Eats

Hello Oriental opens new ‘seriously affordable’ Asian food hall at the Trafford Centre

The popular Manchester city centre gem is venturing out to the suburbs.

Emily Sergeant Emily Sergeant - 30th January 2025

Manchester gem Hello Oriental is finally opening its new Asian food hall at the Trafford Centre this weekend.

The renowned East Asian street food hub has already taken Manchester city centre by storm since opening its original venue at Circle Square, just off Oxford Road, back in February 2022, and been has receiving rave reviews ever since – with critics notably calling the experience “a lot of fun” and “seriously affordable”.

But now, the Manchester-founded brand has chosen the Trafford Centre as the first UK shopping centre location to bring its trademark street food dining concept to.

There’ll be more than 100 delicious dishes for customers to choose from when the new site opens in the Upper Orient this Saturday.

Hello Oriental has opened a new Asian food hall at the Trafford Centre / Credit: The Manc Group

Hello Oriental owners and childhood best friends, Ricky Yip and Azim Kourah, say they have selected some of the most popular dishes from the Manchester city centre site’s extensive menu for the new Trafford Centre restaurant.

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This means diners at the Trafford Centre can enjoy traditional dishes from across East Asia – including a wide range of Dim Sum, hearty main dishes like Taiwanese pork belly with rice, traditional favourites like beef Ho fun, and loads of different Cantonese roast meats.

There’ll also be a wide selection of street food available, like Korean fried chicken, loaded katsu chicken fries, and three varieties of sticky chicken wings.

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There’s also plenty for the little Mancs to tuck into too, as there’ll be a full kid’s menu available at the new Trafford Centre site, with options for both those with “adventurous” junior palates, to those who prefer “more familiar” tastes.

“We’re so excited to open in the Trafford Centre and give shoppers the chance to try our dishes from across East Asia,” commented co-owner, Ricky Yip, ahead of the new opening.

“Many of the dishes on the menu were enjoyed by Azim and I growing up, cooked by my family, or served in family restaurants, and it’s wonderful to see other families come to Hello Oriental to enjoy these flavours.”

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Read more:

Hello Oriental will be opening at the Trafford Centre this Saturday (1 February), with thousands of prizes to give away to celebrate Lunar New Year.

Featured Image – The Manc Group

Eats

This new app tells you the best sunny pub spots in Manchester

Thomas Melia Thomas Melia

A brand new app has launched, which tracks the sun and tells you where the best sunny pub spots in Manchester are throughout the day.

No, you’re not dreaming: this is what heaven feels like. This all-new app, initially trialled in London and now covering Manchester, allows users to identify the best sun traps in our stunning city centre.

Designed and created by architect Mo Dawod, Sunseekr aims to show you the best pub, cafe and restaurant locations where you can take advantage of and soak up all the sun in real time.

As well as being a handy tool to use throughout the day, you can use this sun-centric app to pre-plan your day, as it lets you know all the sunny spots in advance for anyone who fancies chasing the sun.

The app shows you the best pubs, cafes and restaurants to catch some rays.
The app shows you the best pubs, cafes and restaurants to catch some rays.
You can easily chase the sun around Manchester city centre with this handy new app.
You can easily chase the sun around Manchester city centre with this handy new app.
Credit: Screenshots via Sunseeker

Of course, we don’t need an app to tell us all the best sunny pub spots in Manchester as locals and visitors alike know about our pride and joy, Stevenson Square.

However, this new technology will come in handy for organising your next beer garden trip and locating exactly where you’re guaranteed to sit down and possibly catch a tan.

Sunseekr had a trial run in London first, catching the attention of reputable publications like Timeout London and even got itself featured on BBC London.

It makes perfect sense why Dawod made this app; being a Battersea resident, his area of London is packed with plenty of amenities such as pubs and bars, perfect for sitting out and relaxing in the sun.

Now the sunny app has spread nationwide, including Manchester, meaning we Northerners can make the most of the precious sun while we have it.

Safe to say here at The Manc we know a lot of good places to soak up the sun while sipping on a class pint.
Safe to say, here at The Manc, we know a lot of good places to soak up the sun while sipping on a class pint.
Nothing beats a crisp pint and some gorgeous Manchester sunshine.
Nothing beats a crisp pint and some gorgeous Manchester sunshine.
Credit: The Manc Eats

The arrival of this sun-tracking pub-spotting app gives us the perfect excuse to drop everything and make our way to the nearest beer garden to put this to the test ourselves, it’s not like we needed any encouragement…

Sunseekr is available to download NOW and allows users to live-track the sun to see if any pubs, cafes or restaurants near you have been blessed by the sun.

We’re in the business of knowing about beer gardens galore, so this long-overdue app just made our lives a whole lot easier.

Catch you at the pub!

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For all the latest news, events and goings on in Greater Manchester, subscribe to The Manc newsletter HERE.

Featured Images — The Manc Group

Eats

Stunning Ancoats favourite Street Urchin closes after ‘heartbreaking’ health emergency

Danny Jones Danny Jones Street Urchin Manchester closed

The stunning Ancoats restaurant and Manchester favourite, Street Urchin, has announced its sudden closure following a serious health emergency.

Opened by partners Kevin and Rachel Choudhary back in 2019, the inventive dining room has been a firm favourite among local foodies and those visiting Manchester for some time.

However, following the awful news that co-founder and head chef Kevin has recently suffered a heart attack, the city centre food spot has sadly had to close its doors, seemingly for good.

Informing diners and longtime fans online, Rachel confirmed, “We are unable to continue as a business”, adding that they are simply “heartbroken” by the turns of events.

Known for endless creativity and famous experimental dishes over the years, including a viral squirrel dish, Street Urchin has been one of the most envelope-pushing kitchens in the area for some time.

Writing in the caption, Rachel said: Thank you to our amazing team who supported us over all the years and continued to do so in these dark times. Thank you also to our suppliers, we never thought this would happen. We’re so sorry x”

Reacting to the news, local artist Painted By Courtney replied: “This is so sad, I’m so sorry to you both. Forever one of my favourite dining experiences in Manchester.”

Various names from across the Greater Manchester hospitality scene, including the likes of Tameside’s Cafe Continental, have joined in sharing their sadness and heartfelt support, with the Stalybridge spot simply adding: “Sending love. A remarkable place!”

We can only echo their sentiments.

Credit: The Manc Eats

Their menus boasted all the style, quality and flavour of a fine dining establishment without any of the haute cuisine pomp and traditional culinary trappings.

Put simply, they delivered great food served in an efficient market diner fashion. We, along with countless other Greater Mancunian foodies, absolutely loved this place.

This later closure comes not long after nearby Northern Quarter venue 63 Degrees also had to close its doors due to a family health emergency. Just awful.

It goes without saying that everyone at The Manc Group is shocked and deeply saddened to hear this news; we hope Kev makes a full and fast recovery, and our thoughts are with his friends and family during this difficult time.

Read more:

For all the latest news, events and goings on in Greater Manchester, subscribe to The Manc newsletter HERE.

Featured Images —

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