A new Japanese street food stall has opened in the Arndale Market

A new street food stall has opened inside the Arndale market selling Takoyaki balls, a salty Japanese fried snack stuffed with diced octopus and topped with seaweed and bonito flakes.

Super scannable, they’re fried in a special pan, which gives them a much lighter texture than deep-fried balls, then topped with lashings of Japanese mayonnaise and Okonomi sauce.

The stall itself is called Takoyaki Master and has just taken over the former Wholesome Junkies space.

Run by Violet and Pong Ho, it is pretty much a brand new arrival at the market. The pair have only been in Manchester a few months – having moved over here from Hong Kong, where they tell us they ran a very successful Takoyaki stall for “many years”.

Violet told us they want to continue their business here as it’s something they know how to do well – and that if customers don’t like octopus, they’ll happily switch it out for chicken, cheese or beef.

They’ve only been in residence at the market for a fortnight, and currently have two styles of takoyaki on offer – one topped with scallions, and one without. Pong also tells us they’re planning to start offering sushi in the near future, once they’ve found their feet.

Although they come out looking like dumplings, in reality, these salty little balls are more akin to croquettes, or they are on the inside at least.

With a gooey, creamy texture inside that causes them to collapse in on themselves as soon as you spike them with a fork, on the outside they’re almost gelatinous – cooked in a special pan with individual semi-circles to give them a unique texture that’s unlike anything else we can think of.

They can be ordered on their own, with prices starting from £4.50 for four balls and £8.50 for eight, with french fries and a range of soft drinks also on offer.

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You can find Takoyaki Master inside the Arndale market seven days a week, open from 11am-6pm Monday to Saturday and 11.30am-4.30pm on Sundays.

Feature image – The Manc Eats