A TikToker that is famous for ordering massive Chinese takeaways left owners of a Manchester restaurant ecstatic after he paid them a visit this week.
Best known as Big John, or @boshtokk on TikTok, the dad of professional boxer Johnny Fisher stopped off at Happy Seasons in Chinatown for one of his signature massive scrans on Thursday leaving fans blown away.
Filling his table with food and even posing for a picture with its owner, the hilarious TikToker went in: ordering a whopping nine plates of food including fried monkfish and bean curd, triple roast meats, salt and pepper pork chops, soft noodles, egg fried rice, stir-fried veg and pork, sweet and sour king prawns and tender beef brisket.
As if that wasn’t enough, he also opted for several steamed baskets of dim sum – digging into Har Gow and Siu Mai dumplings stuffed with pork and prawns on top of everything else.
In a video uploaded to Happy Seasons’ Instagram page on Thursday, you can hear Big John explaining each dish to the camera before looking up and spouting his catchphrase ‘bosh’ before adding that the food looks ‘delicious’.
In a post that has been liked over 1,000 times, Happy Seasons wrote: “Had the pleasure of serving @itsbigjohn1. Thank you for coming up north and stopping by china town John, we hope you’ve enjoyed the food.”
A former boxer himself, today Big John is mostly famous for ordering mega Chinese takeaways on TikTok and saying ‘bosh’.
One of his first viral videos saw him order what, for him, was a standard takeaway – leaving viewers staggered as he opted for practically the whole menu in one sitting.
His original TikTok @Wilbatross was banned at 400k followers, but he has since created another which has already racked up over half a million likes.
A certified Chinese takeaway connoisseur, we’re not sure we know anyone with more enthusiasm for putting in a big order than John.
As he says, “Some things can’t be stopped. Big John eating Chinese is one of them.”
Featured image – Happy Seasons
Eats
A bottomless brunch with unlimited booze AND pizza is happening in Manchester this weekend
Emily Sergeant
You can feast on all the pizza slices and booze your heart desires at a bottomless brunch happening in Manchester this weekend.
Manchester street food market and social hub, GRUB – which is tucked away in the Green Quarter, just outside of the city centre – is home to a wide range of rotating independent food and drink vendors that regularly hook Mancs up with some of the best eats from across the globe.
It’s also known for hosting a jam-packed lineup of events all throughout the year, and this bottomless pizza brunch is one fine example.
Teaming up with new independent trader, Pizza Mutt, foodie fans are invited to head on over to GRUB this Saturday for 90-minutes of tasty Tavern-style pizza slices and a stunning selection of alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks.
When it comes to pizza, you can choose from a wide range of toppings.
There’s everyone’s favourite pepperoni, as well as double cheese and veggie picante for vegetarians, and marinara for vegans – with vegan cheese also available.
A bottomless brunch with unlimited booze and pizza is happening in Manchester this weekend / Credit: Detroit Slims | Flickr
Then, on the drinks lineup, there’s a selection of house beers – including GRUB’s very-own lager and pale ale – and Hogan’s Cider, as well as Aperol Spritzes, mimosas, and fizz, as well as some low and non-alcoholic options and plenty of soft drinks too.
Taking place this Saturday 22 February from 12-6pm, there are three sittings to choose from when booking – the 1pm, 2pm, and 4pm.
Each sitting includes 90-minutes of bottomless drinks and pizza.
Tickets will set you back £25 each, and you can grab them from the GRUB website here.
Featured Image – Heather Barnes (via Unsplash)
Eats
Almost Famous set to re-open less than a month after shock closure
Danny Jones
In a surprising but joyous turn of events, Manchester burger icons Almost Famous will be reopening this month barely a few weeks on from closing all of its UK sites.
Quite literally famed for spearheading the ‘dirty burger’ trend here in Greater Manchester, the North West and beyond, Almost Famous stunned local foodies when it announced it would be shutting down all of its restaurants back in January.
However, in what we can only dub a mini-industry miracle, Almost Famous is now set to reopen later this month after the brand has been rescued by one of its old staff members.
In fact, we could actually see at least one location reopen as early as Friday – yes, as in this Friday (21, February). An unbelievably quick turnaround.
With the franchise being taken over by developers D2 – the same food, drink and hospitality-driven team behind the popular PINS Social Club in Liverpool – Almost Famous’ Northern Quarter and Liverpool venues will both be returning by the end of February.
Although there is currently no news on the previous Greater Manchester sites and other previous locations such as Leeds, it looks as though the recovery process is happening fast.
Spearheaded by D2’s new MD, Daniel Kelly, who was Almost Famous’ former operations director between 2018 and 2022, he will oversee both the original restaurant in NQ and its Merseyside counterpart moving forward.
Announcing the return of a Northern culinary favourite, Kelly said: “We’re buzzing to get Almost Famous back – hire as many of the old team as we can, get the grills on and the burgers flying out.
“I’ve been part of this brand and I know what it takes to maintain its bigger, better, and make-it-outrageous approach.
Even their vegan and ‘Famous at Home’ offerings are among the best around. (Credit: The Manc Group)
He went on to add: “We’re here to bring back the legendary AF experience – killer service, next-level food, and all the chaotic, messy, unforgettable vibes that made Almost Famous, well… Famous.”
Nothing short of fantastic news and a much-needed win for the industry given the run of recent closures not just in Greater Manchester but up and down the country.
We’re very glad that the OG Manc burger scene is coming back and we can’t wait to see what the next chapter holds for them.
Georgina Pellant -
21st April 2023 
