One of Manchester’s best Chinese restaurants, Yum Cha, is coming to Altrincham town centre later this year in another exciting addition to the Stamford Quarter.
That’s right, set to join Alty’s bustling district of independent businesses and the heart of its ever-growing foodie scene, this will be Yum Cha‘s fourth site in the North West after already making a name for themselves in Liverpool, Warrington and, of course, here in the city centre.
Best-known for serving up delicious dim sum, slow-roasted meats and some seriously slurpy noodles, the name derives from a traditional Cantonese meal – usually served around brunch, consisting of dumplings, other snacks and sides, as well as hot tea – Altrincham can be rightly buzzing with the news.
And so are we, because after all, what’s better than one Yum Cha in Greater Manchester? Two of them.
The newest venue, expected to launch this summer, will be opening up in the multi-purpose Foundation space, joining a number of other retail, hospitality and leisure brands.
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Boasting a 2,166 sq ft unit on the ground floor of the building, it’ll be a decently sized gaff too, as they already know they need plenty of room for pan-Asian punters.
Nailing a whole host of Chinese classics and also delivering everything in top-quality packaging when ordering out (it’s the little things), we’re big fans of these guys.
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Yum Cha’s founder Adam Wan said of the announcement “We can’t wait to open our doors in the Stamford Quarter and the Foundation building is the perfect location for us. We opened in Manchester city centre in August 2022 and after the phenomenal response from our fantastic customers, Altrincham seemed like the perfect place to expand.
Both us and you lot love it so much, in fact, that we even filmed a Takeaway Champions at their Kampus location not so long ago.
Throwing in his two cents on Foundation’s growing commercial community, Bruntwood’s Head of Retail and Leisure at Bruntwood, James Tootle, said: “Yum Cha’s decision to open their new restaurant in Foundation is a testament to the exceptional quality of retail and hospitality in the Stamford Quarter.
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It’s the perfect location for attracting visitors to the town from the local community and beyond. With an already exciting and eclectic mix of brands, we’re thrilled to welcome this fantastic indie restaurant to the heart of Altrincham. We are confident that guests will love Yum Cha’s renowned dim sum.”
A spokesperson from Trafford Council, added: “Foundation completed in March of this year and incorporates a total of five floors, including three floors of market-leading workspace.
“The completion of the Foundation building signals a major milestone in the wider transformational plans for the Stamford Quarter, which will regenerate the high street and establish the area as a new and exciting destination for Altrincham.” They’re not the only ones popping up in the area soon too.
A new restaurant serving seafood boils is opening at Printworks in Manchester
Daisy Jackson
Shrimp Shack is set to open its first restaurant outside London this summer, with a new site in Printworks in Manchester.
The new restaurant will be serving seafood boils, as well as huge £19.95 platters, £10 lunch deals, and cocktail pitchers.
Shrimp Shack is set to open in the former Frankie & Benny’s site, beneath Printworks’ dazzling digital ceiling.
The restaurant is already cult-followed with its London locations, where it’s built a solid reputation for generous portions and bold flavours.
Shrimp Shack favourites include various seafood boils, a dish with its roots in the Southern states of the USA, including their shrimp boil, seafood boil, and the lux lobster boil.
Each boil is loaded with shrimp, seafood, sausages, corn on the cob, boiled eggs, spiced rice and peri chips, in the brand’s signature secret sauce.
There’s also set to be a Shack Savers Selection, with five huge dishes (battered fish and shrimps, a 12oz Wagyu steak, grilled salmon with prince shrimps, surf and turf, and grilled shrimp and calamari) priced at just £19.95, including two sides and a choice of sauces.
At lunchtimes, there’ll be £10 dishes like the Sprimp Rich Po’ Boy sandwich, the double cheese smash burger, and a veggie option (or you can upgrade to a lobster roll for £5).
And there’ll be refillable soft drinks, freshly-blended smoothies, milkshakes, mocktails, and sharing pitchers.
Shrimp Shack opens in Printworks this summer, serving seafood boils and platters
Rish Gola, co-founder of Shrimp Shack, said: “Shrimp shack was born in London to redefine how people enjoy premium seafood; served fresh and fast, where bold flavours are brought together with everyday dishes.
“Shrimp Shack has a strong appeal with ethnic communities, family diners, and groups of friends who come together over big flavours and generous seafood feasts.
“Our accessible pricing and high-quality dishes create apremium fast experience that welcomes everyone.”
Dan Davis, general manager at Printworks, said: “We’re delighted to have secured Shrimp Shack as Printworks’ latest tenant, its first location outside of London and another exciting restaurant to add to our offering.
“Shrimp Shack’s unique and distinctive offering is perfectly aligned with our aim to deliver high quality experience-led concepts right in the heart of Manchester.”
Top Manchester restaurant ‘so chuffed’ after receiving glowing national review
Daisy Jackson
Top Manchester restaurant Skof has received a stunning review from a national critic, with the team saying they are ‘so chuffed’.
The acclaimed NOMA restaurant, headed up by chef Tom Barnes, has rapidly become one of Manchester’s most decorated restaurants.
Not only does it proudly display its first Michelin star – earned in less than a year after opening – but it’s also been named the coveted AA Restaurant of the Year.
And now Skof can add a rave Guardian review to the list too, with critic Grace Dent heaping praise upon the business.
She said that Skof is ‘well worth the hype’, describing it (much like its parent restaurant L’enclume) to be ‘one of those intensely relaxed yet still ferociously fancy restaurants’.
Dent praised ‘hugely scoffable’ snacks like a cheese biscuit topped with broad bean, pike roe and shiso, as well as a lightly set custard with truffle and mushroom dashi (‘a quiche filling on steroids’).
In her Guardian review, she also loved the final course always served at Skof no matter how much the menu changes with the seasons – the tiramisu served from a giant bowl, tableside.
“The final hurrah: that scoop of Tom’s dad’s tiramisu, served from a big bowl,” Grace Dent wrote.
“It’s a clunky, sentimental and, ultimately, glorious end to the meal. Many Michelin-starred restaurants bookend your visit with a gift of seeds, teabags or fancy chocolate, but at Skof they send you on your way with this tiny taste of boozy stodge that’s both incongruous with everything that went before but at the same time is also symbolic of Tom Barnes’ life and everything that went before.”
Grace Dent heaped praise on Skof in a recent Guardian reviewSkof placed 29th in the National Restaurant Awards
The amazing review also said: “Fine dining can at times be truly maddening, and leave diners hungry and hoodwinked, but Skof is proof that this often precarious blend of pacing, staging and portion size can be properly magical.”
She signed off by saying: “Skof is clever and emotional… It’s also well worth the hype, so do try to nab a table, if you can. It’s fancy, yes, but it also fills you up. This is fine dining that even a naysayer would like.”
Skof has said that it’s ‘so chuffed’ to receive the review, which landed in The Guardian on the restaurant’s second birthday.
They wrote: “Our 2nd birthday just got a quite a bit more special with an absolutely amazing review from @gracedent. We’re so chuffed with the write up. Hope the man from the traitors comes down, so we can serve him a crumpet.”
You can read Grace Dent’s full Skof review in The Guardian here.
Danny Jones -
9th July 2024 
