When the chef team behind Unagi first unveiled their Trafford food truck Lil Kimchi back in early 2020 they had no idea of the success that was coming their way.
Originally, their plan had been to focus entirely on katsu – a Japanese dish of fried chicken made with panko bread crumbs, generally served with a light and fragrant Java curry sauce. Keep things simple, one dish, one trailer, sounds easy enough right? Maybe too easy.
Within the space of a week, the country had gone all topsy-turvy. Restaurants were being forced to close, kitchens were giving away food and staff were being paid to stay at home, whilst food trucks and takeaways had seemingly never been more in demand.
Staring into the face of adversity, Unagi triumphed – and soon found that the demand for their food was high enough to start opening other sites.
Soon came permanent sites in Altrincham, Didsbury and Wilmslow, followed by a branch in Media City. Then, last year, the team opened up a fifth spot in Cheetham Hill: assuaging those city centre folk who had, up until now at least, been feeling a little left out.
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Image: The Manc Eats
Image: The Manc Eats
Serving up a host of on-the-go street snacks like crispy fried squid and best-selling bang bang chicken wings alongside a huge selection of sushi, on the menu here you’ll find heavy-hitting sushi rolls like their truffled avocado Spider, and the Mushu special made with seared salmon and black tobiko.
All fish is delivered fresh every morning and broken down on site by their expert sushi chefs, who ensure that nothing goes to waste. The very finest pieces are used in their quality sashimi, while others are used in sushi rolls and hot dishes like Unagi’s sweet and sticky salmon teppanyaki.
Salmon teppanyaki over steamed rice at Unagi. / Image: The Manc Eats
Chicken katsu at Unagi. / Image: The Manc Eats
Highlights include the ‘chef’s choice’ omakase platters, an ornate assembly of the freshest sushi rolls that day – typically a mixture of nigiri, sashimi, hosomaki and urumaki rolls.
Elsewhere on the Unagi menu, you’ll find street-style Japanese tuna tacos with mango and avocado salsa, deep-fried pumpkin and prawns, kimchi, edamame and a kaiso salad with seaweed and goma sauce.
Salt and pepper squid at Unagi. / Image: The Manc Eats
Bang Bang chicken wings are a bestseller at Unagi. / Image; The Manc Eats
After being possibly the busiest Manchester takeaway during a lockdown and even recruiting their own driver team, Unagi has just gone exclusive on Deliveroo so you know we had to get down for an episode of Takeaway Champions.
We even managed to score a discount code for you to get £5 off when your order from Unagi with Deliveroo.
To see the full menu click here and to find out more about Unagi head over to their Instagram page here. Oh, and to save on your next Deliveroo order make sure to use our code 5OFFUNAGI when you check out.
The cosy Peak District pub serving a pick’n’mix sausage and mash menu
Daisy Jackson
There’s a Peak District pub that’s turned one of Britain’s most beloved comfort foods into a full-on pick’n’mix.
Tucked away in the postcard-perfect village of Castleton, Ye Olde Nags Head is serving up a fully customisable menu of sausage and mash dishes.
We’re talking near-endless combinations of proper pub grub.
You start by choosing your sausages from a daily rotating selection (not a sentence you hear every day, but we’re into it).
Expect classics like Cumberland alongside more adventurous options like venison and mustard, or even wild boar and orange, plus a veggie sausage daily.
Then it’s onto the mash – you can go for flavours like cheese and onion, wholegrain mustard, or even black pudding mash.
Classic cumberland, mustard mash, and mushroom sauceVeggie sausage with cheese and onion mash and classic gravyTucking in
To finish? A choice of rich, hearty gravies and sauces to bring it all together, whether that’s a classic onion gravy, a peppercorn sauce, or a creamy wild mushroom sauce.
And if that wasn’t enough, you can even upgrade your bangers and mash pick’n’mix by having it all served inside a giant Yorkshire pudding.
Ye Olde Nags Head is a historic 17th-century pub, with a roaring fire in every room and cosy bedrooms upstairs.
Inside Ye Olde Nags Head pub in the Peak DistrictYe Olde Nags Head pub is near Mam Tor
It’s one of those flagstone-floored, beamed-ceilinged, mismatched-furniture type pubs that welcomes everyone in every state, whether you’re caked in mud from a hike or popping in on a coach tour.
Another of the pub’s specialties is the Derbyshire Breakfast, a hearty plate of sausage, smoked bacon, black pudding, free range egg, grilled tomatoes, field mushrooms, baked beans and fried bread.
The pub also offers takeaway breakfast butties, so you can use it for both a pre-hike stop and a post-hike pint.
Given it’s just minutes from the ever-popular Mam Tor hike, this is one pub you’ll definitely want to add to your next Peak District day out itinerary.
The hillside farm in the Peak District making its own ice cream
Daisy Jackson
Did you know there’s a 300-year-old farm in the Peak District serving up some of the freshest ice cream you’ll ever taste? And yes, you can meet the cows that made it while you’re there.
Welcome to Hope Valley Ice Cream, a family-run gem where things are kept refreshingly simple: happy cows, proper farming, and seriously good ice cream.
Set in the heart of the Peak District countryside, this place is about as wholesome as it gets.
The ice cream is made on-site in the farmhouse, literally just metres from where the dairy herd are out grazing.
You can watch the animals, wander around the farm, and then tuck into a scoop or three perched on a milk pail stool, or a picnic bench (or even a decorative tractor).
Hope Valley Ice Cream has some amazing seasonal ice creams, like lemon curd, elderflower, and blackberry, alongside all the classics and a rather delicious tiramisu.
You can grab a cone, sit down with a coffee (again, made with milk from the nearby cows), or go all in with a freshly-made waffle if you’re feeling fancy.
Takeaway tubs from Hope Valley Ice CreamYou can get a mini pail of ice creamMeet the newborn calves at Hope Valley Ice CreamTuck into your ice cream on a milk pail stoolHope Valley Ice Cream
And if you’re the type who really loves ice cream? You can actually order a full pail of it, with four huge scoops plus whipped cream and sauce.
The farm itself is run by the Marsden family, who’ve been working this land for generations. It shows in everything – they’ve created a place that feels genuinely welcoming, not just another tourist stop.
Beyond the ice cream, you’ve got plenty of reasons to stick around. There are calves (including the newest tiny arrivals), plus donkeys and pigs to say hello to.
Whether you’re heading out on a hike or just fancy a drive into the Peaks, this is one pitstop that’s absolutely worth it – and honestly, it’s worth the trip on its own.
Georgina Pellant -
9th March 2023 
