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
Japanese-Brazilian hybrid, SakkuSamba, is putting on a special Valentine’s menu
Danny Jones
For anyone who hasn’t made it down to SakkuSamba, not only are you missing out but you might have also just found the perfect place to take your special someone this Valentine’s Day.
If you haven’t heard of this unique Spinningields restaurant before, SakkuSamba is the Japanese-Brazilian hybrid where surf and turf meet in an intimate and stylish setting.
From the moment you walk in to see the pink-hued lighting and floral surroundings, you immediately feel like you’ve been transported to a different world. And what better way to be greeted into that world than with a rose and a glass of fizz? Say no more.
That’s right, as part of their Valentine‘s offer, the menu not only kicks off with you being presented with a rose by the ever-welcoming staff, which you can then hand to your partner as if you planned the whole thing especially for them (we won’t say a word), but you also get a glass of prosecco on arrival too.
Credit: The Manc Group
SakkuSamba’s Valentine’s offering runs from 13-15 February and promises their unlimited dining experience as well as a special sharing dessert. You can book a lunchtime meal for £42.50 or secure yourself an incredible dinner for £55.50.
In case you’re wondering what makes it ‘unlimited’: part of what makes their dining experience so unique is how expansive their menu is, bridging across two beloved but equally varied cuisines.
Lucky for you, you’ll be able to order pretty much everything they have on it through a simple tablet on your own table, meaning you can spend even more time just the two of you on your special night.
As for the limited edition Valentine’s dessert, SakkuSamba’s Manchester restaurant will be creating its very own special sharing dessert and that’s all we’re allowed to tell you about it — all we know is that it’ll undoubtedly be delicious.
It isn’t often you find a place that serves up both high-end sushi and proper steak cooked in keeping with Brazilian tradition, among numerous other big and varied flavours.
Better still, they have a seriously appetising drinks menu for you to get stuck into. After all, it’s Valentine’s, it’d be rude not to treat yourselves to a tipple.
You can book you and your significant other in for a special Valentine’s menu and all-round wonderful dining experience HERE.
Whilst some people are probably looking forward to Valentine’s Day this month, we expect that a fair few others are struggling to muster much enthusiasm at all.
It’s fair enough. If you’re single then Cupid’s holiday can feel somewhat isolating, to say the least – which is why Caribbean-inspired restaurant and bar Turtle Bay has decided to give ‘equal billing’ to singles this year with two back-to-back bottomless dinners.
In what it’s calling an ‘inclusive celebration of love’, the restaurant has revealed it will be hosting two boozy dinners this month – one for singles on 13 February, and a second for couples on Valentine’s Day itself.
Featuring non-stop cocktails, prosecco and Red Stripe beers, plus two or three dishes each from Turtle Bay’s Caribbean-inspired menu, the bottomless dinners will celebrate love in all its forms.
Image: Turtle Bay
Image: Turtle Bay
Priced at £43.50 for two courses or £48.50 for three, both bottomless dinners will all start at 5pm and take place for two nights across Turtle Bay’s various Greater Manchester sites.
Dish options include the likes of jerk wings and salt fish fritters to start, followed by the likes of baby back ribs, jerk chicken and organic jerk tofu.
Elsewhere, you’ll find West Indian curries like its Trini curry chicken, as well as classic comfort food dishes such as Chef Collin’s mac and cheese with jerk chicken or curry goat hash.
There’s also plenty for veggies and vegans, with curry aubergine, the MotherClucker burger, the halloumi Buddha bowl, and the No Moo burger all on offer.
As for cocktails, indulge in the likes of the Dessert Island (dark rum, Tia Maria, cold brew and salted caramel); Tobago Tea (white rum, vodka, tequila, gin, triple sec, grapefruit, mango and lime); Jamrock Punch (gin, passionfruit, strawberry, apple, grapefruit and lime) and the Tingwray (Wray & Nephew, white rum, grapefruit and lime) over the course of your booking.
The Oxford Road has been refurbished and redecorated ready for the party season. / Image: Turtle Bay
Image: Turtle Bay
Those who fancy heading down can book into its sites on Oxford Street, in the Northern Quarter, or in Salford Quays.
Georgina Pellant -
20th January 2023 
