Northern Quarter favourite Tokyo Ramen has finally opened its doors again after more than a year of closure.
The restaurant shut at the beginning of the pandemic and hasn’t reopened since – until now, that is.
Tokyo Ramen kept Manchester ticking over with homemade ramen kits during the successive lockdowns, but now the venue is back bigger and better than before.
And there’s nothing quite like having the real thing in the restaurant.
Fans will be pleased to hear that as well as the return of some old favourites, the team have also spent the period of closure coming up with some brand new menu additions to tempt you back through their doors (as if their return wasn’t enough of a pull on its own).
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We’ve got our eyes on a fried chicken ramen bowl that looks absolutely peng, which features Tokyo’s signature chicken bone broth, tan tan tare, Koji fried chicken, kale, a seasoned egg, lime and fermented chilli oil – but there are some other very nice looking options to be found here, too.
New menu additions like the veggie gyozas sit alongside a choice of four different ramen bowls; which include tempting choices like the Sio Ramen (chicken bone broth, sio tare, torched pork belly, seasoned egg, dashi oil and nori) and Shoyu Ramen (chicken bone broth, shoyu tare, torched pork belly, mustard greens, seasoned egg, spring onion oil and nori).
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For veggies, there’s also a bowl of Kinoko Ramen consisting of mushroom dashi, miso-mustard tare, roast tomato, tonkatsu pickled shitake, crispy enoki and a seasoned egg with mayu oil.
Tokyo Ramen has reopened after more than 17 months of closureVegetable gyzoa is one of the new menu additions at Tokyo Ramen, which has reopened its doors for the first time in over a year
The team behind the restaurant have also given the interior a little bit of a refresh ready to welcome customers back in full force – and given the rainy weather this weekend, we’re sure there’ll be a queue back outside just like the old days before we know it.
Heed our warning and get down as soon as possible. With the recent temporary closure of neighbouring ramen rival CBRB, Tokyo’s definitely the place to be getting your slurp on in the Northern Quarter right now.
Feature image – The Manc Eats.
Eats
Beloved Manc butty shop Bada Bing set for a sensational return to the city centre
Danny Jones
Sandwich lovers rejoice because one of the finest butty shops to ever grace Manchester is returning: that’s right, Bada Bing is bada-back!
The Sopranos-inspired deli and sandwich shop that took its name from one of the central locations featured in the iconic US drama (yes, the strip club), was a huge success when it first opened in Manchester a few short years ago, so it was a huge blow when it closed in February 2022.
Starting out by serving sandwiches out of a window at The B Lounge pub on Paton Street near Piccadilly, before moving to a small kitchen on Radium Street and eventually setting up their stall inside Ancoats General Store, they would regularly have lines around the block every lunchtime.
These Italian-American sarnies were so popular you’d often struggle to get your claws on one – and believe us, they really are a two-handed task – as they’d sell out on what felt like most days. But now, whether you were a regular or someone who missed out, there is hope once again:
Announcing their sensational return to a new site over in the Northern Quarter, which will now mark the fourth premises they’ve popped up at, Bada Bing is back with a bang and, as you can, they dropped the news with one of the best reveal videos we’ve ever seen.
If you know, you know…
Set to take over 125 Oldham Street, owners Sam Gormally and Meg Lingenfelter haven’t yet graced us with an opening date but the new unit should hopefully be open sooner rather than later.
The duo, who previously worked at fellow NQ favourite Another Heart to Feed, came up with the concept during lockdown and it didn’t take long for the idea to take off, nor for them to earn their spot amongst the very best sandwich places in Manchester.
Seriously, these things were so big and unwieldy (in the best way possible) that they even used to come with eating instructions: both hands and the trademark Tony Soprano hunch recommended, though the slightly stained wife-beater, boxer shorts and open dressing gown look is optional.
From slices of provolone cheese, all the thinly sliced Italian meats you could think of and the closest thing to actual ‘gabagool‘ as you’ll find in Greater Manchester, the menu was fitting of being served up to the iconic characters that once sat outside Satriale’s and a big approving grin from the man himself.
Simply put, we cannot wait and we will certainly keep you posted when we find out exactly when Bada Bing confirms their official reopening date.
Burger King is giving away free burgers to new drivers today
Emily Sergeant
Burger King will be giving away burgers to drivers who have recently passed their tests for free of charge today.
In case it wasn’t on your radar, tomorrow (Thursday 24 July) is actually National Drive-Thru Day, and in a bid to properly celebrate this unofficial holiday, Burger King has decided to hand out a bunch of freebies to newbies today.
The fast food chain is asking all new drivers to “buckle up”, head on down to their nearest Burger King drive-thru, and help themselves to a free burger.
All newly-qualified drivers will be able to take their pick from either the Whopper or Chicken Royale without parting ways with a penny, and all they’ll need to do the claim their freebie is simply show off their learner’s ‘L Plates’ to the staff at their local Burger King restaurant.
/ Credit: Burger King UK (via Instagram) | Supplied
Hundreds of Burger King drive-thrus across the UK are taking part in the one-day promotion – including several across in Greater Manchester.
Although it might seem a little too good to be true, there’s a reason Burger King has chosen to dish out the freebies, and that’s because the company says it knows that one of the first activities newly-qualified drivers like do once they’ve passed their test is make a pit stop at a drive-thru with their mates to show off their new wheels and skills.
Sometimes though, navigating a drive-thru for the first time can be tricky, and this leaves new drivers feeling a bit like a rabbit in the headlights.
Luckily with this one-day Burger King offer, new drivers’ first drive-thru trip couldn’t be any easier.
The offer is available nationwide today (Wednesday 24 July) at Burger King drive-thru lanes only, while stock lasts, and newly qualified drivers must verbally mention “BK Plates” at the drive-thru lane to unlock their free burger.