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
Beloved Manc butty shop Bada Bing set for a sensational return to the city centre
Danny Jones
Sandwich lovers rejoice because one of the finest butty shops to ever grace Manchester is returning: that’s right, Bada Bing is bada-back!
The Sopranos-inspired deli and sandwich shop that took its name from one of the central locations featured in the iconic US drama (yes, the strip club), was a huge success when it first opened in Manchester a few short years ago, so it was a huge blow when it closed in February 2022.
Starting out by serving sandwiches out of a window at The B Lounge pub on Paton Street near Piccadilly, before moving to a small kitchen on Radium Street and eventually setting up their stall inside Ancoats General Store, they would regularly have lines around the block every lunchtime.
These Italian-American sarnies were so popular you’d often struggle to get your claws on one – and believe us, they really are a two-handed task – as they’d sell out on what felt like most days. But now, whether you were a regular or someone who missed out, there is hope once again:
Announcing their sensational return to a new site over in the Northern Quarter, which will now mark the fourth premises they’ve popped up at, Bada Bing is back with a bang and, as you can, they dropped the news with one of the best reveal videos we’ve ever seen.
If you know, you know…
Set to take over 125 Oldham Street, owners Sam Gormally and Meg Lingenfelter haven’t yet graced us with an opening date but the new unit should hopefully be open sooner rather than later.
The duo, who previously worked at fellow NQ favourite Another Heart to Feed, came up with the concept during lockdown and it didn’t take long for the idea to take off, nor for them to earn their spot amongst the very best sandwich places in Manchester.
Seriously, these things were so big and unwieldy (in the best way possible) that they even used to come with eating instructions: both hands and the trademark Tony Soprano hunch recommended, though the slightly stained wife-beater, boxer shorts and open dressing gown look is optional.
From slices of provolone cheese, all the thinly sliced Italian meats you could think of and the closest thing to actual ‘gabagool‘ as you’ll find in Greater Manchester, the menu was fitting of being served up to the iconic characters that once sat outside Satriale’s and a big approving grin from the man himself.
Simply put, we cannot wait and we will certainly keep you posted when we find out exactly when Bada Bing confirms their official reopening date.
Burger King is giving away free burgers to new drivers today
Emily Sergeant
Burger King will be giving away burgers to drivers who have recently passed their tests for free of charge today.
In case it wasn’t on your radar, tomorrow (Thursday 24 July) is actually National Drive-Thru Day, and in a bid to properly celebrate this unofficial holiday, Burger King has decided to hand out a bunch of freebies to newbies today.
The fast food chain is asking all new drivers to “buckle up”, head on down to their nearest Burger King drive-thru, and help themselves to a free burger.
All newly-qualified drivers will be able to take their pick from either the Whopper or Chicken Royale without parting ways with a penny, and all they’ll need to do the claim their freebie is simply show off their learner’s ‘L Plates’ to the staff at their local Burger King restaurant.
/ Credit: Burger King UK (via Instagram) | Supplied
Hundreds of Burger King drive-thrus across the UK are taking part in the one-day promotion – including several across in Greater Manchester.
Although it might seem a little too good to be true, there’s a reason Burger King has chosen to dish out the freebies, and that’s because the company says it knows that one of the first activities newly-qualified drivers like do once they’ve passed their test is make a pit stop at a drive-thru with their mates to show off their new wheels and skills.
Sometimes though, navigating a drive-thru for the first time can be tricky, and this leaves new drivers feeling a bit like a rabbit in the headlights.
Luckily with this one-day Burger King offer, new drivers’ first drive-thru trip couldn’t be any easier.
The offer is available nationwide today (Wednesday 24 July) at Burger King drive-thru lanes only, while stock lasts, and newly qualified drivers must verbally mention “BK Plates” at the drive-thru lane to unlock their free burger.