Indian street food favourite Bundobust has announced it will be launching a Middle Eastern-Indian fusion menu at its Manchester restaurants over the coming weeks to welcome Liverpool’s Maray to the city.
Teaming up with Maray, the popular Liverpool Bold Street restaurant tipped to open on Lincoln Square later this year, the chefs have put their heads together to introduce something a little bit different this fortnight.
Available for the next wo weeks only, a series of new collab dishes combine some famous Bundo customer favourites, like the bhel puri, okra fries and vada pav, with Maray’s most iconic dishes – not least, the infamous disco cauliflower.
The ‘valafel pav’ is only available for a fortnight before it’s gone. / Image: The Manc Eats
It combines the deep-fried potato ball we know and love with Maray’s falafel. / Image: The Manc Eats
Bundo’s okra fries become ‘jazzy fries’ – topped with tahini, tamarind, spring onion and chilli, and served with a Maray sauce trio of harrisa, zhug and tahini.
Elsewhere, the Bundobust vada pave becomes the valafel pav – taking the ever-popular deep-fried potato burger and adding Maray’s signature falafel into the mix.
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As for Maray’s disco cauliflower, this inimitable dish weaves its way into Bundo’s bhel puri. Sharing the disco love, this classic Mumbai broken samosa dish is dressed with added caramelised cauli, flaked almonds and pomegranate seeds.
A selection of special Maray variations on Bundobust favourites, available for two weeks only. / Image:The Manc Eats
There is also halloumi tikka served with sour cherry jam, dukkah and sumac, available as part of the collaboration between the two restaurants.
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The special menu is available for two weeks, starting from Monday 9 May at both Bundobust sites on Oxford Road and Manchester Piccadilly,
Kicking off on Monday 9 May, Bundobust Brewery on Oxford Road along with their Manchester Piccadilly and Liverpool Bold Street restaurants bring Middle Eastern-Indian fusion to the specials menu with a series of collab dishes.
Image: The Manc Eats
The special menu will be available as single dishes or as the ‘Bundobust x Maray Combo for 2′.
£2 from every combo and £1 from every Valafel Pav sold will be donated to Eat Well MCR, the social enterprise providing nutritious, restaurant-quality meals to local people in need.
The menu will is available from now until Sunday 22 May at both of Bundobust’s Manchester restaurants.
Feature image – The Manc Eats
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Council sets out plans to rework busy Manchester junction after ‘serious safety concerns’
Emily Sergeant
Bold new plans to transform one of Manchester’s busiest junctions following ‘serious’ safety concerns have been unveiled.
All the way back in 2022, Manchester City Council identified the junction of Wilmslow Road with Ladybarn Road and Sherwood Street as an area that would ‘greatly benefit’ from upgraded infrastructure.
As a major route into Manchester, and an important route cutting through the city’s southern neighbourhoods, this junction sees a vast amount of road, cyclist, and foot traffic every day… and because of this, there are also said to be ‘serious concerns’ around safety when it comes to this particular stretch of road.
In a five year period between 2018 and 2023 alone, there were 15 collisions at this junction, the Council explained – with two of these classified as ‘serious’.
Under the plans – which have been announced by the Council this week – the junction is to be partially redesigned, creating several new and safer crossing points for cyclists and pedestrians, a more ‘seamless’ route along the current cycling lanes, and overall, just general improvements to the layout.
🚧 Wilmslow Rd Junction Improvements 🚲 Works start 18 May 2026 at Wilmslow Rd / Ladybarn Rd / Sherwood St to make the junction safer for pedestrians & cyclists. ✅ New cycle lanes ✅ Safer crossings ✅ Better links to the Fallowfield Loop 🔗 https://t.co/Y26mH7cc8Epic.twitter.com/IiOih5ehqp
— Manchester City Council (@ManCityCouncil) May 11, 2026
Some of the safety features set to be included are three dedicated crossing points for pedestrians at the junction, rumble strips for cyclists at pedestrian crossing points, and improved signage and road markings.
Work is due to begin as early as next Monday (18 May), and will run until January 2027.
The work is set to be carried out in four phases, the Council has confirmed – with the first phase of these works comprising of the removal of street furniture, kerbs and tarmac, as well as upgrades to the drainage and road markings.
“This junction in particular sees a high volume of traffic – from cars, cyclists and pedestrians, commented Councillor Tracey Rawlins, who is the Executive Member for Clean Air, Environment and Transport at Manchester City Council.
“So it was clear that improvements were required following our engagement with local residents.
“As has been the case with other schemes like this in Manchester, safety remains our number one priority.
“We have long said that we want Manchester to be a city where people can walk and cycle around in safety, and by upgrading this junction and improving its crossing points, we are taking another step towards that goal.”
Featured Image – Google Maps
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Printworks launches UK-wide student art competition for Europe’s largest digital ceiling
Emily Sergeant
Printworks has launched a student art competition offering the winner a chance to have their work displayed on Europe’s largest digital ceiling.
Do you know an aspiring artist? Students aged 16 and over are invited to bring the ocean to life in a brand-new creative arts competition launched by one of the UK’s leading entertainment destinations, Manchester’s Printworks.
The venue has now opened entries for UK students from sixth forms, colleges, universities, and art colleges across the country to take part in an exciting new art competition.
This year, students are asked to create an original artwork inspired by the theme ‘Ocean / Under the Sea’, and then the winning design will be transformed into a spectacular digital display across the impressive ceiling installation.
From colourful coral gardens and tropical fish, to mysterious deep-sea worlds and majestic marine life, students are encouraged to unleash their creativity and dive beneath the waves for inspiration.
“We’re incredibly excited to launch this year’s student art competition and can’t wait to see the imagination and creativity that the UK’s young artists bring to this year’s theme,” commented Dan Davis, who is the General Manager at Printworks Manchester.
Printworks has launched a UK-wide student art competition for Europe’s largest digital ceiling / Credit: Supplied
“Our digital ceiling gives students the opportunity to see their work displayed on a truly massive scale in front of thousands of visitors, and we hope the addition of new prizes will encourage creativity to continue beyond the competition.”
The winning artist will also receive an iPad 11th Generation with an Apple Pencil (USB-C) this year too, as well as the main prize of having their artwork featured, giving budding creatives powerful new tools to continue developing their artistic talents and future projects.
Entrants who come in second and third place will also receive vouchers to be used at different venues inside Printworks.
The competition is now open, and further details on how to enter, submission guidelines, and full terms and conditions can be found on the Printworks website here.