Whilst we know Manchester’s Chinatown isn’t short of great restaurants, there’s a (relative) newcomer in the city centre that hasn’t quite been shouted about as much as it deserves.
We’re talking about Yum Cha, the Liverpool-born eatery quickly building a reputation for its quality bite-sized dim sum, affordable large plates and beautiful roast meats.
First opened by brothers Adam and Neil Wan in July 2020, (in the midst of what was an all-around terrible year for hospitality, might we add) Yum Cha has become quite the happy success story.
First taking over the former Meat Factory unit on Liverpool’s Lark Lane, it’s since expanded into Manchester with a second site at Kampus – and has been busy tempting diners across from nearby Chinatown favourites ever since.
Part of a new generation of Chinese dining spots, eschewing family-style banquets in favour of comfy booths, trendy neons and graffiti, the restaurant itself is deceptively large.
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Much more important, though, is the food, which happens to be both cheap and delicious. A hard thing to find of late.
As the name suggests, dim sum is a big seller here. Unlike many of its competitors, Yum Cha sells its bite-size dim sum (which loosely translates to “touching the heart”) all day and all night – and has built up quite a following as a result.
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Made by a specialist chef who trained in Hong Kong (under two top-class dim sum chefs who later went on to be awarded Michelin stars in Singapore, no less), all dim sum here is the creation of the wonderful Jack, who has himself spent the best part of thirty years perfecting his recipes.
Here you’ll find traditional soft dumpling favourites like Har Gau, Sui Mai and Xiao Long Bao, alongside its famous Cheung Fun rice rolls and some Insta-worthy ‘Traffic Light Dumplings’ (a mixture of har gau, jiaozi and so choi), from £5.
Split into two sections, the menu focuses on texture with soft bao, gelatinous dumplings and steamed parcels separated from crispy morsels like Sesame Xia Qiu (sesame-rolled prawn balls), crispy belly pork and spiced pork spring rolls.
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Served in stacks of bamboo baskets or glazed ceramic plates, the hand-folded parcels at Yum Cha are a revelation – especially with many places increasingly choosing to switch to factory-made dim sum in order to save money.
Elsewhere, large plates (and trust us, they really are large) can be bought for around a tenner. Fiery dishes like Singapore vermicelli and king prawn or char siu firecracker sit alongside the likes of sweet and sour chicken,, dan dan noodles and grilled chicken satay.
The prices are good, and the meat content is generous too – with plump, meaty prawns, large chunks of chicken and stacked slices of char siu proving that you really do get your money’s worth.
The bustling kitchen is packed out with specialist equipment ordered especially from China so that the team can roast their own meats and steam dim sum to their heart’s content on site.
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Duck, char sui, belly pork and chicken are freshly roasted each day in a custom-made oven, and can be ordered with a choice of either rice or noodles and pak choi , with a choice of classic soy, BBQ or curry sauce on the side.
Roasted meats can also be enjoyed loaded on top of noodle soup, thinly sliced and served over a meat or vegetable broth with noodles, wontons and pak choi – another dish that has earnt a special place in our heart on our visit.
Comforting and delicious, we’ll be back here again soon – no doubt about it.
Feature image – The Manc Eats
News
Full list of road closures set to be in place for Manchester Day 2024
Emily Sergeant
Manchester Day is back for 2024 this weekend, and the full list of road closures set to be in place has been confirmed.
Now that schools are officially out across Greater Manchester, and the summer holidays are well and truly here, the hugely-popular Manchester Day is making a return once again this Saturday 27 July, and as always, it’s set to be “the day summer officially starts” in the city centre – with a massive celebration of “all things Mancunian” on the cards.
The theme of this year’s annual event is ‘Let The Games Begin’, and it’s inspired by the international summer of sport, just 2024 Olympics kicks off over in Paris.
The day will be packed full of free events and activities to get involved with.
Some city centre roads will be closed on Friday 26 and Saturday 27 July for Manchester Day.
These will include:
🛣️Deansgate 🛣️St Ann Street 🛣️St Mary’s Gate 🛣️Market Street 🛣️King Street
— Manchester City Council (@ManCityCouncil) July 21, 2024
But of course, in order for the all the fun to go ahead as safely as possible, and as tends to be the case for events like these, Manchester City Council says it will need to make some temporary road closures to facilitate it.
The full list of road closures has now been confirmed by the Council, and there’s some major city centre thoroughfares set to be out of action.
Here’s everything you need to know.
Manchester Day 2024 – Road Closures
Saturday 27 July
From 6am to 11:59pm, Manchester City Council has confirmed that the following roads will be closed:
Deansgate (Manchester Cathedral to John Dalton Street) – access will be maintained to Marks and Spencer’s car park and Number One Deansgate.
St Ann Street (Deansgate to Cross Street)
St Mary’s Gate (Exchange Street to Deansgate)
St Mary’s Street (Southbridge Street to Deansgate)
Market Street (Exchange Street to Cross Street)
Fennel Street (Corporation Street to Cathedral Street) – access will be maintained for morning deliveries only.
Cathedral Street (Fennel Street to Exchange Square) – access will be maintained for morning deliveries only.
Cateaton Street (Exchange Square to Deansgate)
Barton Square (St Ann’s Square to St Ann Street)
King Street (Cross Street to Deansgate) – no access for deliveries.
All accessible bays, bus lanes, and taxi ranks within the closed areas will also be suspended during from 6pm on Friday 26 July to 11:59pm on Saturday 27 July.
The parking suspensions set to be in place are:
Deansgate (Manchester Cathedral to John Dalton Street)
St Ann Street – including the bays outside St Ann’s Church (Deansgate to Cross Street)
St Mary’s Gate (Exchange Street to Deansgate)
St Mary’s Street (Southbridge Street to Deansgate)
Southgate (St Mary’s Street to King Street West)
Market Street (Exchange Street to Cross Street)
Fennel Street (Corporation Street to Cathedral Street) – access will be maintained for morning deliveries only.
Cathedral Street (Fennel Street to Exchange Square) – access will be maintained for morning deliveries only.
Cateaton Street (Exchange Square to Deansgate)
Victoria Street (Cathedral Approach to Deansgate)
Todd Street (Corporation Street to Station Approach)
King Street (Spring Gardens to Southgate)
South King Street (Ridgefield to Deansgate)
Barton Square (St Ann’s Square to St Ann Street)
King Street West (Deansgate to St Mary’s Parsonage)
St James’s Square (John Dalton Street to South King Street)
Cross Street (King Street to Corporation Street)
Museum Street (Peter Street to Windmill Street)
Marsden Street (Cheapside to Brown Street)
Manchester Day 2024: Let The Games Begin! will take over the city centre on Saturday 27 July from 12pm-6pm.
Check out everything you need to know ahead of the event here.
‘Complex’ Metrolink repairs to the Rochdale via Oldham line could take weeks to complete
Emily Sergeant
Work currently underway on the Rochdale via Oldham line is expected to take several weeks to complete.
Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM) has confirmed that land movement affecting the Metrolink network near Derker has now “slowed”, and this means that detailed ground investigations and temporary repair works have been able to get underway.
In order for trams to run again on the crucial line from the city centre to the two major Greater Manchester towns, TfGM says that a small section of track has to be moved back – also known as ‘slewed’ – into its original position.
The overhead line poles also need to be repaired too, the transport operator revealed.
Rochdale line update
Land movement affecting the Metrolink network near Derker has slowed, enabling detailed ground investigations and temporary repair works to get underway.
To get trams running again, a small section of track has to be moved back into its original position… pic.twitter.com/byERjitdi1
Unfortunately though, due to the “complex” nature of these works, and despite the fact that TfGM says it’s actively looking to “accelerate” the repairs, the project is expected to take up to five weeks to complete in full.
On top of this, the detailed ground investigations will also establish whether any further work to strengthen foundations beneath the track will be needed at a later date.
TfGM has apologised for the inconvenience caused to passengers.
‘Complex’ Metrolink repairs to the Rochdale via Oldham line could take weeks to complete / Credit: TfGM
Speaking on the scale of works currently underway, and how long he expects them to continue for, Pete Sommers, who is TfGM’s Network Director for Metrolink, said: “I’m sorry for the impact this is having, and will continue to have, on people’s journeys.
“We are working to get trams running through the area again, but this remains a complex and challenging issue and it could still be a few weeks before this happens.
“We will of course keep passengers updated, and I’d encourage people to check our social media channels and website for the latest information and advice.”