American pop star Lizzo caused huge excitement over the weekend amongst Manchester foodies after posting a video of herself enthusing over goodies from Manchester bakery Gooey.
Whilst most locals can already attest to the joys of this lockdown sugar dealer turned full-blown bakery cafe, this weekend the word went global as the pop singer shared a video of herself raving about their treats with her 30+ million followers.
The artist, who was in Manchester on Saturday night to perform a show as part of her UK tour, posted a video to her Instagram channel announcing: “I’ve got the bag”.
Revealing the signature Gooey takeaway box, the About Damn Time and Good as Hell star held up her order to the camera: a box of Gooey’s crispy hash browns and a chunky tofu sandwich from the Northern Quarter cafe.
Captioning the video ‘Manchester got the good good,’ in the video Lizzo said: “This is why I love the UK because they’re hash browns are…ooof.”
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She then went on to say that UK hash browns were always “top tier, always crispy, never gloopy, always salty” before combining them into her sando to make it extra chunky.
Fans were quick to comment on the post, as well as Gooey who comented: “OMFG LIZZO THANK YOU ❤️”.
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One person said: “IM SORRY LIZZO ?!?! This is where I work. Why was I not rostered on today.”
Another joked: “Lizzo go Piccadilly gardens for a stroll x”
A third said: “Imagine just strolling round Manchester and Lizzo rocks up.”
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Gooey has gone from success to success in the past few years, and this endorsement from Lizzo is just the latest in a string of high points for the bakery team.
Tentatively launching the same month the country plunged into lockdown, no one knew just how much its salty-sweet treats would shape the course of our isolation.
Beginning life as a small pop-up in borrowed space, its bakers soon became Manchester’s go-to sugar dealers as the business pivoted into home delivery.
Two and a half years later, it’s already becoming a go-to in the city centre: drawing in big names like Guardian food critic Jay Rayner, and now Lizzo.
The hash browns at Gooey. / Image: The Manc Eats
Inside the Northern Quarter cafe. / Image: The Manc Eats
A Kewpie egg mayo sandwich on toasted Japanese Shokupan bread, a plump whole egg running through its middle, is a modest showstopper, as is a vegan-friendly wild mushroom toast on toasted chia brioche, smeared with a generous helping of roasted black garlic cashew cream.
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Other menu highlights include the char sui bbq glazed baby back rib sesame sub, panko-fried chicken katsu brioche, and the hefty bricks of ‘side portion’ halloumi, which come slathered in a (pleasantly spicy) chilli jam.
A full coffee menu is also available, alongside a list of fresh, cold-pressed juices in orange (carrot, ginger and orange), or green (cucumber, kale, pear and grape),
If that’s not doing it for you, you’ll also find ‘fancy schmancy’ iced strawberry, vanilla and matcha lattes, a caramelised white chocolate mocha, and cold-brewed green and white tea with added coconut, pineapple and hibiscus on the drinks menu.
As for those who like life’s simpler pleasures, rest assured you can also get a proper builder’s brew here.
Prices start from £3.20 for a Yorkshire breakfast tea and £4 for slabs of toasted brioche loaf served with a pot of seasonal jam.
Feature image – Lizzo TikTok
Manchester
One giant house party – Ne-Yo and Akon at Co-op Live, Manchester
Hollie Wells
‘So Sick’ of seeing pilates and matcha; when all you need is a messy naughties night out? Iconic duo Ne-Yo and Akon can, apparently, take you there.
Imagine the best house party of the 2010s with 20,000 of your favourite guests on perfect form, and you know what Co-op Live has been like for the last two nights for R&B royalty Ne-Yo and Akon.
Hosting a collaborative catalogue of bangers from both the stars, the atmosphere was buzzing with nostalgia and a readiness to have the ‘Time of Our Lives.’
Not only were we treated to two icons, they shared the stage with amazingly talented dancers, performing on the ground and in the sky, and perfectly embodying the showmanship of Ne-Yo and AKON and amplifying the party atmosphere.
It feels like there are endless group numbers, and if that wasn’t enough, these dancers start hanging on aerial silks from the rafters of Co-op Live by one foot and dropping into the splits on Ne-Yo’s lap. Casual.
This is a night for screaming timeless heartbreak anthems like ‘Angel’ and ‘Lonely’, throwing some ‘Dangerous’ dance moves, and throwing your arms around your best pal while copious amounts of confetti fall over you.
Not only did we get the classics, the packed audience of party people were presented with a dance-battle style compilation of tunes that the singer-songwriters were involved with.
And of course, they had a plethora of perfect numbers, including Rhianna’s ‘Hate that I Love You’, Gwen Stefani’s ‘The Sweet Escape’ and Beyoncé’s ‘Irreplaceable.’ A triad of divas, and these songs never get old.
With a running time of two hours and forty minutes, it is clear that these two are not short on hits.
Needing an interval at a gig is a flex and I would confidently say this Manchester crowd would have parted all night long, particularly the three lucky ladies who were called on stage to two-step with Ne-Yo. The office wont believe that on Monday.
If you’re craving a time-hop to 2010 and a setlist with zero flops, you’re in safe hands with Ne-Yo and Akon.
‘A lovely surprise’ says Manchester restaurant after being added to Michelin Guide
Daisy Jackson
A local restaurant in Manchester has said it’s a ‘proud moment’ as it gets added to the prestigious Michelin Guide.
10 Tib Lane, a gorgeous three-storey restaurant and bar tucked on a quiet city centre street, said it was ‘a lovely surprise’ to find themselves added to the guide.
The restaurant opened back in 2021, taking over the former Bock Biere Cafe on Tib Lane.
The beauty in its interiors lies in the building’s bones, with a stripped-back space showing off textured walls and wooden floors and big sash windows.
As you climb the stairs from the bar, you’ll find a restaurant serving up clever small plates with British produce but with a definite French influence.
10 Tib Lane comes from the same team behind beloved Chorlton neighbourhood bar Henry C, as well as the newly-opened Posie cocktail bar in the city centre.
The Michelin Guide said the restaurant is serving ‘well-crafted dishes’, highlighting its cheese beignets.
10 Tib Lane in ManchesterThe restaurant has been added to the Michelin Guide
The guide said: “Stretching over three floors of a tall, narrow townhouse, you enter this welcoming restaurant via its cosy bar – ideal for a cocktail or a glass from their selection of European natural and low-intervention wines – before heading up to dining rooms decked out in rustic, semi-industrial chic.
“Order some oysters or cheese beignets while you choose from a menu that shows off influences from both Spain (Cantabrian anchovies on toast) and France (chocolate ganache).
“Throughout the cooking, the well-crafted dishes allow top-quality ingredients to shine.”
Speaking of their Michelin Guide addition, 10 Tib Lane wrote: “What a lovely surprise to receive this week. Marking a proud moment for us and the team.”
Georgina Pellant -
13th March 2023 
