A huge vegan street food fair is coming to Manchester this month, bringing together some of the region’s most mouthwatering traders for a weekend.
Taking place at the popular Green Quarter street food hub Grub, plant-based foodies can tuck into a range of different vegan treats ranging from tacos and kebabs to sugary sweet bakes, pizzas and more.
With the date set for the last weekend of January, the festival will run for three days: starting at 5pm on Friday 27 January and continuing until 6pm on Sunday 29 January.
Those heading down can expect to find a number of street food delights, including vegan dumplings made with non-traditional fillings from recent Ancoats General Store pop-up trader, Desert Island Dumplings.
Image: Desert Island DUmplings
Image: Seitan’s Kebab
Known for serving a quirky range of dumplings stuffed with salt and pepper chickn, smoky cheez pizza, hoisin mock duck and cheezeburger, the menu here also features stacks of hash browns, chips and drunken noodles.
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And that’s not all. If you’re lucky, you might also get your hands on some sweet dumplings – with previous favourites including lemon drizzle and Lotus banoffee (and served with a sweet dip, no less). Dumplings can be mixed and matched, too, so you can get a little taste of everything.
Elsewhere, you’ll find woodfired Neapolitan-style pizzas from Lancashire favourite Marley’s Pizza and a host of Mexican tacos from Nina’s Taco Truck, who will also be serving new dishes like nachos, ‘El Jefe’ burrito, and dirty fries topped with the likes of cheese sauce, jalapeno, red cabbage, crispy onions and chipotle mayo.
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There’ll also be sweet treats from Drizzle City Bakes, known for creating fun bakes like red velvet and Oreo cupcakes, lemon and raspberry drizzle and rocky roads, plus more from That Vegan Bakery.
‘Manchester’s favourite’ vegan food fair is returning to GRUB this month / Credit: GRUB
And last but not least, Seitan’s Kebab will also be in attendance across the weekend serving up unique vegan takes on everyone’s late-night takeaway favourite, with the option of loaded fries on the side.
Drinks-wise, expect to find a fully vegan bar offering wine, cocktails, spirits, soft drinks and beer from local breweries, plus hot drinks from Alchemic Coffee’s pop-up garden bar featuring speciality teas, coffees, espresso martinis, mulled wine and hot chocolate. You can also expect music, vibes and lovely times.
Kicking off from 5pm on Friday 27 January, the vegan food festival at Grub will run from 5-10pm the first night, then all day on Saturday from 12-10pm. Its final day will be Sunday 29 January, with traders in situ from 12-6pm.
Feature image – Grub / Desert Island Dumplings
Eats
Inside Chinatown’s enormous new three-storey restaurant, with futuristic karaoke booths
Daisy Jackson
A gigantic three-storey restaurant and karaoke bar has just opened its doors in Chinatown in Manchester.
Sovereign Clouds is the newest addition to one of the city’s most beloved and ever-evolving neighbourhoods, taking over a sizeable building on Faulkner Street that’s been vacant for 10 years.
Inside the 1,000 sq metre space, you’ll find a glittering restaurant adorned with marble and gold, where you can tuck into a massive menu of dim sum and traditional dishes.
One floor up and you’ll find yourself surrounded by live lobster tanks and the massive kitchen, alongside several flexible private dining spaces.
And up on the top floor are the most futuristic karaoke rooms in town, where you can customise lights, LED ceilings, and even sing through an autotune microphone.
Three roast meats from Sovereign CloudsDelicious dim sumAuthentic Chinese cooking from Sovereign CloudsBlack Gold Lava Buns with salted custard fillingThe massive Sovereign Clouds restaurant
On the menu you’ll find tonnes of steamed dim sum, stir fries, traditional claypot stews, roast meats, and loads more.
There’s seafood like stir-fried lobster with salted egg yolk, and traditional Cantonese steamed grouper; a whole section for abalone (advance orders only) including braised goose feet and fish maw; and a good selection of spicy Sichuan dishes.
The chefs here also have an impressive array of Chinese roast meats, like Peking crispy duck, pork belly, and char siu, as well as three roast meats with rice.
Futuristic karaoke roomsThe main restaurant at Sovereign CloudsFuturistic karaoke rooms
And that’s alongside ingredients you don’t find on a lot of menus in Manchester, like jellyfish, tripe, and century eggs.
It’s all led by Terry Ni, who has been behind the popular Dynasty Chinese and Thai takeaway in Timperley for more than a decade, and has spent years transforming this empty old building into one of Chinatown’s most glittering restaurants.
Come for dinner, stay for a turn on the karaoke upstairs, and tell everyone – Sovereign Clouds is a fantastic addition to Manchester.
‘Surreal’ moment Stevie Wonder dines at Stalybridge restaurant after enormous Manchester gig
Daisy Jackson
Stevie Wonder has stunned a local restaurant in Stalybridge after he popped in for dinner after his massive Manchester show.
The soul icon had performed a huge gig at Co-op Live on Sunday night, performing hits from his illustrious, decades-long career.
And while you might expect someone of Stevie’s fame and stature to dine at one of the city centre’s many Michelin-recommended restaurants, the star instead headed straight for the suburbs.
He was spotted dining at Cafe Continental, an independent restaurant that’s become one of the Greater Manchester’s most-hyped neighbourhood haunts since it launched two years ago.
The stylish spot is famed for its European-style restaurant and cafe culture, aiming to recreate the atmosphere of the sort of place you’d stumble upon down a back street in Rome or Paris.
On the menu they’ve got a rotation of small plates, open-fire dishes, pastas and burgers, along with their divine Parisian hot chocolate, served with a bowl of whipped cream on the side.
Cafe Continental has had a good track record for pulling in local famous faces, but arguably nothing comes close to Stevie Wonder himself.
Inside Cafe Continental in Stalybridge. Credit: The Manc GroupSoup and focaccia at Cafe Continental. Credit: The Manc Group
The night before Stevie’s visit, they’d served his band and daughter – and clearly word got back to Stevie fast, because he returned the next night to test it out for himself.
Cafe Continental posted: “Surreal things happen now and again. This is one of them! Pleasure to welcome Mr Stevie Wonder to the restaurant to close off his tour!”
And according to the MEN, Stevie left a whopping £1,000 tip for the staff.
Not only did Stevie Wonder support a local hospitality business, but he also arrived dressed in Drama Call, a Manchester-based sportswear brand.
Georgina Pellant -
20th January 2023 
