There’s a ramen bar in Chorlton serving up authentic bowls for under a tenner and if you haven’t been already you seriously need to put it on your listof places to try in Manchester.
Called Shogun Ramen, it has been in situ since last autumn and has quickly garnered a reputation amongst suburban noodle fiends as the go-to spot for slurping down umami-rich broth, nori and gooey eggs until their hearts’ content.
Formerly known as chicken shop Peck n Yard, last year (after announcing an emotional farewell via social media) the team rebranded as Shogun, and the new ramen shop has been a hit for its authentic bowls ever since.
Genuinely some of the best ramen in Manchester (Image: The Manc Eats)
Considering that it’s bang in the middle of the suburbs, it’s something of a gem. Beyond the city centre, good ramen shops can often be tricky to find – especially at this sort of price.
It hasn’t always been so cheap but to help locals cope with the cost of living crisis, Shogun’s owner has decided to drop the prices of all of the classic ramen on the menu. Legend.
As a result, you can always be guaranteed change from a tenner, no matter which dish you order.
With a choice of six different bowls, the most expensive dishes are the Shogun and Ike no Tonkotsu ramen at £8.99 and £9.99, respectively.
We tried the signature Shogun tonkotsu ramen — made with barbecue pork belly, sweet savoury minced pork, kikurage mushrooms, half a nitamago egg and truffle oil — and the original tonkotsu, comprised of barbecue pork belly, kikurage mushrooms, spring onions and nitamago egg.
Image: The Manc Eats
Image: The Manc Eats
Other options, priced from £7.99, include the house Chikin ramen (6-hour chicken broth, chicken teriyaki, kikurage mushrooms, spring onions and half of nitamago egg), as well as a vegan ramen, made with vegan-based pork, miso and mushroom broth, pak choi, kikurage mushrooms, shitake mushrooms, enoki mushrooms and beansprouts.
There is also a child-friendly portion called the Kodomo ‘kids’ Ramen, available from £7 to anyone who wants it – child or not. Available with a choice of pork broth, chicken broth or vegan broth, this is a super simple bowl with just Nori seaweed and ramen noodles.
Extras can also be added to bowls, with prices starting from £1.20 for a nitamago egg and rising to a maximum of £4 for those wanting a double noodle portion.
Other extra choices include pak choi (£2), sweetcorn (£1.20) BBQ pork (£2.50), and vegan chicken (£2).
As you can see, they aren’t just doing some of the best ramen in Manchester; the team is also dabbling in hand-rolled sushi, with some gorgeous specimens on the menu, as well as keeping to their roots with some fried karaage chicken.
Crisped up to perfection, this was a stunning spot and it was absolutely packed out when we visited on a sunny Wednesday night.
Definitely check them out when you’re in Chorlton for a cut-price yet still unbelievably delicious bowl of wallet-friendly ramen. You can thank us later.
A sneak peek at the first pour: Greater Manchester celebrates the return of Boddingtons
Danny Jones
Greater Manchester has every reason to drink and jubilate this Friday and toast the perfect excuse for an early dart as the first fresh pours in a new chapter for Boddingtons beer have been sunk.
And by’eck if ain’t still bloody gorgeous.
That’s right, in case you didn’t hear the latest news about ‘Cream of Manchester’, we can now officially and ever-so gladly confirm that Boddingtons Bitter is properly back on draught in the region.
With the iconic cask ale making a glorious return decades on from its glory days in the 1990s, the new and improved Boddies beer is flowing from the taps – just in time for the weekend, no less.
Yes, with local brewery and pub chain J.W. Lees taking over the manufacturing and distribution, leaving the Budweiser Group to take over the licensing, the updated recipe Boddingtons – which clocks in at a 4.0% ABV – is about to be rolled out across the 10 boroughs.
Better yet, with five native pubs having already reinstalled honey yellow and black pumps, and with Lees looking to deliver it to the ale-loving masses across the North West, this could be the biggest Manc comeback since, well, those two lads from Burnage…
Speaking of: we were invited along to Founder’s Hall on Albert Square (formerly Duttons and now home to every one of the brand’s beers, not to mention serving as a tribute to John Lees himself), for a special ceremony to celebrate the inaugural public pints of Boddies being poured.
Let’s just say we were honoured to be part of the grand resurrection.
Obviously, there have been some holdouts hanging onto the classic Mancunian brew, and we certainly had fun trying to track them down over the past couple of years, but we’re just glad we don’t have to do as much work to find one now.
Managing Director of JW Lees, William Lees-Jones, said on the relaunch: “When I joined JW Lees in 1994, Boddingtons was ‘The Cream of Manchester’ and we were in awe of their position in leading the cask beer revolution.
“We’re proud to bring it back home, starting with Founder’s Hall, and we’re planning to restore Boddington’s as one of the UK’s leading premium cask beers, particularly here in the North West.” Well said, sir.
Available from Founder’s Hall, The Black Friar in Salford, Stables Tavern; Sams Chop House, The Circus Tavern, Oxford Road Tap, Piccadilly Tap and Victoria Tap from today, as well as Corbières and Stockport pubs like The Crown and The White Lion, we can’t wait to see Boddingtons take over the nation.
In the meantime, why not look back at the storied history behind one of our finest exports?
Subway launches make-your-own jacket potato concept ‘Spudway’ across UK
Emily Sergeant
Subway is finally launching its viral make-your-own jacket potato concept ‘Spudway’ at all its restaurants in the UK.
That’s right – you can now walk into any Greater Manchester Subway and order a jacket potato instead of a sandwich, and you get to choose exactly what goes on top of it.
Britain has always been a nation of ‘jacket fanatics’, with almost half of Brits claiming the spud to be a British cultural icon, but according to new research by Subway, it’s been found that nearly a quarter (23%) of us have argued with family and friends over how to prepare or serve one.
So it’s fair to say that, yes, us Brits do love ourselves a jacket potato, and this is why ‘Spudway’ is launching nationwide.
The UK-wide rollout of Spudway comes after it was trailed in select sites earlier this year, and then proved so popular that the trail was extended to include more locations.
Now, those fluffy jacket potatoes are available everywhere.
You can choose topping options like the simple Cheese & Beans or Tuna Mayo, or you can opt for Subway specialities like Meatball Marinara, and Chicken Tikka, but the beauty of Spudaway is it’s all fully customisable.
This means you can pick, quite simply, from whatever you fancy at the protein and salad counters, and finish it with your choice of Subway’s wide selection of signature sauces.
“The nation’s love of Jacket Potatoes is unparalleled,” commented Cathy Goodwin, who is the Interim Director of Culinary & Innovation Subway EMEA.
Subway has finally launched its make-your-own jacket potato concept ‘Spudway’ all across the UK / Credit: Subway
“The enthusiasm we’ve seen on social media and the strong demand from our guests throughout the trial made it clear that Spudway deserved a permanent place on our menu.
“Made with British potatoes, Irish salted butter, a double portion of cheese, and fully customisable with any of our many toppings, Spudway is the perfect freshly-made, high-quality lunch choice.”
Spudway jacket potatoes are freshly baked in-store daily and can be enjoyed on their own, or as part of a meal deal – which includes a spud, drink, plus crisps or a cookie.
Georgina Pellant -
11th September 2023 
