As you’re wandering around Strangeways with a prison on your right and a load of warehouses on your left, you’d never imagine that you’re in striking distance of some of Manchester’s best Thai food.
But I promise you, you are.
That’s Thai is a tiny little spot tacked onto the side of a garage, with space for only about six diners inside and a couple more on the pavement outside.
Owner Wan Pradit Hewitt has brightened up the cafe, formerly a greasy spoon, with posters of Bangkok street markets and shelves of ornaments, but she’s really the most dazzling thing in here.
The approach to the restaurant through this gritty corner of Manchester (and we don’t mean gritty in the same way that people sometimes describe the Northern Quarter) might be a little intimidating – like are we really going for lunch down this dead-end back street? – but it all melts away once you open the door.
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You’re immediately smacked with the smell of punchy Thai food being flipped around in a wok, and given a beaming welcome from Wan.
She knows her regulars well, greeting almost everyone by name and often predicting their order before they’ve uttered more than a ‘hello’.
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In the half-hour we sit inside, there’s a steady stream of customers popping in and out for lunch, most of them strolling across from the huge building site next door.
That’s Thai cafe in Manchester. Credit: The Manc GroupOwner Wan Pradit Hewitt Inside That’s Thai in Cheetham Hill, which used to be a greasy spoon
For such a small kitchen (there are only two of them cooking around a few woks, gliding around the small kitchen in a well-rehearsed dance) they manage to whip up a pretty comprehensive menu of Thai food.
On the street food-inspired menu you’ll find 21 mains, from fan favourites like Pad Thai and green curry to authentic takes on khao khai chiao (a Thai omelette) and laab moo (a spicy pork salad), plus starters like tempura prawns (quite possibly the best I’ve ever had) and spring rolls.
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The portions are generous and the prices low – you won’t be spending more than a tenner here to get so full you struggle to walk back to work.
Kuai Tiew Pad Kee Mao (drunken noodles) with extra chilli and a fried eggTempura king prawnsGai Pad cashew nut stir fry with jasmine riceFood at That’s Thai
The regulars have their favourites, that much is clear, and the favourite is often salt and pepper chips.
Wan is visibly taken aback and delighted when she reels off an order to a familiar face and he tells her ‘actually, I’m going to try something new today’.
The massive redevelopment taking place on this side of Cheetham Hill is both a blessing and a curse.
It’s giving That’s Thai plenty of footfall, but as dilapidated warehouses are pushed aside for new hotels, colleges and residential developments, her tiny restaurant may eventually be forced elsewhere too.
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But for now, there is arguably nowhere better in Manchester for your Thai food fix.
Family behind Salvi’s launch new concept, weeks after iconic restaurant closure
Daisy Jackson
Just weeks after the closure of its iconic, 16-year-old Italian restaurant in the Corn Exchange, the family behind Salvi’s have revealed a brand-new concept.
And this time, the reins are being handed over to the next generation.
Salvi’s founder Maurizio Cecco has helped to shape Amò, but it’s all the brainchild of his daughter, Sienna.
Sienna will run the business out of a unit up on Deansgate Mews, serving fresh pasta dishes, pizza sandwiches, tubs of tiramisu, and two-for-£10 spritzes.
The deli aspect of the original Salvi’s has been carried over to Amò too – you’ll find shelves almost to the ceiling filled with Italian pasta, wine, olive oils, pistachio spreads, and more.
Sienna has grown up in restaurants, with her parents launching Salvi’s when she was just two years old.
She said she wants the space to be a livelier, fresher version of the Italian restaurant that has been so loved by Mancs for so many years.
Sienna outside AmòFresh pasta dishesInside Amò by Salvi’sTheir viral frozen crema di caffeLemon granitaInside Amò by Salvi’sTiramisu pots
Amò, which is Neapolitan slang for ‘my love’, will have loads of fresh Italian dishes, including arancini, gnocchi, and hearty pasta plates.
At lunchtimes, guests can order from a £10 lunch menu, with dishes changing daily depending on the best produce the kitchen can get – it could be a pizza sandwich with proscuitto and tomato, a spicy pasta, or a gnocchi bake, always served with your choice of soft drink.
With its position on Deansgate Mews, Amò basks in the sunshine at lunchtimes.
And while it’s definitely a different concept to the original Salvi’s, Amò looks set to carry the family’s Italian food legacy into its next generation.
Award-winning Didsbury bakery La Chouquette reveals incredible new site
Daisy Jackson
La Chouquette is one of Greater Manchester’s top bakeries – an award-winner, with queues down the street every weekend for its authentic French pastries and loaves.
And now they’re ready for a new chapter, revealing a major expansion today.
Owners Catrina and Flo have painstakingly expanded the bakery into the unit next door, creating what feels like a true French bakery.
And in the midst of this huge renovation project, they’ve welcomed a tiny new baby boy – quite the summer for the couple.
Catrina and Flo launched La Chouquette in lockdown, and in a time where people could only get their hospitality fix from takeaways, immediately became one of the most popular spots in the region.
Their success has been so great, you’ll still consistently find queues down the street every weekend, for their top sellers like their authentic almond croissants.
Then in October 2024, they grew the business and launched Piqniq, a new deli in Didsbury village, serving freshly-baked baguette sandwiches, breakfast butties, toasties, tiramisu pots and their legendary pastries.
The new-look La Chouquette features beautiful details like mosaic floors, rich blue walls, wooden shelves, and brass light fixtures.
La Chouquette’s best-selling almond croissantsInside the stunning new La Chouquette in DidbsuryNew savoury bakesThe chausson aux pommesThe counter stuffed with artisan French bakesChocolate chip cookies and cinnamon buns
The huge new counter displays more pastries and breads than ever before, like a hearty chausson aux pommes filled with apples that will be perfect for autumn, plus seasonal treats like a rhubarb creme brulee pastry, and homemade quiche.
Speaking at the grand relaunch today, Catrina said: “The layout has changed, it looks so much more chic, it looks like a traditional French bakery. We’re really excited about it.”
As for what’s on the counter, Flo reassured fans that their beloved almond and pistachio croissants remain, but with some new savoury editions, like a truffle croque monsieur made with croissant dough.
La Choquette has reopened today, and will be open seven days a week from 7am until 5pm.
Daisy Jackson -
28th June 2024 
