There’s a new addition on Stevenson Square and it’s causing a bit of a stir with those in the know.
Called the Fry By, it’s inspired by Amsterdam’s many chip (or frite) shops and has even created its own version of Fritessaus or frietsaus, the classic mayo-style condiment that no self-respecting Dutchman will do without.
That’s not the only topping option, though, far from it. These super crispy fries can come as loaded or as simple as you like, with a total of roughly 54 different flavour combinations on offer with six homemade salts and nine sauces to choose from – plus extra toppings.
And as well as the fry cones, there’s a handful of VHS-style boxes drawing inspiration from cult movies like Richie Rich and Goodfellas.
Staff wear bright yellow branded jackets and there’s a general air of cool around the place as friends saunter up to order cones piled-high with all sorts from fennel butter and lemon pepper mayo, to brown crab and onion and garlic salt.
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As we tuck into a cone of triple-cooked, perfectly crispy fries topped with their signature house Ando (lemon red pepper mayo) and pickled pink onion slices, founder Marwan Mounti tells us he came up with the idea last year whilst sat having a drink in Stevenson Square.
Realising Manchester was falling short on a late-night stop off for drunken scran since the disappearance of Slice, he hit on the idea to something inspired by the Netherlands fry obsession – given that he knows Amsterdam pretty well.
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“Slice used to slap, [but] there’s nowhere here that’s just like a quick bite rather than a sit down – because you can go Bab, you can go Ply, you can go Flok now, they’ve got food, but there’s nowhere where you can just be like yo, chips.”
His day job has him well embedded in the city’s food scene: running social media foodie accounts and creating content for the likes of Jerk Shack, Wholesome Junkies and Go Falafel. So if anyone knows what’s going on, it’s him.
We touch briefly on Oldham street’s chippy-turned-Turkish takeaway, which once did a decent-ish late night cone of chips but now slings everything from pizzas to paninis to kebabs, and decide it’s just not got the pull it once had.
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Tastes round here have definitely elevated in the past decade, even when you’re smashed, we agree.
“I feel like people are starting to give a f*** about what they’re eating,” says Marwan.
“Even when we’re pissed, my missus is just like ‘no I’m not eating that,'” he jokes, miming false shock at her refusal to enjoy a Tandoori chicken with him at two in the morning.
“I think we all have [got more fussy], we’re all like yo is that truffle oil? How do you make it? Is it fresh?” he quips, correctly (in our opinion).
“But that’s like where it came from,” he continues, telling us they wanted to make their own chips.
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“Everything’s [done[ on the day fresh, the potatoes were cut today, steamed, then blanched, then fried, all the sauces are made fresh on the day, all the meats are marinaded and like cooked off on the day, […] that’s why we’re [not opening until five because most of the prep is done in the morning and the afternoon.”
He reveals he’s become a bit of a potato obsessive, as part of his search for the perfect fry. We ask who their supplier is, and Marwan tells us McCalls – the vegetable stall next door to Jerk Shack just off High street.
“I’ve been working with them for years helping them with their Jerk Shack account, so I was just like ‘my turn now, sort me out’ he laughs.
We hear they’ve been through a few potatoes before finding the right one, ultimately settling on red Desiree.
“The potato really matters.,” he confides, “we had to compromise between crispiness and taste [in the end].
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“Sajitas are like super crispy but then they’d taste a bit frozen, you know the vibe, but these are like crispy, but not like 10-10 where you’re like ‘crisps’, but these are really tasty. Like nice and sweet, we brine them for a little bit so its like a bit of sour.”
As he says this, a loud crunch comes from the table behind us which perfectly makes his point.
“They sounded super crispy.!” he says enthusiastically, turning around to find the cruncher responsible. “Sorry, I’ve become obsessed. I’m not even joking.”
It’s early days here still, but we think Marwan’s on to a winner. He certainly knows his potatoes and he’s not wrong about the need for a high quality late night takeaway round that part of town (and every part of town) .
As the saying goes, if you will build it they will come. And come they have.
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Since opening just a couple of weeks ago, The Fry By has been pulling in big crowds with queues sometimes running down the street.
Over a year in the planning, its open from Thursday to Sunday inside The Corner Boy, just off Stevenson Square, and is operating as a sit in or take out from the hatch next to the bar.
With a three year lease, it should be around for some time – but that’s no excuse to be slacking. Next time you’re around for a drink, go see them for a cone. You won’t regret it.
To find out more including opening times, head over to their Instagram.
Eats
This Manchester restaurant serves an all-vegan roast with ‘meat’ and all the trimmings
Georgina Pellant
A Manchester vegan restaurant is serving an all-vegan roast with mock ‘meat’ and all the trimmings, putting an ethical twist on the British Sunday classic.Keen to see if it’s worth the hype, I took a trip down to try it out for myself – and left feeling pretty impressed.
Not being a vegan personally, I enlisted the help of two friends of the plant-powered persuasion to accompany me to get a real feel for every option.
Suffice it to say, it was a success and, whilst I won’t be converting to veganism any time soon, it’s nice to know that there are options out there for when I feel like being ‘good’.
With three different roast choices on offer, Wholesome Junkies is the first restaurant in the city centre to venture past the usual vegan choices of mushroom Wellington and roasted squash and go all-out with a variety of mock meat options.
Meats have been created in partnership with Liverpool vegan brand CB Sushi, using their mock beef and turkey joints to give vegans the feeling of a ‘proper’ roast.
Glazed ‘turkey’ roast at Wholesome Junkies with Mabel’s vegan Yorkshire puddings and all the trimmings. / Image: The Manc Eats
‘Beef’ roast at Wholesome Junkies with onion gravy, Mabel’s vegan Yorkshire puddings and all the good bits. / Image: The Manc Eats
Think glazed ‘turkey’ filled with stuffing, medallions of ‘beef’ and crispy deep-fried oyster mushrooms, all served with lashings of onion gravy, ‘buttered’ seasonal greens, glazed carrots and parsnips, deep-fried stuffing balls, crispy roasties and fluffy Yorkshire puddings created by Mabel’s.
Having tried all three, I have to say that my favourite was the turkey. It’s actually my least favourite meat to eat, so it was something of a surprise to find I enjoyed the vegan version much more than the real thing.
The texture was spot on, and there was none of the dryness you typically associate with the bird. Washed down with a pint of locally-brewed Cloudwater Fuzzy Hazy Pale Ale, it absolutely hit the spot.
The deep-fried oyster mushroom roast at Wholesome Junkies. / Image: The Manc Eats
Cloudwater’s Fuzzy Hazy Pale Ale. / Image: The Manc Eats
Coming in a close second was the deep-fried oyster mushroom roast, which was so packed with flavour that it almost felt like I was eating fried chicken with my Sunday dinner.
As for the beef, it didn’t really do it for me – tasting more of herbs than red meat, but then, I don’t suppose there are many vegans queueing up the block for a bloody meat substitute.
Wholesome Junkies has long been a favourite with Manchester vegans. First shooting to fame in 2018 with an appearance on BBC2’s Million Pound Menu, owner Chelsea appeared on the show to ask for 95,000 to open her own vegan junk food restaurant.
Prior to that, she’d been running her Wholesome Junkies concept as a street food pop-up at sites like Grub and Ancoats General Store.
Whilst her bid to impress the BBC judges was not successful at the time, the TV appearance put her on the map and within a year she had her own Arndale market stall.
Fast forward a few more, and in 2022 she opened her first bricks and mortar restaurant – taking over the former Umezushi site at 4 Mirabel Street.
Since moving in, she’s completely transformed it: decking it out in bright colours and filling every corner with quirky little ornaments and decorations.
Strings of fairy lights, hanging mushrooms and frames filled with pictures from local artists all make the small space feel incredibly warm and welcoming – and our visit the restaurant was absolutely packed.
At a time when so many vegan restaurants seem to be closing, it was an absolute joy to see so many bums on seats during our visit.
Veganuary might almost be over, but if you’re a vegan – or simply just trying to cut down on your meat consumption – it’s definitely worth giving this one a go.
Feature image – The Manc Eats
Eats
Meet the couple who quit their jobs to sell sandwiches from their Northern Quarter flat
Georgina Pellant
If you’re a fan of things in bread (and honestly, who isn’t) then there’s a new Italian sandwich dealer in town that you absolutely need to get down your neck.
Serving up some of the best butties we’ve had in a long time, it’s called Ad Maiora and is being run by a couple who are making absolutely everything out of a kitchen in their little Manchester flat.
Collected from a nondescript door on a Norther Quarter back street, we’re talking giant focaccia-style loaves generously stuffed with premium ingredients like ‘nduja, spicy Tuscan sausage, smoked scamorza, mortadella, burrata and red pesto.
The brainchild of Sardinian couple Daniela Steri and Enrico Pinna, all of their sandwiches are made using only top quality Italian ingredients with a total of nine different options to choose from.
From the vegan-friendly La Nonna (Italian hummus, roasted aubergine, olives, sundried tomatoes and rocket) to a huge array of different cheesy and meaty delights, fillings include parma ham, gorgonzola DOP, truffled brie, Milano salami and crumbled pistachios.
Image: The Manc Eats
Image: The Manc Eats
Their bread is baked freshly by hand each morning using a tiny domestic oven, and they’re already baking up to 60 loaves of schiacciata (a traditional Tuscan flatbread) a day to keep up with the demand – putting just four in the oven at a time, over and over again.
On our visit, the pair tell us that they moved over from Sardinia to the UK six years ago and first tried living in London for a year (they say they hated it) before making the move up to Manchester.
In that time, they say they’ve fallen in love with the city of Manchester and with the Northern Quarter in particular.
Inspired by the brilliant food scene in their area, two months ago they both decided to pack in their jobs and pursue their own business instead – and haven’t looked back since.
Image: The Manc Eats
Image: The Manc Eats
Previously, Daniela tells us she’d worked at hotel Dakota in housekeeping for three years whilst her partner, Enrico, had been employed at Ezra and Gil. Despite their hospitality experience, though, neither of them had made bread before.
That doesn’t seem to be holding them back, though, and demand for their sandwiches is rocketing as word spreads about the new homemade Italian butties for sale on a Manchester backstreet.