Where The Light Gets In in Stockport has been awarded a fourth AA Rosette, becoming only the third restaurant in Greater Manchester to receive the accolade.
The huge loft-like restaurant, tucked up the stairs on the top floor of an old warehouse, has a surprise menu every day.
With chef patron Sam Buckley at the helm, Where The Light Gets In plans each service around what produce they can forage, farm or find from local suppliers.
It means a dining experience that will never be the same on each visit and has earned it plenty of national and international acclaim.
Where The Light Gets In can now add a fourth AA Rosette to its crown, alongside its Michelin Green Star (awarded for sustainable practices).
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It’s a ‘huge achievement’, they said on receiving the award. The only other Greater Manchester restaurants to hold this many AA Rosettes are the Michelin-starred Mana, and long-standing fine-dining restaurant Adam Reid at The French.
Where The Light Gets In said: “We are so thrilled to receive 4 rosettes from the @aa_hospitality.
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“This is a huge achievement that highlights just how hard our team works to create an engaging and innovative experience for our guests each night.
“As proud as I am to receive this acknowledgment I am even more proud to work with the team that have achieved it.
“Thank you to the AA for your recognition and thank you to the team that makes me giddy to be here.”
Inspectors for the AA said: “Right in the centre of the old industrial part of Stockport, Where The Light Gets In is across the street from the Victorian market and accessed via steps to the top floor of a former coffee warehouse.
“Inside, red brickwork and plain floors with Scandi-style furnishings are illuminated by large windows and the lounge, kitchen and dining room all share same open space. Tables face the chefs and there are seats at the kitchen counter for those diners who want to be ringside.
“The style is somewhere between Scandi and Japanese, with occasional influences from China, and there’s a strong sustainable, no waste ethos.
“Flavours are defined, interesting and balanced. BBQ lobster tail dressed with lobster oil and sea buckthorn butter sauce might precede tender pork fillet topped with tiny pieces of crackling, purple spouting broccoli and spicy steamed pork dumpling. Finish with burnt apple sorbet and artichoke vodka.”
Inside Chinatown’s enormous new three-storey restaurant, with futuristic karaoke booths
Daisy Jackson
A gigantic three-storey restaurant and karaoke bar has just opened its doors in Chinatown in Manchester.
Sovereign Clouds is the newest addition to one of the city’s most beloved and ever-evolving neighbourhoods, taking over a sizeable building on Faulkner Street that’s been vacant for 10 years.
Inside the 1,000 sq metre space, you’ll find a glittering restaurant adorned with marble and gold, where you can tuck into a massive menu of dim sum and traditional dishes.
One floor up and you’ll find yourself surrounded by live lobster tanks and the massive kitchen, alongside several flexible private dining spaces.
And up on the top floor are the most futuristic karaoke rooms in town, where you can customise lights, LED ceilings, and even sing through an autotune microphone.
Three roast meats from Sovereign CloudsDelicious dim sumAuthentic Chinese cooking from Sovereign CloudsBlack Gold Lava Buns with salted custard fillingThe massive Sovereign Clouds restaurant
On the menu you’ll find tonnes of steamed dim sum, stir fries, traditional claypot stews, roast meats, and loads more.
There’s seafood like stir-fried lobster with salted egg yolk, and traditional Cantonese steamed grouper; a whole section for abalone (advance orders only) including braised goose feet and fish maw; and a good selection of spicy Sichuan dishes.
The chefs here also have an impressive array of Chinese roast meats, like Peking crispy duck, pork belly, and char siu, as well as three roast meats with rice.
Futuristic karaoke roomsThe main restaurant at Sovereign CloudsFuturistic karaoke rooms
And that’s alongside ingredients you don’t find on a lot of menus in Manchester, like jellyfish, tripe, and century eggs.
It’s all led by Terry Ni, who has been behind the popular Dynasty Chinese and Thai takeaway in Timperley for more than a decade, and has spent years transforming this empty old building into one of Chinatown’s most glittering restaurants.
Come for dinner, stay for a turn on the karaoke upstairs, and tell everyone – Sovereign Clouds is a fantastic addition to Manchester.
‘Surreal’ moment Stevie Wonder dines at Stalybridge restaurant after enormous Manchester gig
Daisy Jackson
Stevie Wonder has stunned a local restaurant in Stalybridge after he popped in for dinner after his massive Manchester show.
The soul icon had performed a huge gig at Co-op Live on Sunday night, performing hits from his illustrious, decades-long career.
And while you might expect someone of Stevie’s fame and stature to dine at one of the city centre’s many Michelin-recommended restaurants, the star instead headed straight for the suburbs.
He was spotted dining at Cafe Continental, an independent restaurant that’s become one of the Greater Manchester’s most-hyped neighbourhood haunts since it launched two years ago.
The stylish spot is famed for its European-style restaurant and cafe culture, aiming to recreate the atmosphere of the sort of place you’d stumble upon down a back street in Rome or Paris.
On the menu they’ve got a rotation of small plates, open-fire dishes, pastas and burgers, along with their divine Parisian hot chocolate, served with a bowl of whipped cream on the side.
Cafe Continental has had a good track record for pulling in local famous faces, but arguably nothing comes close to Stevie Wonder himself.
Inside Cafe Continental in Stalybridge. Credit: The Manc GroupSoup and focaccia at Cafe Continental. Credit: The Manc Group
The night before Stevie’s visit, they’d served his band and daughter – and clearly word got back to Stevie fast, because he returned the next night to test it out for himself.
Cafe Continental posted: “Surreal things happen now and again. This is one of them! Pleasure to welcome Mr Stevie Wonder to the restaurant to close off his tour!”
And according to the MEN, Stevie left a whopping £1,000 tip for the staff.
Not only did Stevie Wonder support a local hospitality business, but he also arrived dressed in Drama Call, a Manchester-based sportswear brand.
Daisy Jackson -
29th September 2023 
