There are some restaurants in Manchester that have been here for so long, it’s hard to remember life without them.
One such restaurant is Red Chilli, which has been on its corner of Chinatown for two decades, the neon red chilli sign above the door very much part of the Portland Street furniture even as the area has developed around it.
The clue for the food offering at Red Chilli is in its name – they really, really like spice. If you leave your dinner here without a sheen of sweat and a ringing in your ears, you’ve done it all wrong.
From its huge menu, there are those dishes that will be most familiar to British palates – sweet and sour, black bean, and lemon sauces, chow mein, crispy duck, spare ribs, salt and pepper wings.
But Red Chilli is best-known for its home-style cooking and its authentic Sichuan cuisine, and Sichuan cuisine is best-known for its obsession with all things spicy.
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In this south-western province of China, the cooking is bold and fiery, laced with Sichuan pepper, chillies, and garlic.
In Red Chilli, you’ll find casseroles, braised meats, and stews, with ingredients like beancurd, frog’s legs, and pig’s feet.
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An alarming portion of the menu is bullet-pointed with chilli icons – and when they list something as three chillies on the spice scale, they mean it.
Spicy pig intestines from Red Chilli. Credit: The Manc GroupRed Chilli. Credit: The Manc GroupCold poached chicken in chilli oil at Red Chilli. Credit: The Manc Group
In fact, if you search the restaurant’s Deliveroo page for ‘spicy’ or ‘chilli’, you get more than 60 dinner suggestions. It’s a lot.
That might be the Sichuan Dandan noodles with minced pork and chilli sauce, or the hot poached fish fillets in chilli oil, or the nerve-testing whole seabass grilled and served in a blanket of dried chilli.
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For our lunch on a recent episode of our Takeaway Champions series, we start off mild (ish) with wasabi prawns. You know you’re in for a spicy time when wasabi is the mildest dish on the table.
These huge, butter-soft prawns are deep-fried and then served in a pale green creamy wasabi sauce, which dials the heat of the horseradish right down but still allows that signature sinus-clearing magic to do its thing.
Next up is home-style poached chicken, served cold and swimming in a fiery red chilli oil.
The first thing that hits you is the perfect texture of the chicken itself – but then in marches the heat from the sauce.
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It’s so spicy that it makes you talk faster in a panic, words tumbling out of your tingling mouth – ‘I quite like pain so this is good, actually’.
Even licking a drop of the sauce off your finger is enough to make your eyes widen and your nostrils flare.
Much more gentle is a sautéed pork dish, with rings of intestine coated in a tangy and peppery sauce. Put aside any squeamish thoughts and think of this as what it is – one of the most flavourful and tender parts of a pig, cooked to perfection.
And really, whatever your spice tolerance is like, there will be something at Red Chilli to suit you. There’s a good reason it’s been here for so many years.
Gary Neville lines up Michelin star chef for his Stock Exchange Hotel restaurant
Daisy Jackson
Gary Neville has announced a new restaurant within his five-star Stock Exchange Hotel, which will open almost a year after the previous eatery announced its shock closure.
The magnificent dining room at the heart of the hotel was previously home to Tom Kerridge’s The Bull & Bear, which closed at the end of 2022.
It was then replaced by Stock Market Grill, a restaurant by the award-winning Schofield brothers (who operate officially the best bar in the UK) – but that was open for only a matter of months.
Thankfully, the Manchester United legend and property mogul now has grand plans for the Stock Exchange’s restaurant offering, roping in two-time Michelin star chef Niall Keating.
Niall will be launching Tender this summer, a luxury dining experience ‘named after the tender care put into crafting each dish’.
There’ll be gourmet food for everyday dining within the hotel’s historic dining room, which will undergo a renovation before Tender’s launch.
Its menu will offer weekday brasserie lunches, a la carte dinners, afternoon teas, Sunday roasts, a chef’s table and a special tasting menu.
The Stock Exchange Hotel is home to one of Manchester’s most beautiful restaurant spaces. Credit: The Manc GroupThe Stock Exchange Hotel is home to one of Manchester’s most beautiful restaurant spaces. Credit: The Manc Group
Niall Keating at just 33 years old has already earned two Michelin stars, making him one of the youngest two-time Michelin star chefs in the UK.
His CV has included stints in kitchens at the best restaurants in the world, including Restaurant Sat Bains and Benu in San Francisco (a three Michelin-star spot).
He then headed to The Dining Room at Whatley Manor Hotel, where he earned his first star in 2017 and a second in 2019, as well as a prestigious Green Star in 2021 which recognises sustainability practices.
Speaking about today’s announcement, Gary Neville, owner of Stock Exchange Hotel, said: “We couldn’t be happier to be partnering with Niall Keating for Tender and bringing his culinary expertise to the hotel.
“His vision to create versatile and accessible dining options is exactly what we’ve been looking for, to allow everyone visiting Tender to find the right experience for them.”
Niall Keating added: “From when I first walked through the doors of the hotel into the dining room, I knew this was the place for me and that we could create something really special.
“I immediately felt connected to both Gary and General Manager, Tracy Harrison, and I knew what I wanted to create at the hotel and restaurant. I want a space that feels vibrant, warm and energetic, that brings to life the history of the stock exchange roots of the hotel, while providing an upscale and comfortable brasserie dining experience.
“In addition to the main dining room, we will also be opening ‘The Bank’, which is a beautiful private space for up to 12 guests, where we will be providing a truly exceptional dining experience.”
Gary added: “We will also shortly be announcing a series of events and live music experiences, including a weekly music plan, within Tender, that will really bring the venue to life, making it the heart of Stock Exchange Hotel.”
Tender restaurant at the Stock Exchange Hotel will officially open on 5 June.
Its opening hours will be Wednesday to Saturday, midday to 10pm, and Sundays midday to 7.30pm.
Inside Popeyes as fried chicken restaurant opens its first Manchester drive-thru
Daisy Jackson
Popeyes is ready to open its first-ever Greater Manchester drive-thru restaurant, where you can pick up its legendary Louisiana-style fried chicken and shakes.
To celebrate its launch, Popeyes will be giving away free chicken sandwiches for a year to the first people in the queue – and when it launched at Piccadilly Gardens, someone waited outside for 16 hours.
People really love this chicken…
In the blink of an eye, the colourful orange and blue building has taken shape on Bury New Road, where hungry diners can pick up meals in the drive-thru or order ahead for curbside collection.
Customers dining in can order through a QR code or touch-screens, before sitting down at one of the many orange booths to tuck into trays piled high with sandwiches, tenders, mac and cheese, and more.
There are 72 indoors plus an outside dining area, dual-ordering lanes, and designated bays for pre-orders.
Popeyes is famed for its viral ‘shatter crunch’-coated fried chicken, its Southern US biscuits and gravy, and its brekkie menu where British classics are given a New Orleans twist.
Inside Greater Manchester’s new Popeyes drive-thru
The doors and lanes to the new chicken shop will officially open on Friday 26 April at 11am.
The first three people queueing both on foot and in cars will win free chicken sandwiches for a year, and the first 25 in both queues will get a free chicken sandwich and exclusive merch.
This new Popeyes marks the brand’s 11th opening in 2024, and 47th since launching in the UK in 2021.
You’ll find it at 288-292 unit Bury New Rd, M7 2YJ, right next to the McDonald’s and Tim Horton’s on the border of Prestwich.
Daisy Jackson -
19th May 2023 
