Sara is a bit of a foodie but found herself stuck with establishments ‘focused on making money with drinks like night clubs, not quality food’ (to be fair, she has a point on this one…)
She also said that she couldn’t find ‘good sushi or fresh food’ and said that ‘everything is frozen’.
Gundogan’s stunning wife did eventually find one place in Manchester that fit the bill, when they went to the glittering Musu.
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But she’s been gone a whole year now, and in a city as big as ours you end up with a lot of new openings in that time.
So here are five restaurants Ilkay Gundogan and his wife should try now they’re back in Manchester.
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Skof, NOMA
Inside Skof in Manchester
This list could end here, because Skof is an exceptional restaurant.
Under the steer of chef Tom Barnes, and as part of Simon Rogan’s UMBEL Restaurants group, this is a newcomer that has rocketed to the top of our favourite restaurants list.
Michelin-worthy tasting menus weave in local produce from around the Greater Manchester as well as produce grown specifically for the restaurant from Our Farm in the Cartmel Valley.
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The beautiful space has lofty ambitions and looks set to smash them all.
Caravan, St John’s
Ilkay Gundogan’s wife Sara should try Caravan when she’s back in ManchesterCheese and kimchi on toast at Caravan in Manchester
This is a new new restaurant for Manchester, having only opened its doors last week – and if Mrs Gundogan likes brunches, sourdough pizzas, coffee and cocktails, this is one for her list.
Caravan bring a little taste of New Zealand to St John’s with an all-day ‘well-travelled’ menu.
Its hero dishes include jalapeño cornbread with chilli butter, sourdough pizzas, and healthy (but hearty) grain bowls.
It’s not quite as fancy as MUSU, but for a relaxed lunch or dinner you can’t go far wrong.
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Lucky Cat, Spring Gardens
Lucky Cat is a Manchester restaurant Ilkay Gundogan’s wife Sara should try and review. Credit: Supplied
Ilkay Gundogan and Sara Arfaoui may have just managed to visit Lucky Cat before they left Manchester – but if not, its incredible interiors are sure to tick a few boxes.
Gordon Ramsay’s Asian-inspired restaurant on King Street is in the old Art Deco bank that once housed Jamie’s Italian, and has a menu that fuses the vibrant atmosphere of 1930s Tokyo jazz kissas and drinking dens with a world-class dining experience.
Diners are invited to ’embark on a gastronomic journey of culinary icons’, digging into the likes of sublime black cod, sumptuous sirloin weeping tiger and the legendary Lucky Cat Duck Bao.
Maya, Canal Street
Maya in Manchester has been added to the Michelin Guide already. Credit: THe Manc GroupMaya’s £25 asparagus has been removed from the menu
This one was a long time coming, but Maya is making waves on Canal Street after bringing a lavish new restaurant to the Gay Village.
Sprawling across three floors – including a ‘no-photos-allowed’ basement bar – the beautiful restaurant has already wormed its way into the Michelin Guide.
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The food side of things is all headed up by Mancunian chef Gabe Lea, whose CV includes Michelin-starred Le Manoir and The French at the Midland Hotel.
Its menu has been tweaked and perfected since its launch – which is good, because the earliest menu featured four pieces of asparagus as a ‘main course’ for £24, with no sides…
Raft, Spinningfields
This one’s a bit of a curveball because I think, if we’re being honest, Sara might actually hate it.
Raft is a stunning new opening in Spinningfields, taking over what was previously SakkuSamba and instead turning it into a dark and moody ‘island’ restaurant with a ‘coastal boozer’ on the ground floor.
The main attraction at Raft is its ‘Island Dining’ and ‘Boheme Brunch’ offerings, which when you boil it down are… buffets. Beautiful ones, but buffets.
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There’s also an a la carte menu that features small plates like lobster karaage rolls, North African lamb chops, and birria beef croquettes, plus a luxury carvery on Sundays.
I’d really like to know what Sara thinks of it, actually.
More new openings comign to Manchester
There are plenty of places set to open in the coming weeks that should tickle the pair’s fancy, too.
Blacklock is heading up from London bringing its exceptional meat-led menu with it – it’s renowned for its modern take on the Great British chophouse, serving a range of chops and high-quality steaks cooked over charcoal.
Also opening very soon is Louis, an Italian-American restaurant in Spinningfields from the Tattu team, which will have a no-photos policy, live music every night, and will generally be creating a little piece of mid-century New York to Manchester.
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And finally, The Cut and Craft is opening its first restaurant here very soon, taking over an old bank building on Mosley Street. It’ll serve premium locally-reared steaks, as well as a menu of expertly delivered seafood specials and meat butchered in-house.
Hope you like your time here a little better this time around Ilkay and Sara – Manchester is happy to have you back.
The viral factory in Oldham that sells £2 Colin the Caterpillar cakes
Thomas Melia
A factory in Oldham has gone viral online after sweet fiends discover they sell ‘Colin the Caterpillar’ cakes for less than half price.
There are some things that just go hand in hand: a brew and a biscuit, peanut butter and jelly and Brits and their crazy obsession with a character chocolate cake from M&S called Colin the Caterpillar.
Since hitting the shelves in 1990, more than 15 million Colin the Caterpillars have made their way from supermarket shop floor to our sweet-treat-awaiting plates.
Who would’ve ever guessed that the home to this cheeky chappy, who M&S have made their unofficial mascot (after Percy Pig, of course), has been crafted and created right here in Oldham?
The utterly delicious Colin the Caterpillar cake which you can get for £2 at Park Cakes.The shelves at Park Cakes are stacked with Colins and Connies.Credit: The Manc Eats
Established in 1937, The Park Cake Bakeries – or just Park Cakes, colloquially – has been serving up this critter-inspired cake for over 30 years, and savvy shoppers have flocked to their factory shop to get their hands on some very sweet savings.
There’s a whole range of cakes on offer at this Oldham dessert factory shop, including slabs, sponges, loaves and even sweet pies too.
Whether you’re a firm believer that the birthday person deserves all of Colin’s white-choc face or you precisely cut it up so everyone gets some, Park Cakes has the solution, selling bags of the character’s chocolatey face so you can have one all to yourself.
The cake isn’t the only thing that leaves a sweet taste in your mouth, as the prices will too. Colin the Caterpillar, who normally retails for just under a tenner, is sold for around £2 at this Oldham factory shop.
It’s always the ones that look unassuming, isn’t it?
Alongside producing one of the most adored cakes in the UK, they’re also responsible for lots more of your favourite supermarket sweet treats, and we’re definitely not complaining.
You can let your sweet tooth go wild in this factory shop as they sell everything from rainbow birthday cakes to sticky toffee puddings.
There’s so much on offer too, how about a giant bag packed to the brim with misshapen golden flapjacks that’ll last you over a week and cost you less than a fiver? Sounds like a plan to me.
If you haven’t had enough of your Easter chocolate fix, why not trek over to Oldham and stock up on even more chocolate and sweet treats? Trust us, there’s plenty to choose from.
Park Cakes factory shop can be found on Ashton Road in Oldham and is open from 10am-4pm, so go and grab yourself a seriously sweet deal before everyone else beats you to it.
Mini Colins, small in size but still packed with all that chocolatey goodness.Flapjacks and cookie dough bites are just some of the wonderful treats you might be able to get hold of.Credit: The Manc
Featured Images — The Manc Group/Adam Higgin (via Facebook)
Eats
Kobbie Mainoo shouts out more of his favourite food spots in Manchester
Danny Jones
Man United star Kobbie Mainoo is back putting people onto his favourite places to eat in Manchester, and judging by his picks, he doesn’t just know football – he knows his food spots too.
The Stockport-born footballer turned 20 years old this month, and as well as celebrating leaving his teens with that impressive goal in the comeback against Lyon, the Manchester United midfielder was met with a birthday cake by his club, along with a fun little game of 20 questions.
Sharing the short but insightful Q&A, in which the number 37 dove into his favourite parts of matchdays, the best birthday gift he’s ever received, as well as the tried and tested dream dinner guest lineup.
Naming a very sporty trio of Mike Tyson, Michael Jordan and Jon Jones, the only logical next step was to ask him where his favourite places to eat around Manchester were, to which he answered…
That’s right, spotlighting a personal favourite of ours, the first Manc venue on his list was Pho Cue, the authentic family-run Vietnamese spot known for great value, top-quality street food such as their big hitter bánh mìs, as well as big queues every lunchtime.
If you don’t know already, then get to know.
As you can see, the second place he mentioned with the booked-up-till-kingdom come Onda Pasta Bar, which went viral for its ‘Tiramisu drawer’ last year and opened their first proper restaurant back in June.
Since then, it’s fair to say it’s more popular than ever and you’re lucky to get a table; if you, however, you’ll be treated to some of the most luxurious and indulgent pasta not just in Manchester but probably anywhere in the country, if you ask us.
These latest shout-outs come after Mainoo famously put Salford’s culinary kings, Burgerism, on the nationwide map after name-dropping them in his British GQ interview in November 2024.
You can watch the full thing HERE, but you already know the biggest takeaway from that chat, quite literally: the boy knows his burgers.
Kobbie is actually just one of several famous faces to have proclaimed Burgerism as the best in the business, at least in Greater Manchester of late.
Not only have British influencers Ollie Ball and Jacob Pasquill now become seemingly regular presenters on their social media, but online content creator turned boxer and WWE star Logan Paul also visited the beloved burger joint and reviewed it during a recent visit to the UK.
We’ll confess we’re more likely to take the local lad’s word on board over the bloke who used to make Vines, but it’s just yet more proof that the Manc food scene is top tier.
Come on, just look at the state of these selections:
Not a bad little spread there, Kobb… (Credit: The Manc Eats)
We’re not sure how much of this stuff Mainoo is allowed on the diet sheet, but we can at least confirm that Kobbie knows his Manchester food, and as far as favourites go, we might just stand a chance of becoming best friends yet.
Happy birthday to a young man with a very bright future and hopefully a very active metabolism.