A brand-new Thai street food buffet restaurant has opened up doors at the Trafford Centre this week.
Thaikhun – pronounced ‘tycoon’ and translating to “your Thai restaurant” – has several branches across the UK, and already has a presence here in Greater Manchester thanks to its popular restaurant in Spinningfields – and now, it’s brought the unique dining concept to the shopping centre’s food court.
Having welcomed its first customers through the doors from yesterday, Thaikhun is aiming to be the first of its kind to offer a Thai street food buffet to shoppers.
“At our first-of-its-kind buffet restaurant, we will offer customers the freedom to make the experience their own by picking exactly what they want and in their own time,” owner Kim Kaewkraikhot told the MEN ahead of the restaurant’s opening.
“We are passionate about providing an excellent quality experience with a combination of top-class food and unrivalled customer service.
ADVERTISEMENT
Thaikhun is aiming to be the first of its kind to offer a Thai street food buffet to shoppers / Credit: Thaikhun
“Every recipe on the menu can be found at real Thai street vendors and it’s with these authentic touches that we aim to deliver a taste of Thailand to our customers, helping them fall in love with the cuisine, just like we have.
“Whilst the menu will consist of some firm favourites, we are excited to bring a new and exciting spin to Thai dining, with the opportunity for our guests to enjoy a variety of different dishes and flavours every time they visit.”
ADVERTISEMENT
The 144-cover Thaikhun Trafford Centre restaurant – which opened with a Thai Monk blessing to bring luck, purification, peace and prosperity – is decked out in traditional Thai décor, with tuk tuk tables and boat seats throughout, and even a Buddhist shrine for staff and customers to worship too.
The main menus at the buffet-style restaurant will vary daily / Credit: Thaikhun
Main menus at the buffet-style restaurant will vary daily offering Thai classics, such as Pad Thai, Lamb Massaman and Khao Soi Gai soup, and there’s also a fully-equipped dessert station including a chocolate fountain, ice cream machine, popcorn machine, slush machine.
The restaurant has partnered with food app Too Good to Go to tackle food waste in the city, meaning customers will be able to pre-order and collect a ‘magic bag’ containing food that would have otherwise gone to waste.
ADVERTISEMENT
“Our attitude is all geared towards creating a fun and inclusive environment for our customers to enjoy great food, and The Trafford Centre will be no different,” Kim concluded.
Featured Image – Thaikhun
Eats
Manchester’s first banana pudding bar has opened in the city centre
Clementine Hall
Make sure to save room for pudding…because one of the city’s most-talked about dessert brands has found a new home.
Buttercup launched last summer, creating little pots of the hit US dessert made famous by the iconic Magnolia Bakery.
Each dessert features vanilla custard whipped with cream, soft sponge, and fresh banana, which you can then customise with rotating flavours and toppings.
And after a brief disappearance from the Manchester foodie scene, Buttercup is back with a bang with their beautiful new home on Deansgate.
Images: The Manc Group
And when we say beautiful, we really mean it.
Glossy burgundy tiles, butter yellow walls and sleek chrome furniture make up the space beneath the huge arched window, and there’s even a few seats for you to enjoy your pud and watch the world go by.
Open daily from 10am til 10pm, the menu includes three puddings on rotation ready to scoop.
Images: The Manc Group
Choose from the classic banana, indulgent tiramisu and an ever-changing seasonal special, alongside a wall of toppings for you to customise your own pud.
Each recipe has been perfected in-house and the proof really is in the banana pudding…because it tastes just as good as it looks.
Since launching, Buttercup has served around 50,000 puddings, hosted sell-out pop-ups across the city, collaborated with some huge brands, and built a loyal following around its signature build-your-own pudding bar.
Image: The Manc Group
With this new standalone space, you’ll of course be able to indulge in its signature banana pudding, as well as breakfast yoghurt bowls, coffee and matcha.
Officially opening tomorrow Saturday 26 September, the first 50 customers will get a free topping and sauce with the purchase of any pudding, plus a free lip gloss from Manchester-born beauty brand REFY.
‘Remember to support genuine independents’ – Manchester’s rotisserie chicken bistro Tartuffe announces closure
Emily Sergeant
Rotisserie chicken bistro Tartuffe has called final orders on its time at popular city centre hangout, Side Street.
Serving some of the best rotisserie chicken in Manchester – ‘sexy chicken’, if you will – Tartuffe first landed at Side Street inside the ABC Building back in the later summer of 2024, and quickly became known and loved by critics and customers alike for not just their rotisserie options, but also their stylish bar snacks and standout sides.
But despite being a roaring success these past two years, Tartuffe took to social media this week to announce the end of the ‘longest pop-up ever’, with its final service being tomorrow (25 September).
Tartuffe will be leaving Side Street this Friday / Credit: The Manc Group
Announcing its closure on Instagram, Tartuffe wrote: “That’s right, our time at Side Street has come to an end and our final service here is this Friday.
“It’s been an incredible two and a half years cooking for the wonderful people of Manchester and we’re hugely thankful to everyone who’s been to see us whilst we’ve been here.
“Another big thanks to the staff at Side Street who we’ve loved working with. We’ve made some great friends and worked with some absolutely brilliant people.
Emily Sergeant -
28th September 2021 
