A brand new Salford restaurant will celebrate its launch today by giving away 1000 katsu curries, completely free.
Banana Tree is an award-winning Pan-Asian restaurant that started life down in London more than three decades ago.
It’s since expanded with restaurants across the UK, but this will be its first trip up to Greater Manchester.
The new Salford venue will officially open its doors today, Monday 12 February, at the Lowry Outlet Mall.
The restaurant will have space for 150 diners inside, and an extra 70 outside on an all-weather terrace.
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Dishes on the Banana Tree menu will include pad Thai, ramen, and katsu curry dishes, plus bottomless brunches seven days a week, and an all-day menu that will suit the pre-theatre crowd.
The menu champions traditional meals from Thailand, Singapore, Indonesia, Vietnam and Malaysia, including noodles, salads, curries and stir-fries.
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More than 40% of the menu is also plant-based.
Banana Tree is celebrating its arrival in Salford with a 1000-katsu-curry giveaway, running throughout the first seven weeks of its opening (or until curries run out).
To claim a free katsu curry, diners will need to fill out a form and book a table, with more than 500 slots available.
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Inside Banana Tree as it opens in SalfordBanana Tree will serve a Pan-Asian menu in Salford at the Lowry Outlet Mall
There’ll be both chicken and vegan options available, each coated in a crispy panko crumb and served with katsu curry sauce, rice, and edamame.
But if you miss out on the free dish tables, worry not – Banana Tree will also be running 50% off all menu dishes for the first five weeks of opening as part of its soft launch. Just book a table to claim your discount.
Banana Tree marketing director Tom Patrick said: “We’re so excited to be opening our first restaurant in the north and open our first restaurant in the vibrant city of Salford. This will be our 19th restaurant and we couldn’t have secured a better location!
“With an all day menu taking you on a tour of South East Asian cuisine, we know that there really is something for everyone. From Pad Thai to Ramen, Katsu to 2-4-1 cocktails we’re the perfect spot for a pre-show meal, a light lunch with friends or a full Pan Asian feast!
“To celebrate our arrival into Salford we’re giving away 1000 FREE Katsu curries with no strings attached!
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“The 30 strong team have been training hard in our sister restaurants throughout the country for several weeks, and now our team are training in site, we think our Salford restaurant could be our best looking one yet! We’re looking forward to welcoming you to our award winning restaurant.”
Click here to book your table and claim your free katsu curry.
Free Glastonbury-themed festivals with pizza, tequila, and big screens to take place in Greater Manchester
Emily Sergeant
Glastonbury weekend is upon us, and to celebrate the UK’s biggest music festival in all its glory, Nell’s is hosting its own festivals instead.
Hundreds of thousands of people will be making the trek to the fields of Worthy Farm next weekend, as Glastonbury 2025 headliners Olivia Rodrigo, Neil Young, and The 1975 bring the tunes, alongside a list of other talented names too big to even begin starting to reel off – as is always the case with Glastonbury, there’s something for everyone.
But for those of us not lucky enough to have bagged tickets to what is undeniably the biggest event in the British music calendar, not to worry, as Nell’s is where it’s at here in Greater Manchester.
The beloved New York-style pizza specialists – which now has four sites across the region – is turning two of its most popular restaurants into festival hubs next weekend, bringing all the spirit of Glastonbury to Kampus and Altrincham.
Manchester‘s thriving canalside neighbourhood Kampus will become home to the aptly-named Kampus Fest, while over in the Trafford town of Altrincham, Alty Fest will be in full force.
Nell’s is hosting its own FREE Glastonbury-themed festivals at Kampus and in Altrincham / Credit: Supplied
At Kampus, the gardens will be transformed into a city centre festival site for a free three-day party featuring big screens live streaming the full Glastonbury festival throughout, plus a pop-up market, face painting and hair tinsel stations, an outdoor tequila and margarita bar, happy hours, and of course, lots and lots of Nell’s pizza.
Altrincham is bringing you much of the same – the same big screens, the same tasty pizza slices, and the same happy hours, only over two days instead of three.
Family fun is also at the heart of both Kampus Fest and Alty Fest, so you can expect lots of crafting workshops and bunting making, accessory customisation stations, as well as all-day colouring sessions by Born to be Wild Child and Søstrene Grene.
Kampus Fest will take over the gardens at Kampus from Friday 27 – Sunday 29 June, while Alty Fest will take place at Nell’s Altrincham on both Saturday 28 and Sunday 29 June.
Both are FREE to attend, so get yourselves down there quick.
Featured Image – Supplied
Eats
Viral Manchester bakery The Flat Baker to open its very first cafe
Daisy Jackson
Hugely popular Manchester bakery The Flat Baker has announced plans to open its very first cafe.
The Brazilian-French bakery has become legendary in the city for its flaky croissants and pistachio-based treats.
For the last few years, it’s been operating out of a hatch in Ancoats, with queues often snaking down Radium Street from early in the morning on weekends.
And now The Flat Baker has announced an exciting next chapter in their journey in Manchester – their very first bakery and cafe.
The team will be taking over a unit on the same street, which will have space to house their baking operations as well as a sitting area to serve brunch and hot food.
They’ve announced that they’ll be retaining their much-loved hatch but expanding to a second site in the heart of Ancoats.
They hope this will drastically reduce any waiting and queue times and allow even more people to sample these incredible bakes.
In a statement shared on Instagram, they wrote: “We have been keeping a secret from you. This corner of Ancoats will never be the same, because it will be our new bakery, cafe and brunch!
“We have been dreaming of it for years – we almost closed a deal with another two locations in the past few years, but it didn’t work out.
“We were about to leave the plan of the new shop aside, we were very frustrated of how things were not working the way we planned it to…
“But everything happens for a reason! Who knew the building next door was just waiting for us…
“The two-storey building has just the right space for our baking operations, plus a sitting area and a space to serve brunch and hot food.
“Don’t worry, we won’t let our tiny hatch go, we will keep both locations. This will allow us a faster service, avoid the waiting times and long queues.
“For now we just want to share this great achievement. Growing a small business when you see many other places shutting is such a challenge. But if you never stop dreaming and work hard for it, the sky is the limit! We can’t wait for the next chapter to come. Matt and Deb x”
The Flat Baker Cafe is expected to open in Ancoats this summer.
Daisy Jackson -
12th February 2024 
