sundaes, and loads more.
Part cafe, part retail space, inside you’ll find everything from molten chocolate fountains to a full range of chocolate boxes, bars and hot chocolate powders.
The popular chocolatier has stores up and down the UK selling its ethically-sourced sweet treats, hitting a new level of fame with its Velvetiser, an invention that creates velvety smooth hot drinks at the touch of a button.
They’ve been so popular, Hotel Chocolat is now opening Velvetiser Cafes across the UK – and Manchester is next.
There are exclusive-to-Manchester-sundaes in store, each one inspired by their most popular chocolates, like a Billionaire’s Shortbread and an Eton Mess.
You can also grab yourself a hot choc shake, with loads of flavours, milks and toppings to choose from.
Hotel Chocolat’s new Velvetiser Cafe in ManchesterThe chocolate boxes at Hotel ChocolatInside the Hotel Chocolat Velvetiser Cafe in ManchesterMix-and-match hot chocolate selection boxesInside the Hotel Chocolat Velvetiser Cafe in ManchesterExclusive-to-Manchester ice cream sundaesCroissant with a molten chocolate potInside the Velvetiser Cafe in ManchesterInside the Hotel Chocolat Velvetiser Cafe in Manchester
The Hotel Chocolat Velvetiser Cafe also has pastries, which you can order with a side of melted chocolate for dipping and drizzling.
As part of the experience inside, there’s a wall of hot chocolate sachets, which you can mix and match to build your own selection box.
And all along the way there’ll be samples, and loads to learn about the chocolate industry.
The Hotel Chocolat Velvetiser Cafe has officially opened its doors today on Cross Street in Manchester city centre, just next to the new Joe & The Juice.
The old fire station in Salford that’s now home to a bakery, brewery and bar
Daisy Jackson
A former fire station in Salford has been turned into a bustling base for some of the North West’s finest baking and brewing talents.
The Old Fire Station, right beside the University of Salford, is now operating as a bakery, brewery, bar, cafe and restaurant.
That means pastries, bread, pizzas and even beers are made within a few feet of where you’ll be eating and drinking them.
The space is beautiful, still boasting those gigantic red fire station doors and the traditional ceramic tiles that would have been here when the space was still home to fire engines instead of bread mixers.
Around half of the pastries coming out of the bakery, headed up by Erick Molero Delgado (his CV includes top bakeries across the USA and Europe), are completely vegan – not that you can tell from looking at their glossy, laminated layers and extravagant fillings.
We’re talking perfectly cubed laminated brioche with sweet maple flavours, mini pizzettes with olives and tomatoes dotted inside a pastry wall, and striped pain suisse stuffed with nuts and chocolate.
Then there are the not-very-vegan-at-all pastries, like a spandaeur, which is like a croissant and pastel de nata hybrid, and thick slices of Basque cheesecake.
There are new signature ‘Salford bagels’ too developed by assistant head baker Scott Shannon, which are a fusion of North American, German and Jewish styles, fermented for up to 48 hours with a crisp outer shell and a chewy centre.
A spandaeur pastry and a pain suisseHeirloom tomato bruschetta on sourdoughThe bakery line-upThe ‘Salford Bagel’ with smoked salmon
We had ours stuffed with smoked salmon, cream cheese and capers and raved about it all the way home.
Erick says: “Our new menu is a true labour of love by the whole team – from early ideas and experiments right through to the final bake.
“If someone has an idea, we run with it. That creative freedom is priceless. It keeps the work exciting, and it means our customers have the opportunity to get something fresh every time they visit.”
As for the beers, they’re all made on site too – on the opposite side of The Old Fire Station is Lark Hill Brewery, headed up by Jack Dixon, who’s able to experiment and explore new flavours in this top-spec microbrewery.
Jack Dixon in the Lark Hill BreweryLaminated briocheThe Old Fire Station bakers at work
There are experimental beers, sometimes made in collaboration with researchers at the University, as well as true-to-style classics like a New England Pale Ale and the Lark Helles, a fresh take on a classic German lager.
Jack said: “Having the autonomy to design and brew what I want, without limits, is rare and exciting,.
“It means every beer we pour here has a story and a personality. We’re proud to bring something new to Salford’s craft scene.”
This summer, they’re launching New York-style pizzas, made on slow-fermented, hand-stretched pizza dough.
And very little goes to waste here – the trimmed-off croissant pastry is now being turned into their own croissant loaf, which they’re whipping into French toast for the brunch menu.
Everything at The Old Fire Station is crafted with talent and love, and you can really taste it.
Daisy Jackson -
24th August 2024 
