Eats

Almost Famous is opening a new restaurant inside a Withington pub

It will open with its own special burger 'The Southside’, exclusive to the Withington branch.

Georgina Pellant Georgina Pellant - 10th May 2023

Manchester’s original dirty burger bar Almost Famous is set to open a new restaurant inside a Withington pub.

With its eyes firmly on the suburbs, the longstanding local burger brand will move into the South Manchester student hot spot this summer – taking over the space vacated by Withington pub The Libertine at the end of 2022.

The Libertine closed just six months after it was opened by the Cottonopolis team inside a historic old bank on the village’s High Street, with bosses citing energy costs as one of the reasons for its departure.

Almost Famous will now move into the newly renovated Grade II-listed building this May, serving up its ever-popular combination of loaded burgers, flaming cocktails and winning fries.

Promising a ‘neighbourhood friendly vibe’ with movie and quiz nights, the new site will launch at the end of the month with a week’s worth of parties and its own special burger ‘The Southside ’, which will be exclusive to the Withington branch.

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Image: Almost Famous
Image: Almost Famous

Owners also plan to launch reach out to local community organisations to create new partnerships with the neighbourhood, which is home to organisations like public art project Withington Walls, and The Christie, which is one of the largest cancer treatment centres in Europe.

Sharing the news on Instagram in a post that has been liked over 800 times, owner Beau Myers wrote: “ALMOST FAMOUS WITHINGTON. FINALLY we are opening a NEW Almost Famous – we’re moving to the southside suburbs for our latest greatest fantastical burger heaven.

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“NGL last few years have been shit and a struggle for us all so this feels like a real super sherbet dibdab ray of sunshine.

Read more: A Manc’s guide to: Fallowfield and Withington, the student suburbs of South Manchester

“We’ve got the old Libertine which is the most beautiful listed building (an old bank) right at the top of the high st and we’re decking it out with our usual fun and mischief and a 10ft gorilla.

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“This part of Manchester has always been home for me and like a playground between town and Dids… – kebabs at Abdul’s or Monsoon- the 42bus up and down – the Didsbury dozen – when curry’s in Rusholme were a fiver including a beer – Parklife at Platt Fields – Big Hands – feels good to be going into South Manchester.

“We’ll be open for the end of May so stay tuned and hit us up if you want invites to the opening parties – let’s get back to having all the good times.”

Fans of the burger brand were quick to comment their congratulations, with one person writing: “Amazing news guys , top location. Couldn’t think of a better business to turn it on down there. Can’t wait to come and try. Almost famous have lead the way for so many so its good to hear you are back in the groove . BIG LOVE NS”

Read more: Piccadilly Gardens in Manchester to be turned into free Eurovision fan zone

Another added: “Congrats mate! I’ll come across for the opening party if I can!”

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A third said: “Fantastic news! I’ve lived in South Mcr pretty much all my life, and loved Almost Famous since the early pop up days in NQ! Amazing that my two loves are finally coming together would love the chance to celebrate at the opening!”

To keep up to date with news surrounding Almost Famous’s new opening later this month, follow the restaurant group on Instagram here.

Featured image – Almost Famous

Eats

Inside the underground Manchester noodle bar serving Chinatown’s spiciest scrans

Georgina Pellant Georgina Pellant noodle alley

Over in Chinatown, there’s a relatively new little noodle bar that’s been making a big, spicy stamp on the city’s dining scene.

Its owner, Wendy Ren, hails from the Chinese province of Sichuan – a region that’s home to giant pandas, traditional Sichuanese opera, and some of the spiciest food going, thanks to its famous Sichuan pepper.

Also known as the Chinese prickly ash, the citrus-like peppercorn leaves a tingly numbness in the mouth and on the lips that you’ll either love or hate.

It’s an acquired taste, by all accounts – but those who love it can’t get enough. In fact, on my visit during a packed-out Wednesday lunch service, Wendy stopped to chat with an Italian family holidaying in Manchester who had been in to eat three days in a row. Now that’s an endorsement if I ever heard one.

She’s opened the restaurant alongside her Cantonese husband, Ken Chen, but the recipes are all hers – and on our visit she laughs with us about how it has taken him some time to get on board with her spicy food, saying: “he found out pretty quickly that he either eats it or he doesn’t eat at all.”

For big fans of spice, this is fast becoming the absolute go-to spot in Chinatown – and for those who aren’t so tough, don’t worry, because Wendy’s put some things on the menu for you too (and possibly, also, for Ken).

Just taking a moment for the hand-rolled pork dumplings with sweet and spicy chilli oil and minced garlic. / Image: The Manc Eats
Noodle Alley is beautifully decked out in red and green with little nods to the famous wide and narrow alleys of Chengdu. / Image: The Manc Eats

Called Noodle Alley, the restaurant is tucked away underground on Faulkner Street and beautifully decked out in red and green with little nods to the famous wide and narrow alleys of Chengdu.

Formerly home to China City, a real old-school Chinatown legacy restaurant, the space has a special place in Wendy’s heart.

She tells me that she and her husband used to come and eat here “all the time” when they first started dating, so the location really means a lot to both of them.

Chinatown restaurants aren’t exactly known for their glamorous interiors, and China City, Wendy jokes, was one such place – with the same old carpet, and the same old tables that had been used for the past twenty years.

Now the space is her own, though, it’s markedly different – lovingly decked out in cheerful colours, with little green windows, hanging lanterns, and bamboo rattan paneling on the walls.

Hand-rolled dumplings stuffed with mince pork on their way to the kitchen at Noodle Alley. / Image: The Manc Eats
The end result – drenched in homemade chilli oil and topped with crispy garlic. / Image: The Manc Eats

Her story of getting into the restaurant business is something of an unusual one. Prior to opening Noodle Alley, she tells me, she spent nearly two decades working at The Marriott Hotel.

After seventeen years of service and the birth of her second child, she asked to go part-time but her request was refused – so she quit the very next day, and began building her own route to independence.

It was during the Covid lockdown, she says, that she really got into cooking group meals – making meals for her friends and spending hours in the kitchen busying away happily over her stove.

A friend with several restaurants in Chinatown suggested she start her own business, and the rest – as they say – is history.

Dan Dan noodles are out, apparently, and Su Jiao Mian are in. / Image: The Manc Eats
Burning noodles with preserved vegetables and crushed peanuts. / Image: The Manc Eats

Dish-wise, her menu spans a mouthwatering selection of dry noodles, soup noodles, street food, and small plates, including the likes of deep-fried wavy potato chips with chilli and Szechuan pepper and steamed beef strips wrapped with chilli paste, numbing Sichuan pepper, and five-spiced rice powder.

Dan Dan noodles, the Sichuan dish we probably all know the best, don’t feature – they’re a bit old news now, apparently, and Wendy has some cooler alternatives for us to try.

Read more: This blink-and-you’ll-miss-it basement restaurant in Manchester’s Chinatown serves the ultimate yum cha feast

One is her Su Jiao Mian, a mixture of minced pork, sesame sauce, and house chilli oil, the other is the Wan Za Mian, a fiery mixture of spices combined with minced pork, soft yellow peas, and more chilli which Wendy says is “one of the most popular noodles in Sichuan.”

Apparently, if you’re eating with the cool kids in Sichuan, you should order this. Not one to argue, I dig in – and it’s safe to say her food is pretty damn exceptional. Almost immediately, I’m planning my next trip back.

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Two of Noodle Alley’s signature dishes: Steamed beef strips wrapped with five spiced rice powder (back) and ‘saliva chicken’ served cold with special chilli oil, peanuts, and cucumber. / Image: The Manc Eats
Pork knuckle with butter beans in an umami-rich pork bone broth. / Image: The Manc Eats

Other signature dishes here include Wendy’s steamed beef strips, which can be eaten alone or dipped into one of her noodle soups, and a dish of ‘saliva chicken’ – a crunchy, cold, textural dish with steamed chicken, fresh chillis and ribbons of cucumber that sit swimming in a bath of homemade Sichuan chilli oil, so named because it literally makes your mouth water.

We also opt for a dish of pork knuckle with butter beans in an umami-rich pork bone broth. Not one for the faint-hearted, even Wendy seemed a little cautious to recommend this one, but as fans of ‘the weird stuff’ we insist – and it really ends up being a highlight of the meal.

Read more: Top Manchester chef to host special £250 dinner – but vegans aren’t welcome

We end up needing a little help with it. It’s a slippery bugger and I end up wearing a fair bit of the broth. before she returns with a knife and fork to cut it up properly for us.

That broth it’s in, though, is so beautiful I could happily bathe in it. Some might say I did, to be fair. As for the soft, succulent pork meat? When sliced into tiny morsels and dipped into an extra special Sichuan chilli oil she retrieves from the kitchen, is something else entirely.

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If this is Sichuan heaven, then I’ll happily stay here forever. From plump hand-made dumplings stuffed generously with flavourful pork and drenched in chilli oil, to chicken giblet soup noodles, there’s so much on the menu I will be coming back for.

And for those who really can’t handle the spice, I guess I’ll be recommending the scallion oil noodles with soy sauce and crispy egg. No matter what you order here, I don’t think you can go too wrong.

Featured image – The Manc Eats

Eats

Manchester Coffee Festival returns to celebrate all things caffeine

Daisy Jackson Daisy Jackson The Extracted Development competition at Manchester Coffee Festival

The Manchester Coffee Festival, presented by Cup North, will make its grand return to the city later this autumn. 

The renowned event celebrates all things caffeine and is a must-visit for anyone in the industry, or just anyone who’s a coffee fanatic. 

You can connect with other coffee lovers from around the UK while doing your favourite thing – drinking loads of coffee. 

Visitors can work their way around the vast event at the Bowlers Exhibition Centre, where there’ll be everything from a Markets Marketplace for shopping, a tasting room where you can sample loads of different coffees, workshops to have a go at, and talks and panels with industry experts. 

As well as that, Manchester Coffee Festival will have live music featuring incredible local artists, and a fun and entertaining LGBTQ+ friendly family program in collaboration with Drag Queen Story Hour UK and The Proud Trust. 

Cup North will be hosting the coffee competition, Extracted Development, over the two days of the event. Baristas and roasters from across the UK will be bringing the real life behind-the-bar scene on stage. 

Unlike the usual competitions, attendees will be encouraged to interact with the competitors and get to taste their delicious competition coffee at a brew bar setting.

There’ll be more than 60 exhibitors joining Manchester Coffee Festival 2023, each bringing their unique coffee products, artisanal treats, and coffee-related products. 

Traders at Manchester Coffee Festival
Traders at Manchester Coffee Festival
Manchester Coffee Festival 2022
Manchester Coffee Festival 2022
The tasting room at Manchester Coffee Festival
The tasting room at Manchester Coffee Festival

And coffee fiends will find plenty of familiar names about, such as Oatly, La Marzocco, Stores, KeepCup, WaterCare and Brew-It Group.

This year, the festival will be going paper cup-free – attendees are encouraged ‘sip responsibly’ and to bring their own reusable cups. 

KeepCup will be on hand with free cups you can borrow for the day too. 

This year, the Manchester Coffee Festival will be partnering with Farmers’ Voice Radio as part of its Community Partner Program, which aims to support different charity organisations who share their ambition to make a positive contribution towards specialty coffee communities and the communities local to their events. 

Farmers’ Voice Radio has a mission to transform the lives of millions of farmers and rural communities through the power of radio. 

It is also working with The Proud Trust to build a more diverse and inclusive event for the local community. 

6% of all ticket sales will be evenly donated to both organisations, who will be on site to chat to attendees too. 

Festival co-founder Hannah Davies said: “The Manchester Coffee Festival is all about celebrating the vibrant world of specialty coffee and creating a welcoming community, not just for the industry but for all. 

“We’re thrilled to be back, bigger and better than ever, with a program that showcases the very best of coffee, sustainability, and accessibility.”

Manchester Coffee Festival will return to Bowlers Exhibition Centre between 18 and 19 November. Tickets are now available to purchase online at manchestercoffeefest.com/tickets.

Featured image: Supplied

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