A new Korean corn dog restaurant has opened its doors in Manchester today, bringing a taste of one of London’s viral favourites to the north for the very first time.
New opening Bunsik has taken over a 2,000-square-foot site on Manchester’s Piccadilly Gardens as it launches its first site outside of the capital.
The corn dog connoisseurs already have three popular branches in Chinatown, Embankment and Camden, with the new northern outpost marking the start of a new age for corn dog lovers.
Sweet and savoury, chewy and crispy, Korean corn dogs are believed to have been around since the 1980s in Korea and have since gained notoriety in Taiwan, Japan, China, the US, and now, Manchester.
For the uninitiated, a Korean corn dog is made from either sausage, cheese, or a combination of the two.
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It is then skewered, dipped in batter and rolled in breadcrumbs; topped with potato, diced french fries, crushed ramen noodles, or crispy rice before hitting the fryer to be cooked up to a perfect golden brown.
The well-loved Eastern snack has officially arrived in the north west serving a wide selection of its infamous corndogs.
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Image: Bunsik
Image: Bunsik
Championing the humble corn dog, Bunsik’s menu features an array of different corn dogs to suit every taste.
Menu items worth looking out for include the Original Corn Dog (premium chicken sausage with crispy outside), Half and Half (a combination of chicken sausage and mozzarella cheese) and the Beef Corn Dog (premium beef sausage with crispy outside).
Elsewhere on the menu, you’ll find Korean staples like Kimbap ((cooked rice, vegetables, fishcake, and meat rolled in gim – dried sheets of seaweed – and served in bite-sized slices), Ddukbokki (cylindrical ricecakes cooked in a spicy sauce) and Korean Fried Chicken.
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The new Manchester site is also serving up Bingsu, a frozen treat similar to ice cream made from frozen cream or milk. This type of Korean shave ice is created when frozen milk or cream is grated or shaved using a knife to create a fluffy, snow-like dessert.
Bingus toppings range from chopped fruit and condensed milk to fruit syrup and red beans.
Fans of bubble tea, meanwhile, can order a selection of popular choices as well as a number of Bunsik house favourites, including Strawberry Bubble Tea, Chocolate Bubble Tea and Matcha Latte Bubble Tea.
Featured image – Bunsik
Eats
There’s a non-alocholic pairing dinner coming to Manchester this Dry Jan
Thomas Melia
A one-night-only pairing of two dining out staples from the food and drink world is coming to Manchester next month, and it also happens to be non-alcoholic for anyone doing Dry January.
Taking place at the wonderful Maray over on Lincoln Square, each dish served throughout the night will be expertly paired with a non-alcoholic drink from zero-per cent experts, Lucky Saint.
This Middle Eastern eatery is always surprising its diners, last September they made their infamous roasts free for one day only, and this upcoming event is sure to be as exciting with its unique tastings.
Lucky Saint came to fruition after partnering with a historical brewery in Bavaria who’ve produced beer for over 400 years, creating a non alcoholic alternative which greeted UK drinkers in 2020.
Lucky Saint will be readily available and paired with every meal.Diners can expect some sensational food as always from Maray. Credit: Publicity Picture (Supplied)
Titled ‘The Official Beer Of Dry January’, supplying IPAs and lagers to a host of stockists, not only are their products fully non-alcoholic but they’re also entirely plant-based – meaning they’re the perfect tie-in with Veganuary.
If their website is anything to go by, diners are set to enjoy refreshments such as their unfiltered lager and a 0.5% ‘Hazy’ IPA which contains juicy tropical notes. Don’t mind if we do.
Although it’s hard to say what the food offerings may be, it’s guaranteed that anyone who attends is in for a treat as this site has even served famous faces like Dua Lipa back in 2022 while she was on tour.
Their vegan menu features some meat free feasts like a falafel sharer and a delicious oyster mushroom shwarma, it’s a well-loved restaurant.
Vegans are certainly catered for at this event as it’s not only the free-flowing drinks that contain no animal products, there will also be an entirely vegan menu on hand.
Maray have multiple locations but anyone who couldn’t get enough of the flavours the first time in Manchester can attend their Liverpool pairing dinner which is happening the very next day.
The Maray x Lucky Saint Dry January Pairing Dinner is coming to Manchester on Wednesday, 15 January from 7-9:30pm with tickets live HERE.
And if you’re looking for other places to enjoy a guilt-free drink in the city centre this month, we’ve got a few suggestions for you:
Doing #DryJan doesn't have to mean staying in or saying goodbye to the pub. 🍹
‘That’s the end’ – Gary Usher announces shock closure of one of his bistros
Daisy Jackson
Celebrity chef Gary Usher has announced the closure of one his award-winning restaurants.
He’s shared today that Burnt Truffle, part of his Elite Bistros enterprise and the restaurant that launched his Crowdfunding business model, has ‘closed for good’.
The acclaimed restaurant opened almost a decade ago, with hundreds of prospective customers investing in the business in exchange for vouchers to spend when the doors opened.
Following the success of that, Gary Usher went on to run Kickstarters for several other restaurants, including Kala in Manchester city centre and Hispi in Didsbury.
The group’s most recent opening was The White Horse in 2023, its first venture into the world of pubs.
Elite Bistros has been a rare example of a neighbourhood restaurant that’s managed to weather the sh*tstorm of rising costs that has hit hospitality since 2020 – until now.
Burnt Truffle has closed with immediate effect, with Usher saying he’s ‘never been able to make it work here’.
He stressed that all suppliers, VAT and rent is paid, that the staff who have sadly been made redundant have also been paid, and that anyone with vouchers to spend can do so at the remaining Elite Bistros sites.
Gary Usher announcing the closure of Burnt Truffle today. Credit: X, GaryUsher_Burnt Truffle has closed with immediate effect. Instagram, @burnt_truffle
He said: “I need to share some news with you and unfortunately it’s not great news. I’m sat here in Burnt Truffle and we are now closed. We’re closed for good.
“I had a 10 year lease and that lease has come to an end. I could have renewed that lease but the honest truth is I’ve never been able to make it work here.
“I’ve been quite vocal about how difficult the government have made it over the last few years, but ultimately I’ve never been able to make it work here, so the best business decision for us is to close.”
Some news.@BuRntTruffle is now closed. Thank you to all the team & all the guests over the last 10 years. Our lease has come to an end & we have decided to part ways. All our bills are paid & all vouchers will be redeemed. From all of us at Burnt Truffle, Thank you & good night. pic.twitter.com/r9eisksJwb
He continued: “It’s a sad day, it really is. You know, when I think back to when we opened here, we had the likes of Jay Rayner and Lisa Markwell coming, and we got two rosettes quite quickly too.
“We were the first crowdfunded restaurant in the UK with non-investment crowdfunding. So that started our journey with crowdfunding, actually.
“So what does it mean for the business moving forward? Well, we carry on. We just keep going, we keep trying, and we keep innovating to get through these tough times. And, and that’s it really.
“Thank you to everyone that came, thank you to all the team. Thanks to all the guests. We’ve loved being in Heswall. We’ve loved being in Burnt Truffle, but that’s the end.”
Georgina Pellant -
7th July 2023 
