Williams Land Rover will be showcasing one of the original Land Rover Defenders that appear in the new James Bond movie, No Time to Die, which lands in cinemas from September 30.
Williams, the 100-year-old family business which retails Land Rover, Jaguar, BMW and MINI, is the only retail centre in the North where the original vehicle from the blockbuster movie will be on display.
The renowned dealership will take delivery of the exclusive vehicle, which appears in some of the most iconic scenes in the movie, early next month where it will be on display adjacent to the Trafford Centre, from October 8 – October 22.
Daniel Craig on set of No Time To Die
Without an engine and transported in its original condition from the movie set, the vehicle will appear in its authentic battered and bruised state after featuring in one of the most high octane, thrilling car chases ever filmed by the stunt team involved.
Gary Nickson, Head of Business at Williams Land Rover, said: “To have one of the Defenders that appears in the long-awaited James Bond movie here on display will be a meeting of great British brands and a unique celebration of Land Rover’s 38-year association with James Bond not far from Daniel Craig’s birthplace in the North West – a fitting legacy as he appears in his fifth and final film for the franchise.”
ADVERTISEMENT
No Time to Die features three Defenders, two Range Rover Sport SVRs, a Range Rover Classic and Land Rover Series III, as part of the long-standing relationship of Land Rover with James Bond films, which began in 1983 when a Range Rover Convertible appeared in Octopussy.
Most recently, in 2015, the Range Rover Sport starred in a major action sequence in SPECTRE.
To celebrate the latest movie, Land Rover has launched a limited-edition Land Rover Defender V8 Bond Edition with only 300 available worldwide.
Manchester
The very best Chinatown restaurants in Manchester
Danny Jones
Greater Manchester as a whole is lucky enough to be spoiled by umpteenth excellent Chinese restaurants, let alone the best of the best in Chinatown.
We also have it on good authority that the North of England has some of the best Pan-Asian restaurants in all of the UK, and if that is the case, then we’ll absolutely lay claim to Manchester being the frontrunner of the lot.
That being said, there’s such sheer variety when it comes to the hospitality heritage that comes out of China and the surrounding territories alone, and we’ve got one condensed melting pot celebrating it all and much more right here in the city centre.
Without further ado, in our opinion, here is some of the very best food you’ll find in Chinatown…
11 top of the best places to eat in Manchester’s Chinatown
1. Dragon Oriental – Hong Kong
First up, we’re winging our way to Dragon Oriental, which does some of the best Hong Kong-style scran in town. The baked Portuguese rice (a HK classic) is one of the best recipes we’ve found, their shared starter platters are perfect for lunch, and soups for £6.50 is one of the best offers around.
This was the first place we ever tried proper eel and traditionally prepared jellyfish; they also happen to find themselves on our best breakfasts in Manchester listicle, so if you’ve never done brunch the Hong Kong way, then we urge you to give it a try, even if only for that fantastic twist on French roast alone.
Just across the road in Chinatown, Kung Fu Noodle is still a relatively recent addition to the area, but it didn’t take long for it to leave an impression and generate queues lining up around the block – and let us tell you, it’s always well worth the wait.
ADVERTISEMENT
Believe it or not, this place shines for exactly the thing you think it does: the noodles. Be it their signature hand-pulled type with that lovely thick and chewy texture, Shanxi knife-cut noodle soups, or the hot oil-splashed Biang Biang ones, you won’t find many better places mastering this kind of carb.
Let’s start pulling in some Pan-Asia, shall we? You simply cannot write about the best places in Chinatown without hailing one of the GOATs: Pho Cue. Amusingly monikered and impressively authentic, this subterranean Viet cafe is packed every dinner hour and very much lives up to the hype.
Be it their famous bahn mi lineup, come midday, their summer rolls, anything salt and pepper, or the bowls of broth themselves, you really can’t go wrong here. They often add new things to the menu, like iced coffees and their ever-rotating Sunday specials (which always sell out) – you just HAVE to visit here.
In at number four, we couldn’t go any longer before shouting out the legendary Happy Seasons, which is essentially a Manchester institution at this point, loved by ex-pats, Mancs, tourists and beyond. Beloved for banqueting and its stellar set menus, there is SO much variety here.
We’d be hard-pressed to pick a favourite from the hundreds of options available, but if we were pushed, we recommend any of their roast meat selections – just get the full trio and thank us later – and the beef ho/chow fun is always a popular choice. To be honest, we’d eat pretty anything at this place.
5. Try Thai – Thai
Turning to Thailand now, this could be a whole round-up in itself, but we will confidently state that the best Thai restaurant in Manchester city centre’s Chinatown, for our money, is the wonderful Try Thai.
A ‘BYOB’ gaff that keeps its prices affordable and portion sizes plentiful to boot, we had a period of life where we went here every single matchday for about three months at one point. Our go-to order? Pineapple fried rice, the jungle curry if we were ever feeling brave, and trademark mango crispy seabass.
Crossing the halfway mark, we’re shifting our focus to Szechuan scran, specifically, and the superb Noodle Alley that has carved out an impressive reputation within the highly saturated foodie strip that has Faulkner Street.
Much like the aforementioned Kung Fu’s maiden Manc venue, this fellow basement blends the Sichuan cuisine with that hailing from Guangzhou/’Canton’ and the wider Guangdong province. This husband and wife couple behind this venue deserve heaps of praise all of their own right, so we happily obliged.
Swapping mainland China for Japanese food, Wazuzhi – formerly known as Wasabi – is another firm fave among locals and day-trippers alike.
Known not just for great sushi and lunchtime deals, some very solid ramen, and arguably some of the best ice cream in Manchester (shaved ice, technically, but still). It also happens to be ‘r Kris’ happy place during most work breaks, so it has to be on this list.
Once again, part of the beauty behind the best Chinese cooking is how many different regional variations there are as you move up and down the vast and equally gastro-obsessed nation, two key ones being the familiar Cantonese fare and the somewhat lesser-celebrated food from Hunan.
Also referred to as Xiang cuisine, these dishes ramp up the amount of chilli, garlic and shallots as opposed to, say, the famous numbing spice qualities of Szechuan peppercorns. Flying the flag for the province here in Manchester, they served everyone from generations of migrants to Oasis and more.
ADVERTISEMENT
9. Kaya – Malaysian
Moving over to Malaysia now, we’re fortunate enough to have eaten at Kaya multiple times over recent years and every time we think of this country, we first think of its food, and then we think of Kaya.
There may be some places serving classic Malay dishes in and around central Manchester, but we don’t know any that celebrate this particular culinary corner of the world as well as this lot. The nasi lemak and beef rendang are incredible, as is their version of butter chicken. So unbelievably underrated.
Sometimes we crave nothing but the roti section with all that dhal and dip. (Credit: The Manc)
10. Mei Dim – Dim sum
Penultimately, we’re taking you to Mei Dim for some top-notch dim sum and then some, because you’ll struggle to find many places in Greater Manchester that do a dumpling feast quite like you’ll find at this second-to-last spot.
Our advice is to come with an empty belly, because you always end up eating more pieces than you intend to, and obviously, you want room for all the other stuff besides just the little doughy delights and buns – the sweet ones aren’t bad, either.
Jumping over to Japan for one last Chinatown visit, Yuzu stand outs as one of the most unique and refined spots in the entire neighbourhood, not only setting itself apart from the wealth of Chinese food but bringing a little taste of Japanese fine dining to the delicious half a square mile.
ADVERTISEMENT
Named after the supreme overload of all citrus, it’s rather fitting that it celebrates the strongest fruit of the bunch, because all they thrive when it comes to small plates, the flavours here are as BIG as they get.
@the.manc If you love Japanese small plates just as much as we do, then you absolutely need to get yourselves down to @Yuzu Manchester ♬ I got to summer – noxz
And that should just about do it for our round-up of the best restaurants in Chinatown, be that Manchester staples or the newer names pushing its food, drink and dining scene in new directions.
It’s also worth noting that Chinatown MCR isn’t just our dedicated cultural district; it’s the second biggest after London here in the UK and the third-largest in all of Europe, in fact.
That being said, there’s lots to get to grips with besides just the eats, so you’ll be glad to know we’ve put together a helpful overview for you, too.
Find out what else there is to be enjoyed down below.
Featured Images — The Manc Group/Pranavian (via Flickr)
Manchester
Manc actor Max Beesley shares touching moment with his dad after latest Hollywood role
Danny Jones
Greater Manchester-born actor Max Beesley has shared a heartwarming story from when he first got into acting, not to mention how he tried to repay the support since day one by his biggest fan, his dad, more than three decades later.
A familiar face in British film and television over the years, the now fully fledged Manc movie star has booked some of the biggest gigs of his career of late.
Having gone from appearing in UK classics like Looking For Eric and landing parts in the Sky drama Jamestown back in 2019, to appearing in Guy Ritchie’s The Gentlemen TV series and more recently Netflix’s Hijack with Idris Elba, he’s becoming a more recognisable face not just here in the North.
But there was a time when becoming a full-time actor was just a pie in the sky dream of a Burnage boy who fell in love with films – all thanks to his father’s fantastic taste in movies…
As the now 55-year-old actor wrote on social media: “1992. South Manchester. I watched a film, turned to my dad, and told him I was going to New York to become an actor. No agent. No contacts.
Just a flight and a plan. He didn’t laugh. He said, ‘Go for it, son.’ Thirty-four years later, he came to the Jack Ryan set. Best mate I’ve ever had.”
He also went on to credit another key name in the caption, adding, “The coach who helped me then and still today is the queen of acting, the best in the business in my opinion: Sheila Nieves Gray. Life-changing techniques and tools. I love you too, Sheila.”
Gray – who has been running an acting school from NYC since 1990 – was evidently one of the first people Max met when he arrived in the States, and clearly had a huge impact on his professional life.
You just have to love stories like this; we still remember watching shows and thinking he was a standout.
These two BBC and Sky One (remember that?) cult hits are among his best-known TV appearances.
After working with her all that time ago, his career has been on a gradual climb ever since, and while you could argue he’s had multiple ‘breakout’ roles, his progression feels very much like slow and steady wins the race; good things come to those who wait, and all that.
As for his dad, Maxton Beesley Sr., it sounds like he couldn’t have been named after and raised by a more supportive parental figure than any stereotypical, model dad you’ll see in the movies.
Having also starred in the second Gentlemen spin-off flick, Operation Fortune: Ruse de Guerre (starring Jason Statham, Hugh Grant, Aubrey Plaza and more), this latest project is the second feature-length adaptation of an existing streaming service hit, with John Krasinski’s Jack Ryan now on the big screen.
You can see the trailer for Jack Ryan: Ghost War down below.
His last two jobs were both Emmy-nominated – let’s see how this one lines up against them.
The Manc -
30th September 2021 
