A brand new Japanese restaurant is opening in Manchester city centre this weekend, with stunning interiors and affordable prices.
Hakkapo is ready to welcome its first diners this week to the bright and airy restaurant down on First Street.
They’ve taken on the old The Laundrette site (it was also, briefly, School For Scandal) and turned it into a modern dining space.
The unit on Jack Rosenthal Street is blessed with plenty of natural light thanks to the floor-to-ceiling windows on three sides.
They’ve embraced that by decorating the space with rattan, light wood, wicker, and white marble throughout.
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And Hakkapo will be a haven when summer finally rolls around, with a large weather-proof terrace out the front (it’s covered and heated, because we all know Manchester summers are a smidge temperamental).
As for the menu, Hakkapo is keeping things much more affordable than a lot of other Japanese restaurants that have opened in Manchester lately.
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You’ll find delicious dishes including ramen, donburi, bao and Japanese small plates, all at a similar price point to Wagamama’s.
The outside terrace at Hakkapo in Manchester. Credit: The Manc GroupHakkapo, a new Japanese restaurant opening in Manchester this week. Credit: The Manc Group
Many of the ramens begin with a traditional tonkotsu base, a creamy pork broth, which is then jazzed up with ingredients like black garlic ketchup, chashu pork, smoked pork belly, and slow-cooked bbq pork.
There’s also a tori chintan shoyu, a ramen made with clear chicken broth, braised chicken thigh, and naruto fish cake.
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Hakkapo stuffs fluffy bao with fillings like kaarage chicken, smoked sausage, and ebi katsu (or crispy squid).
Traditional Japanese donburi rice bowls come with toppings like salmon sashimi, chicken katsu, salt-aged sirloin and miso aubergine.
Fried ice cream bao at Hakkapo in ManchesterMatcha affogato
And on the small plates side of things, there are pickles, salads, yakitori skewers, and sweet-and-salty fries.
The desserts include a miso and vanilla fried bao, and a beautiful matcha affogato with red bean paste.
And as well as sake and Japanese soft drinks, there’s a menu packed with wines from central Europe.
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Hakkapo will officially open its doors on Tuesday 5 March.
Indie food and drink festival to return to popular Greater Manchester town for second year
Emily Sergeant
A food and drink festival shining a spotlight on independent businesses is returning to Greater Manchester this summer.
Following the success of last year’s tasty debut, Urmston’s very-own independent food and drink festival, YUM! – Your Urmston Matters, is back for its second serving later this month, and will once again be transforming the Trafford town’s M41 site on Railway Road into a buzzing hub of ‘flavour, fun, and local pride’.
Organised by Love Urmston and hosted by Urmston resident and food and drink presenter, Matty White, this community celebration will bring together top local street food vendors, artisan producers, and drink retailers, alongside live cooking demos, family activities, and loads of entertainment.
Now in its second year, YUM! continues to shine a spotlight on Urmston’s indie food scene and the passion of the people behind it, but as well as local residents, it also invites the rest of Trafford and the wider Greater Manchester community to come together.
So whether you just live down the road, or you are discovering the town for the first time, everyone is welcome to pop down.
“Bringing YUM! back for a second year is incredibly exciting,” commented Fred Davids, who is the Chair of the Love Urmston committee.
“It’s a brilliant way to celebrate what makes Urmston special – its community, and fantastic food and drink scene, welcoming people from near and far to experience the town at its best.
“And as a committee, we’re proud to support our incredible local independent businesses who put their heart and soul into everything they do.”
YUM! is returning to Urmston for another delicious festival this month / Credit: Emma Boyle (via Supplied)
Just some of the independent businesses you’ll find at the festival throughout the day include English Rose Bakery, Inforno Pizzeria, Dan’s Cookies, Banga Curries, JJ’s Caribbean Kitchen, The Greek Village, Pomona Island Brewery, Kelder Wines, and so many more.
The festival is also proudly sponsored by Gecko Homes – a north west property developer that specialises in creating affordable and shared ownership homes across many of Manchester’s most popular suburbs.
You can read more about what Gecko Homes is doing across the region here.
YUM! – Your Urmston Matters is back this month on Saturday 21 June, and will be getting underway from 11am through to 5pm.
Featured Image – Emma Boyle (via Supplied)
Eats
The Stables – A brand-new Manchester pub on the site of the Rovers Return
Daisy Jackson
A brand-new pub is set to open in Manchester city centre net month, with treats in store like complimentary bowls of crisps, an outdoor terrace, and a games parlour.
The Stables Tavern is taking shape in the St John’s district, poetically on the same site that was once home to Coronation Street’s iconic Rovers Return pub.
They’re promising this will be a ‘historic tavern reimagined for today’s lover of a proper pint’.
The pub will come from Shiko Group, which is also behind Courts Club, where you can play tennis or basketball followed by court-side pints, and Side Street, a bar-restaurant-events space with a mid-Century interior.
Neighbouring the Bonded Warehouse, The Stables Tavern will join this rapidly blossoming new creative district, just across the yard from Caravan, The Trading Route and Aviva Studios.
Inside, punters will find multiple beer taps with local beers, served with complimentary bowls of crisps as well as a menu of pub snacks like handmade sausage rolls and local pies.
The pub will be split into three sections – an outside terrace, a main bar, and a parlour area at the back of the pub for live entertainment, old school games, and rounds of whiskey.
The Stables pub in Manchester
The Stables pub in ManchesterThe Stables pub in ManchesterThe Stables pub in ManchesterThe Stables pub in ManchesterThe Stables pub in Manchester
This might be a new district but it’s a historic area for the city – the same building was a busy watering hole back in the early 19th century for workers, merchants and visitors who made use of the nearby canals and cobbled streets.
It was then the home of the Rovers Return, back when this area was the home of Granada Studios.
Hayley Sammé, Marketing Director, said: “We’re so excited to bring The Stables Tavern back to St John’s. The area’s extensive historical backdrop and burgeoning hospitality scene provides the perfect landscape for a traditional British pub.
“It’s the perfect addition to the existing scene, and we hope it’s going to become a popular spot in our new creative district.”
The Stables Tavern will open at St John’s on Friday 6 June – you can sign up for one of 1,000 free pints HERE.
Daisy Jackson -
4th March 2024 
