When it comes to your other half popping ‘the question’, many people fantasise about how exactly their own proposal might take place.
A romantic holiday, a meal out at a swanky restaurant, or a big surprise in front of family and friends – these are the kind of movie-worthy scenes we’ve come to expect, thanks, in large part, to Hollywood directors.
But one Manchester man has had a different idea, instead asking his favourite pizzeria to help him ask his girlfriend to marry him by inscribing a romantic message inside a takeaway box.
The request came through, independent Northern Quarter pizzeria Noi Quattro revealed, on an order ticket from the takeaway delivery app UberEats.
Image; Noi Quattro
Image; Noi Quattro
Opting for a single Pomodorino and Bufala pizza with classic dough and a Focaccia All’aglio, in the customer notes section the hopeful boyfriend added: “Can you please write <<Will you marry me>> in the Bufala pizza box? I’m proposing to her today.”
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More than happy to help play their part in the couple’s love story, the restaurant obliged – writing the message on the inside of the box in large block capital letters.
Later sharing a picture of the receipt and pizza box itself to social media, the restaurant asked followers in the caption: “Well, how can you say no ?”
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Image; Noi Quattro
Image; Noi Quattro
Since being shared on Wednesday night, the post has been liked over 400 times with followers quick to praise the restaurant and the man in question for such an ingenious proposal.
One person wrote: “a proposta perfetta non esis..” (meaning ‘the perfect proposal doesn’t exist…’)
A third simply wrote: “Inspo” before tagging what appears to be her boyfriend in the comments.
Of course, the question on everyone’s lips is this: did she say yes? Naturally, we asked, and as of yet the restaurant does not know – simply saying “we’re waiting for a sign”.
Watch this space.
Feature image – Noi Quattro
Food & Drink
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.
Georgina Pellant -
20th October 2022 
