One of Manchester’s most popular street food stalls has won a huge accolade in the Deliveroo Restaurant Awards, scooping the prize for Best Newcomer.
Salt & Pepper serves a Chinese-inspired menu from a stall inside the Arndale food market, as well as from the kitchens at Black Dog in the Northern Quarter.
The local business has centred its menu around the ever-popular Chinese dish of salt and pepper, with variations including chicken wings, surf and turf, and battered king prawns.
They also serve up sticky Canton-glazed meals, all loaded onto salt and pepper crinkle fries or rice.
Salt & Pepper operates from the Arndale food market and Black Dog in the Northern Quarter. Credit: Supplied
Owner Chloe Tao said: “We’re absolutely delighted to win the award for best newcomer and wanna thank everyone that voted for us.
“Quite honestly, we’ve not had a lot of good news this year and this award has really cheered us all up and kept us validated.
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“We’re really grateful that we’re still able to serve good food to good people and I’m so proud of my incredible team who continue to make this their priority.”
Wingstop won the very top prize – and opens in Manchester this week. Credit: Supplied
Several larger restaurant groups with presences here in Manchester did scoop an award though, including Dishoom, which was crowned best Indian restaurant, and Gaucho, for fine dining.
Wingstop, which is about to open its first Manchester location just off Piccadilly Gardens, was named the Restaurant of the Year.
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The chicken wing restaurant beat out the likes of Proove Pizza and Fat Hippo to claim the top prize.
Read more: Kampus’s restaurant-on-stilts to become bakery, florist and bagel shop
The Deliveroo Restaurant Awards were first launched in 2019 to celebrate the best restaurants and grocers on the platform, with winners across 21 categories chosen by public vote.
The Restaurant of the Year was chosen by a panel of expert judges, made up of food critic Grace Dent, presenter and TV chef Big Zuu, Junior Bake-Off judge Ravneet Gill, and Deliveroo CEO Will Shu.
Will Shu said: “Well done to all of our winners and finalists in every category, the food we’re delivering to customers has never been better and that’s thanks to the incredible restaurants and grocers on our platform.”
Featured Image – Salt & Pepper Manchester
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Huge new Salford Quays restaurant slams ‘idiot’ who ran off with iPad in broad daylight
Daisy Jackson
A huge restaurant in Salford Quays has shared CCTV of a man taking an iPad and running away in broad daylight.
Unagi, which only opened its huge futuristic sushi and Asian restaurant last summer, shared a frustrated appeal online.
“As if January isn’t already tough enough!!!” they wrote in the Instagram post.
In the video clip they shared, the man is seen standing at a counter as though he’s waiting to be served.
But then he reaches across the counter, seizes an iPad and runs out the door with it under his arm.
Unagi has slammed him as an ‘idiot’ who has struck during what is famously a ‘VERY tough time for the hospitality industry’.
The popular Asian restaurant, which now has locations in Cheetham Hill, Altrincham, West Didsbury, Wilmslow and this beautiful spot in Salford Quays, said it was the ‘cherry on top’ of a challenging time.
Unagi in Salford Quays shared CCTV of this man stealing their iPad. Credit: foodunagi, Instagram
The iPad that was stolen is integral to the restaurant’s operations, controlling their booking systems.
In their post, Unagi Salford Quays wrote: “As if January isn’t already tough enough!!!
“As everyone knows January is a VERY tough time for the hospitality industry, then you get idiots like this who make it impossible. Cheers for that, happy new year to you too.
“We’re already facing enough challenges and you’ve really just put the cherry on the top!! Taking our IPad which controls all of our bookings system!!
“If anyone happens to have seen this guy around the Salford Quays area please give us a shout. But also any businesses in the SQ area, watch out!!!
Unagi in Salford Quays. Credit: The Manc Group
“On a lighter note, THANK YOU, to everyone who is out supporting the hospitality industry this January. Your support means so much to everyone!!”
Unagi has been flooded with support from customers and other operators, with one person writing: “Shocking, so sorry for you guys. We had a lovely lunch in there today.”
Someone else commented: “So sorry this happened. And your employees are such sweet people. Always serving everything with the utmost kindness.”
And fellow restaurant Gran T’s said: “What an absolutely loser, so sorry guys.”
There’s a non-alcholic pairing dinner coming to Manchester this Dry Jan
Thomas Melia
A one-night-only pairing of two dining out staples from the food and drink world is coming to Manchester next month, and it also happens to be non-alcoholic for anyone doing Dry January.
Taking place at the wonderful Maray over on Lincoln Square, each dish served throughout the night will be expertly paired with a non-alcoholic drink from zero-per cent experts, Lucky Saint.
This Middle Eastern eatery is always surprising its diners, last September they made their infamous roasts free for one day only, and this upcoming event is sure to be as exciting with its unique tastings.
Lucky Saint came to fruition after partnering with a historical brewery in Bavaria who’ve produced beer for over 400 years, creating a non alcoholic alternative which greeted UK drinkers in 2020.
Lucky Saint will be readily available and paired with every meal.Diners can expect some sensational food as always from Maray. Credit: Publicity Picture (Supplied)
Titled ‘The Official Beer Of Dry January’, supplying IPAs and lagers to a host of stockists, not only are their products fully non-alcoholic but they’re also entirely plant-based – meaning they’re the perfect tie-in with Veganuary.
If their website is anything to go by, diners are set to enjoy refreshments such as their unfiltered lager and a 0.5% ‘Hazy’ IPA which contains juicy tropical notes. Don’t mind if we do.
Although it’s hard to say what the food offerings may be, it’s guaranteed that anyone who attends is in for a treat as this site has even served famous faces like Dua Lipa back in 2022 while she was on tour.
Their vegan menu features some meat free feasts like a falafel sharer and a delicious oyster mushroom shwarma, it’s a well-loved restaurant.
Vegans are certainly catered for at this event as it’s not only the free-flowing drinks that contain no animal products, there will also be an entirely vegan menu on hand.
Maray have multiple locations but anyone who couldn’t get enough of the flavours the first time in Manchester can attend their Liverpool pairing dinner which is happening the very next day.
The Maray x Lucky Saint Dry January Pairing Dinner is coming to Manchester on Wednesday, 15 January from 7-9:30pm with tickets live HERE.
And if you’re looking for other places to enjoy a guilt-free drink in the city centre this month, we’ve got a few suggestions for you:
Doing #DryJan doesn't have to mean staying in or saying goodbye to the pub. 🍹
Daisy Jackson -
16th November 2021 
