A chef in Bolton has mocked Salt Bae’s restaurant Nusr-Et and its £850 gold-wrapped steak by producing his own versions – including a bacon and gold leaf-covered sausage butty.
Chef Gareth Mason decided to spoof the eye-wateringly expensive London steakhouse by creating his own gold-covered dishes.
Of the opinion seemingly held by many Brits that “getting a steak and wrapping it in gold doesn’t make it worth £800”, he tells us wrapping stuff in gold might be time-consuming and nerve-wracking but it “still doesn’t justify a thousand pounds for a steak or £45 for a cappuccino.”
Image: Phil Taylor / SWNS
As well as giving the gold treatment to the iconic sausage butty, the Absolute Bar and Bistro head chef has also wrapped his signature miniature meat Whist Pies in gold.
He also created further options like gold-wrapped chips, a 24-carat carrot, and a gold pork pie and pickle platter.
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The bar and bistro is relatively new to the area, having opened on Westhoughton’s Market Street in the summer of 2021. First launching with just coffees and teas, followed by drinks and tapas in the evening, the menu offering has certainly picked up since Gareth Mason joined the team.
Image: Phil Taylor / SWNS
Formerly Group Executive Chef at Retreat Restaurants, his dishes made headlines last year too – when he created some ‘ingenious’ substantial meals for the group, including a ‘three-tier’ fish, chips and mushy peas pie.
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“It was national pie month in Wigan at the time,” he tells us, “so we made this pie, encased it in pastry, and topped it with chips.”
His creations were covered numerous times in 2020, including when he cooked a menu with Irn Bru in response to a story that said the iconic Scottish drink cured Covid.
As a reaction to that, Gareth created the likes of blue and orange Irn Bru macaroons, Irn Bru cranachan jelly, haggis Scottish roll with Irn bru and onion chutney, and Scotch pancakes with an Irn Bru syrup.
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Image: Phil Taylor / SWNS
“I can’t say I’ve ever cooked with Irn Bru before to be fair,” he tells us.
Now, it seems he has put the Absolute Bar and Bistro on the map with these new creations that highlight the extortionate expense of dining at one of Salt Bae’s Nusr-Et restaurants.
Speaking to The Manc, he told us his gold-leaf creations were “just a bit of fun” and customers won’t be able to actually get a gold-covered sausage at his Bistro.
Rather, he decided to put a spin on some of the menu’s classic items to make a point.
Image: Phil Taylor / SWNS
“Clearly some people have got more money than sense,” said Gareth.
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“There’s people starving at this moment in time and we’re wrapping stuff in gold and charging ridiculous prices for it.”
Calling the Nusr-Et prices “ridiculous”, he concedes that whilst wrapping food in gold is time-consuming and “quite nervewracking to be fair […] as the gold is very temperamental.”
However, he still doesn’t think that makes it worth the price – not by a long shot.
Asked what he thinks is next, he jokes “Diamonds, platinum, white gold.” We’re laughing, but sadly he’s probably right.
Image: Phil Taylor / SWNSImage: Phil Taylor / SWNS
For those who don’t know, Turkish butcher-turned-chef Salt Bae first rose to fame after going viral online for a technique that involved sprinkling salt down his arm, has faced reams of criticism online following the opening of his new London restaurant.
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One group of diners recently shared a bill for £37,023.10 – including a service charge of nearly £5,000 – after a boozy wine-fuelled night at the restaurant.
If you don’t fancy splashing that sort of cash, though, you’d better head over to Westhoughton in Bolton.
Whilst you won’t exactly get a taste of the gold-wrapped Nusr-Et experience, you’re definitely guaranteed to receive some wholesome Lancashire options with a healthy dose of humour on the side.
Feature image – Phil Taylor / SWNS
Food & Drink
Salford industrial estate bakery with incredible cinnamon rolls to open new site
Daisy Jackson
Mayya Bakery, a local ‘hidden gem’ with incredible cinnamon rolls, is set to open a brand-new bakery that will make it significantly less hidden.
Until now, Mayya has been quietly trading from an industrial estate in Salford, where it’s built a great reputation for its bakes despite an off-the-beaten-track-location and relatively little social media fanfare.
It opened its doors in 2024, operated by former primary school teacher Meli and her husband, dentist Oguz.
This is an artisan bakery with a real Turkish flare, with plenty of comfort food like freshly made gözleme (or gozzies for short) and bigger dishes if you fancy sitting in.
Their counters are stuffed with sweet bakes, like their perfect cinnamon rolls, plus loaves, babka, cookies, and homemade cheesecake.
For bigger dishes, you’ll find breakfast dishes like Turkish eggs, Simit (a traditional sesame bagel) breakfasts, and menemen.
The counters at Mayya Bakery’s current locationIncredible cheesecake at Mayya BakerySigns on Chapel Street Salford for the new Mayya Bakery
And now Mayya Bakery has revealed plans to open a new location in a much more prominent spot in town, with signs appearing in the windows of a unit on Chapel Street.
The sign reads: “Everything is homemade – including this picture.”
It also quips: “They called us hidden gem… not hidden anymore.”
Mayya will open on Chapel Street soon – keep an eye on our food and drink Instagram page The Manc Eats for the latest.
Sacha Lord set to back local hospitality again with money behind the bar of one Greater Manchester pub
Danny Jones
Local figure Sacha Lord is once again looking to help support Greater Manchester’s food and drink scene once again this spring by putting a total of £2.5k behind the bar of one lucky pub.
Well, let’s be honest, we’re about to be the real lucky ones.
It’s far from the first time that the Night Time Economy Advisor has done this, having previously put sizeable sums towards shared tabs on a few ocassions over the last few years.
Lining up his next handout for this coming early May bank holiday (perfect timing), it’s going to be a super and potentially very sloppy Sunday…
Tell me your favourite pub in Greater Manchester.
Bank Holiday Sunday 3rd May, I’ll be turning up and putting £2500 behind the bar.
Sharing the video above online earlier this week, the 54-year-old simply wrote, “Tell me your favourite pub in Greater Manchester. Bank Holiday Sunday, 3rd May, I’ll be turning up and putting £2500 behind the bar.”
The message is as straightforward as ever: “Support your local pub.”
Now obviously, the fact that people can reply with their go-to boozers and help influence the decision is one thing – something that has certainly always created an attraction each time he’s done this – but it’s also just a good way of marketing these watering holes to begin with.
Whether or not someone’s favourite public house tucked away in one of the 10 boroughs, or their bar of choice here in Manchester city centre, ends up being selected or not, it’s obviously great publicity having their names plastered on a notable social media account.
This is especially so when you see how much the post itself ends up being reshared and the overall exposure Lord ultimately lends them via creating such a big crowd discussion.
Here’s hoping we get proper beer garden weather over that long weekend.
It’s also worth noting that the further support stunts like this have helped garner support for other regional businesses – in particular, indies that are battling the cost of living crisis and so many other challenges within the sector – has proved crucial for some places to stay open to begin with.
A good example is the Thirsty Korean, who teamed up with the Altrincham-born entrepreneur to cover hundreds of bills back in 2023, and has now been able to expand into a larger venue down the road from their original Chorlton location.
The obstacles facing the hospitality industry remain varied and numerous, but gestures like this can go a long way to helping prop up those who need it.
Georgina Pellant -
26th October 2021 
