Mana, the first restaurant in Manchester to get a Michelin star in 40 years, has had its highly coveted sign stolen from outside its Ancoats home.
The eatery, which is currently the only Greater Manchester restaurant to boast a Michelin star, has had its sign swiped from right under its nose.
When it was first awarded its start in 2019, the fine dining restaurant proudly placed the eye-catching red plaque outside its home on Blossom St – but now it seems that the proof has simply disappeared as its chef-owner Simon Martin revealed that the sought-after sign had been nicked.
Image: Mana
Image: Mana
Having been taken from the wall outside its own front door, Martin revealed that the plaque has been missing for several weeks.
This, in turn, had led to some speculation that the restaurant may have lost its one Michelin star rating.
In response, Martin took to Twitter to clear a few things up and reassure fans that the restaurant is still very much included in the Michelin Guide.
The chef tweeted on Saturday: “Dear the people of Ancoats and Greater Manchester, Thank you for your messages of concern regarding mana being included in the @MichelinGuideUK.
“Unfortunately, our plaque was stolen, we have requested a new one which we will re-fix in a sturdier manner.”
He then added an emoji showing a face rolling its eyes and looking frustrated, before signing off the tweet: “Peace!”
Dear the people of Ancoats and Greater Manchester,
Thank you for your messages of concern regarding mana being included in the @MichelinGuideUK
Unfortunately, our plaque was stolen, we have requested a new one which we will re-fix in a sturdier manner (🙄).
In a further comment later given to the Manchester Evening News, the restaurant has confirmed that the sign had been stolen “a few weeks ago” from outside the front door, adding: “A sparkling new one is on its way to us and we’ll make sure it’s more sturdily fixed on.”
Mana offers one of Manchester’s priciest fine dining menus, with its evening set menu currently priced at £195 per head. It also serves a “reduced menu” with fewer courses for £95 per diner.
Feature image – The Manc Group
Food & Drink
Manchester favourite Nell’s to open new site for New York-style pizza, karaoke and shuffleboard
Daisy Jackson
Much-loved New York-style pizza joint Nell’s has announced big plans for a brand new location – they’re heading to MediaCity.
Nell’s are stepping things up a notch with the move, adding in private karaoke booths, shuffleboard tables, and a huge outdoor terrace in their new site.
Nell’s MediaCity is set to open this autumn, promising 22-inch New York-style pizza (also served in gigantic slices), frozen margs, and ice cream sandwiches.
There are already several spots around Manchester where you can get a slice of Nell’s, including their restaurants at Kampus and in Altrincham, the OG Northern Quarter site in Common, and at The Beagle in Chorlton.
And now it’s Salford’s turn, with plans unveiled for the team to expand over to MediaCity’s quayside Orange Building.
Nell’s co-founder Jonny Heyes said: “We’ve been thinking about MediaCity for a long time, it’s such a great area and we’ve seen what brilliant operators like Kargo have achieved so when this space came up, we jumped on it!
“The venue is huge which has given us the chance to really play with the experience.
“This idea of karaoke and shuffleboard accompanying our made-for-sharing pizzas and great cocktails feels like a natural next step for us as a brand.”
Nell’s have also partnered with Deliveroo and Slerp to send 14-inch and 22-inch pizzas far and wide.
The new opening is expected to create more than 35 new jobs, and as Common & Co has twice been named in the Times 100 Best Places To Work list, you might want to check those out HERE.
These viral sensations are a plush toy created by Hong Kong-born, Netherlands-raised designer Kasing Lung, who drew inspiration from his love of fairytales to create a character with bunny-like ears, large eyes and big smiles.
They’re swinging off handbags all over the UK at the minute and people are queueing for hours for the latest Labubu drops.
At Sweet Dreams, they’re making edible chocolate Labubus using a special mould flown in from Japan.
Each one has a pistachio kunafa filling and is painstakingly painted by hand.
And that brings us neatly to the next viral craze at play here – Dubai pistachio chocolate.
An army of pistachio chocolate LabubuInside a chocolate pistachio Labubu
Kunafa is a staple in Middle Eastern bakes and pastries but hit the global mainstream last year when thick chocolate pistachio bars stuffed with it went viral online, spawning countless dupes and inspired specials.
And finally, chocolate covered strawberries – hardly a new invention, but this simple dessert has rocketed in popularity especially in food hotspots like Borough Market in London.
Head into Sweet Dreams and you can build your treat from the base up – choose white or milk melted chocolate for your strawberries, layer on pistachio kunafa, then top with either a milk or white chocolate Labubu.
A slightly daft novelty? Yes. But that doesn’t stop them being delicious.
This is the only place in the UK currently selling Dubai pistachio chocolate Labubus.
Georgina Pellant -
14th November 2022 
