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.
ADVERTISEMENT
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.
ADVERTISEMENT
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.
To find out more and book, visit Turtle Bay’s website here.
Feature image – Turtle Bay
Eats
Inside Chinatown’s enormous new three-storey restaurant, with futuristic karaoke booths
Daisy Jackson
A gigantic three-storey restaurant and karaoke bar has just opened its doors in Chinatown in Manchester.
Sovereign Clouds is the newest addition to one of the city’s most beloved and ever-evolving neighbourhoods, taking over a sizeable building on Faulkner Street that’s been vacant for 10 years.
Inside the 1,000 sq metre space, you’ll find a glittering restaurant adorned with marble and gold, where you can tuck into a massive menu of dim sum and traditional dishes.
One floor up and you’ll find yourself surrounded by live lobster tanks and the massive kitchen, alongside several flexible private dining spaces.
And up on the top floor are the most futuristic karaoke rooms in town, where you can customise lights, LED ceilings, and even sing through an autotune microphone.
Three roast meats from Sovereign CloudsDelicious dim sumAuthentic Chinese cooking from Sovereign CloudsBlack Gold Lava Buns with salted custard fillingThe massive Sovereign Clouds restaurant
On the menu you’ll find tonnes of steamed dim sum, stir fries, traditional claypot stews, roast meats, and loads more.
There’s seafood like stir-fried lobster with salted egg yolk, and traditional Cantonese steamed grouper; a whole section for abalone (advance orders only) including braised goose feet and fish maw; and a good selection of spicy Sichuan dishes.
The chefs here also have an impressive array of Chinese roast meats, like Peking crispy duck, pork belly, and char siu, as well as three roast meats with rice.
Futuristic karaoke roomsThe main restaurant at Sovereign CloudsFuturistic karaoke rooms
And that’s alongside ingredients you don’t find on a lot of menus in Manchester, like jellyfish, tripe, and century eggs.
It’s all led by Terry Ni, who has been behind the popular Dynasty Chinese and Thai takeaway in Timperley for more than a decade, and has spent years transforming this empty old building into one of Chinatown’s most glittering restaurants.
Come for dinner, stay for a turn on the karaoke upstairs, and tell everyone – Sovereign Clouds is a fantastic addition to Manchester.
‘Surreal’ moment Stevie Wonder dines at Stalybridge restaurant after enormous Manchester gig
Daisy Jackson
Stevie Wonder has stunned a local restaurant in Stalybridge after he popped in for dinner after his massive Manchester show.
The soul icon had performed a huge gig at Co-op Live on Sunday night, performing hits from his illustrious, decades-long career.
And while you might expect someone of Stevie’s fame and stature to dine at one of the city centre’s many Michelin-recommended restaurants, the star instead headed straight for the suburbs.
He was spotted dining at Cafe Continental, an independent restaurant that’s become one of the Greater Manchester’s most-hyped neighbourhood haunts since it launched two years ago.
The stylish spot is famed for its European-style restaurant and cafe culture, aiming to recreate the atmosphere of the sort of place you’d stumble upon down a back street in Rome or Paris.
On the menu they’ve got a rotation of small plates, open-fire dishes, pastas and burgers, along with their divine Parisian hot chocolate, served with a bowl of whipped cream on the side.
Cafe Continental has had a good track record for pulling in local famous faces, but arguably nothing comes close to Stevie Wonder himself.
Inside Cafe Continental in Stalybridge. Credit: The Manc GroupSoup and focaccia at Cafe Continental. Credit: The Manc Group
The night before Stevie’s visit, they’d served his band and daughter – and clearly word got back to Stevie fast, because he returned the next night to test it out for himself.
Cafe Continental posted: “Surreal things happen now and again. This is one of them! Pleasure to welcome Mr Stevie Wonder to the restaurant to close off his tour!”
And according to the MEN, Stevie left a whopping £1,000 tip for the staff.
Not only did Stevie Wonder support a local hospitality business, but he also arrived dressed in Drama Call, a Manchester-based sportswear brand.
Georgina Pellant -
2nd February 2023 
