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.
Family behind Salvi’s launch new concept, weeks after iconic restaurant closure
Daisy Jackson
Just weeks after the closure of its iconic, 16-year-old Italian restaurant in the Corn Exchange, the family behind Salvi’s have revealed a brand-new concept.
And this time, the reins are being handed over to the next generation.
Salvi’s founder Maurizio Cecco has helped to shape Amò, but it’s all the brainchild of his daughter, Sienna.
Sienna will run the business out of a unit up on Deansgate Mews, serving fresh pasta dishes, pizza sandwiches, tubs of tiramisu, and two-for-£10 spritzes.
The deli aspect of the original Salvi’s has been carried over to Amò too – you’ll find shelves almost to the ceiling filled with Italian pasta, wine, olive oils, pistachio spreads, and more.
Sienna has grown up in restaurants, with her parents launching Salvi’s when she was just two years old.
She said she wants the space to be a livelier, fresher version of the Italian restaurant that has been so loved by Mancs for so many years.
Sienna outside AmòFresh pasta dishesInside Amò by Salvi’sTheir viral frozen crema di caffeLemon granitaInside Amò by Salvi’sTiramisu pots
Amò, which is Neapolitan slang for ‘my love’, will have loads of fresh Italian dishes, including arancini, gnocchi, and hearty pasta plates.
At lunchtimes, guests can order from a £10 lunch menu, with dishes changing daily depending on the best produce the kitchen can get – it could be a pizza sandwich with proscuitto and tomato, a spicy pasta, or a gnocchi bake, always served with your choice of soft drink.
With its position on Deansgate Mews, Amò basks in the sunshine at lunchtimes.
And while it’s definitely a different concept to the original Salvi’s, Amò looks set to carry the family’s Italian food legacy into its next generation.
Award-winning Didsbury bakery La Chouquette reveals incredible new site
Daisy Jackson
La Chouquette is one of Greater Manchester’s top bakeries – an award-winner, with queues down the street every weekend for its authentic French pastries and loaves.
And now they’re ready for a new chapter, revealing a major expansion today.
Owners Catrina and Flo have painstakingly expanded the bakery into the unit next door, creating what feels like a true French bakery.
And in the midst of this huge renovation project, they’ve welcomed a tiny new baby boy – quite the summer for the couple.
Catrina and Flo launched La Chouquette in lockdown, and in a time where people could only get their hospitality fix from takeaways, immediately became one of the most popular spots in the region.
Their success has been so great, you’ll still consistently find queues down the street every weekend, for their top sellers like their authentic almond croissants.
Then in October 2024, they grew the business and launched Piqniq, a new deli in Didsbury village, serving freshly-baked baguette sandwiches, breakfast butties, toasties, tiramisu pots and their legendary pastries.
The new-look La Chouquette features beautiful details like mosaic floors, rich blue walls, wooden shelves, and brass light fixtures.
La Chouquette’s best-selling almond croissantsInside the stunning new La Chouquette in DidbsuryNew savoury bakesThe chausson aux pommesThe counter stuffed with artisan French bakesChocolate chip cookies and cinnamon buns
The huge new counter displays more pastries and breads than ever before, like a hearty chausson aux pommes filled with apples that will be perfect for autumn, plus seasonal treats like a rhubarb creme brulee pastry, and homemade quiche.
Speaking at the grand relaunch today, Catrina said: “The layout has changed, it looks so much more chic, it looks like a traditional French bakery. We’re really excited about it.”
As for what’s on the counter, Flo reassured fans that their beloved almond and pistachio croissants remain, but with some new savoury editions, like a truffle croque monsieur made with croissant dough.
La Choquette has reopened today, and will be open seven days a week from 7am until 5pm.
Daisy Jackson -
12th February 2024 
