A bakery and bistro in Oldham has opened a drive-thru cakery service and we are absolutely desperate to go.
Wonderlust Bistro and Bakery on Library Lane first opened in February this year, leaving locals clamouring about its excellent bakes as theOldham Times reported it could ‘rival any Manchester bistro’.
The family-run eatery is headed up by baker Saarah Chowdhury, who runs the bakery and bistro alongside brother Mohammed and mum Shelley Rahman.
With an unmissable bright pink and purple exterior and a mouthwatering menu of cakes and other bakes, plus bistro dishes ranging from Korean corndogs to pancakes, roasts and loaded fries, it’s already become a huge hit – drawing in locals and foodie tourists alike.
The brightly coloured exterior of Wonderlust Bakery and Bistro has been painted by local artists. / Image: Wonderlust Bakery
Jammy Dodger cupcakes at Wonderlust Bakery. / Image: Wonderlust Bistro
The demand for their treats has become so high, in fact, that the team has recently launched its own car service so that visitors can easily pull up, place an order and have their goodies brought directly to them.
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Open from 5pm until midnight, this is definitely the place to go for a late-night treat with everything from. Jammy Dodger and Kinder Hippo cupcakes to Biscoff-stuffed cheesecake, milk cake, Snickers brownies and gooey Nutella-filled cookies on offer from the bakery.
Food from the bistro is also available to order as part of the evening car service, although it is worth noting that the team is currently running a temporarily limited menu and different opening times for Ramadan.
A Snickers brownie at Wonderlust Bakery. / Image: Wonderlust Bakery
Korean corndogs (classic beef and potato mozzarella) from Wonderlust Bistro. / Image: Wonderlust Bistro
During this period the bakery will open from 6pm-1am Wednesday to Sunday, before returning to their normal opening times from Friday 21 April.
The bistro, meanwhile, will open from 5pm – 12am Wednesday to Saturday during Ramadan serving a dinner menu of corndogs, pancakes and French toast, and from 12-9pm on Sundays serving brunch, roast and corndogs.
Those driving in for the car service are also asked to park in the bakery and bistro’s rear car park.
Sharing the news with its followers on Instagram, the Wonderlust team wrote: “Due to overwhelming demand, we are introducing our car service for Wonderlust Bistro & Wonderlust Bakery! You can place your order via 07531557354 for food, cakes & drinks.
“How to order:
“(Open from 5pm – 12am Wednesday- Saturday)
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“- Park in our car park “- Call 07531557354 “- Place your order and provide your reg plate “- Someone will bring your order out and we’ll take payment via cash & card”
Manchester champagne bar launches new £155 menu of ‘exceptional’ single-bite dishes
Daisy Jackson
The UK’s first dedicated champagne boutique, Portfolio, is finally ready to launch its restaurant experience – and it’s like nothing Manchester has seen before.
The luxury champagne bar on Bridge Street has unveiled a new restaurant concept built entirely around ‘the perfect bite’, with diners able to enjoy up to 18 single-mouthful dishes for £155 per person (or 14 dishes for £135pp).
At lunchtimes, Portfolio will offer a 10 course menu for £75pp, with an optional wine pairing.
The intimate nine-table restaurant is the latest venture from acclaimed chef Julian Pizer, formerly of Another Hand and Edinburgh Castle, who says he wanted to focus on the one bite guests remember long after a meal has finished.
Rather than serving traditional tasting menu courses, every dish is designed to be eaten in a single mouthful, paired with some of the world’s finest and rarest champagnes and wines.
Diners are encouraged to tackle each course in one go – no matter how tempting it might be to savour it a little longer.
As co-founder Pizer explains: “I’ve always been drawn to the most memorable part of any meal – that single perfect bite, the one you remember long after the meal.
Beef fat hash, beef tartare, horseradish and Bloody Mary gel, served on top of champagne corks Carrot tart, gooseberry, fresh curds in thin crispy pastryhiso leaf taco with spring shoots, citrus vinaigrette, blackcurrant wood
“This menu is built around that idea: big flavour, perfect balance, all in one mouthful, designed to sit seamlessly alongside great Champagne.”
Highlights include a chicken and oyster tempura skewer topped with sour cream and chives, a carrot tart packed with gooseberries and fresh curds, and a beef-fat hash crowned with beef tartare and Bloody Mary gel, dramatically served on champagne corks.
One standout dish is a decadent lobster roll enriched with pork fat, where crispy brioche provides the perfect contrast to sweet Cornish lobster, cucumber, celery and apple.
Elsewhere, a refreshing shiso leaf taco with spring shoots and citrus vinaigrette offers a palate-cleansing break before richer dishes including Chinese-style pork belly with white kimchi, and a duck course featuring breast, confit meatball and duck neck sausage.
Some of the paired wines with the Portfolio lunch menu in ManchesterInside Portfolio ManchesterSome of the paired wines with the Portfolio lunch menu in Manchester
Dessert arrives in the form of a kiwi marshmallow-style treat with blackberry, mint and a dusting of icing sugar.
The drinks are no afterthought either. Portfolio houses more than 250 champagnes from over 70 producers, and diners can add carefully matched champagne pairings to either the 14-course (£135) or 18-course (£155) menu.
With only 24 covers available at any one time, the experience is intentionally relaxed. There’s just a single sitting each service, meaning guests can linger over their food and fizz for as long as they like.
For those not ready to commit to 18 bites in one sitting, Portfolio’s bar remains open six days a week, offering a more casual snack menu alongside its extensive champagne list.
Pizer describes the concept as his chance to experiment freely and, above all, ‘make food fun again’.
You can now get Deep South-inspired BBQ dishes on Manchester’s Deansgate
Daisy Jackson
There’s a brand-new menu of smokehouse-style BBQ dishes being served up on a sunny terrace on Deansgate.
Motley, the neighbourhood bar and restaurant on the corner of John Dalton Street, has added an authentic smoker to its kitchen.
That means they’ve got a whole load of new dishes, slow-cooked over hickory wood, that are bringing a taste of a Deep South BBQ to Manchester city centre.
The smokehouse-style meats are all seasoned in-house and cooked for hours, for a perfect fall-off-the-bone experience.
It might be an authentic American smokehouse menu, but it’s firmly British too, with most products locally sourced.
You can now get Deep South-inspired BBQ dishes on Deansgate / Credit: The Manc Group
Motley are calling on local suppliers like Althams Butchers (established since 1856) for their meat, plus greengrocers R Noone and Son, and Cheshire Farm for their real dairy ice cream.
Signature dishes on the new menu at Motley include slow smoked brisket, seasoned in Motley’s signature rub before being slow-smoked for more than eight hours.
There’s also a beef short rib with a chimichurri sauce, and a pork belly strip that’s seasoned with sage and onion and finished with a panko breadcrumb crust.
And for the veggies, there’s a vegan smoked veg kebab with courgette, mushrooms, bell pepper, sweet corn and red onion drizzled with homemade BBQ sauce.
Motley has added an authentic smoker to its kitchen / Credit: The Manc Group
Prices across the board start from just £16, served with beef dripping fries, rainbow slaw, pickles and homemade beef gravy.
As for small plates, you can expect short rib bonbons, homemade corn bread, spicy chicken wings, bang bang cauliflower, mac and cheese, and frickles.
House favourites like steak, vegetable hash, salads, and burgers will remain on the Motley menu.
Victor Gonzalez, food and beverage manager at Motley, said: “Our new signature smoked dishes are all crafted and seasoned in-house then slow cooked for hours over hickory wood to create rich and smoky melt-in-your mouth flavours.
“From our slow-smoked brisket to our home-made sides, everything has been carefully crafted to bring an authentic taste of the deep south to Manchester and we can’t wait for guests to try it.”
Motley can be found at 2 John Dalton Street on the corner of Deansgate in the city centre.
Georgina Pellant -
12th April 2023 
