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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Almost Famous announce they are closing their Withington restaurant in candid statement
Danny Jones
The unfortunate hospitality news just keeps coming, it seems, as Almost Famous have announced they will soon be closing their Withington restaurant.
A staple of the Manchester foodie scene for over a decade now and with a growing empire across the North, the ‘dirty burger’ pioneers aren’t just one of the most recognisable restaurant names in Greater Manchester, they’re tastemakers and have been for years.
However, unlike the OG site in the Northern Quarter which first began blowing burger fans away back in 2012, their Great Northern Warehouse venue or their locations in Leeds, Almost Famous‘ Withington site simply isn’t working.
In truth, their most recent restaurant and fifth all-told had been struggling for a while and it was only back in May that they were thanking customers for helping them ‘pull through’ a rough patch, but it seems they’ve sadly slumped back into being quiet and can no longer continue in this fashion.
Explaining in the lengthy and clearly emotional statement, beloved owner Beau Myers wrote: “Announcement (sad sh***y one, sorry).
Sorry to say we will be closing the Withington branch of Almost Famous. It’s not working, we’re not busy enough and it’s dragging us down.
“Really sorry to disappoint you guys, we’ve tried and we’ve pushed and you’ve been amazing for supporting us, this just isn’t the one. Sometimes you have to hold your hands up, admit you f****d up, learn from your mistakes limit the damage and move on.
“We got sucked in with perhaps the most beautiful site ever in the wrong location (for us). It really is/was my fav[ourite] famous and I’m gutted it’s closing, it looks the coolest, we had the staff party there this year. I wish some of the art wasn’t straight on the wall so we could take it with us.”
Almost Famous Withington will be closing after their final dinner service next weekend. (Credit: The Manc Group)
They go on to add: “We will be closing after service on Sunday 22nd (next weekend). Please come down and say goodbye and enjoy this beautiful place one last time before it goes forever. There will be drinks and tears and laughs.
Having visited the particular branch a few times ourselves not only in a work capacity but in our own personal time, we can confirm the Withington restaurant had a special charm to it and we’re also very sad to see it go.
It goes without saying that the comments were filled with support, with one person writing, “This is so sad I’m so sorry: you’ve tried really hard. Sad loss for Withington”, and another adding, “Always sad when a place with friendly staff, serving good food, good drinks and at a reasonable price doesn’t make it… onwards and upwards.”
RIP Almost Famous Withy — we hope you come back one day soon and we’re sure the whole team will bounce back stronger than ever no matter what comes next for the much-loved brand.
Cutting Room Square’s first-ever Indian restaurant set to take over former Rigatoni’s site this month
Danny Jones
Manchester foodies, strap in because it’s something big because a brand-new Indian restaurant is coming to the heart of Ancoatslater this month.
Indian Affair, the family-style restaurant that has already seen great success on Barlow Moor Road over in Chorlton, is now set to take over the former Rigatoni’s site (previously Sugo Pasta Kitchen and then Sud) which closed back in May.
Not only will this exciting new opening be Affair’s second location as their reputation around Greater Manchester grows but it will also be the first-ever Indian restaurant to pop up on the ever-bustling Cutting Room Square.
A real hotbed for good food in the city and culinary competition on its own, landing a lot on the square is no mean feat and if you’ve seen their food already, you’ll how exciting this is.
Owned by loving couple, Harshit and Natasha Chopra, the new Indian Affair venue is the first of its kind for the area, focusing on Indian small plates and thalis.
Their flagship restaurant in Chorlton only opened back in October 2022 but quickly became a hit with the locals and is sure to have the same success over in Ancoats – after all, as a city famous for the Curry Mile, it’s fair to say we’ve got a lot of love for the Indian cuisine.
Commenting on the announcement, Harshit said: “We always dreamed about opening a city centre restaurant. We’ve been totally blown away by the love for our Chorlton site and are extremely grateful to those who’ve visited and made it a success.
“As a family, we enjoy spending time in Ancoats, exploring the restaurants and Sunday markets. Cutting Room Square has a community like no other, we felt it was the perfect space for a modern Indian restaurant.”
With a menu inspired by the couple’s favourite flavours from home back in Delhi, every dish will be hand-selected by the husband and wife duo, with thalis options – a selection of smaller plates served on an Indian-style round platter – aiming to offer guests a bit of everything, be it vegan, veggie or carnivorous.
Indian Affair also encourages guests to dine family-style, prioritising socialising, sharing, and tasting a bit of everything on the table just as much as enjoying your own meal.
Credit: Indian Affair Chorlton (supplied)
Small plates range from £5-13, with favourites including chicken tikka samosa, spinach fritters drizzled with yoghurt, tamarind and mint chutney; chargrilled lamb chops, as well as tandoori king prawns in garlic and garam masala.
In addition to offering traditional Delhi-inspired offerings, the team has also curated dishes with more of a modern twist, including chicken and paneer bao and malai artichoke. Oh yeah, they’re clever these lot.
The menu also features classic biryanis, fluffy freshly cooked naans, parathas and rotis from the clay oven tandoor, alongside a wide selection of rice, salads and chutneys to choose from.
Better still: exclusive to the new Ancoats restaurant only, the team is also launching a new lunch menu featuring filled naan rolls, further contemporary Indian takes on loaded burgers and bao buns – all of which will be priced from £8.00 and served up with crispy masala wedges.
Sure to be a hit with the locals, for sit-in and takeaway, you’ll also be able to pick up a paneer tikka or lamb seekh rolled up inside one of those lovely garlic naans, packed with fresh onion salad, mint and coriander chutney. Hungry yet?
Or, if you fancy a proper good burger that’s a little bit different, the butter chicken burger is the passionate pair’s favourite new addition to the menu and not one to be missed. And to wash it all down, Cobra will be served on draft, met with wines, alcohol-free options and a great selection of cocktails.
Safe to say that just like co-owner Natasha, we’re very excited about this one. She added: “Our small plate concept has been a great success in Chorlton. We know the demographic in Ancoats enjoy sharing food whilst socialising, so we hope the menu will be popular.
“We’re excited to try out our new lunch menu with Indian twists on your favourite lunch classics. We’re looking forward to welcoming you all very soon.”
Indian Affair promises to showcase North Indian cuisine, inspired by Delhi’s diverse flavours and home-style cooking at its very best, whilst also reflecting both the traditional and modern sides of the city and their growing home here in Manchester.
Cutting Room Square’s newest arrival soft open on Monday, 16th September with bookings available from Friday, 20 September. See you there real soon, and we hope you’re in the mood for sharing – because we sure are.
Daisy Jackson -
16th November 2021 
