The glorious Chinatown bakery that’s been feeding Manchester for 20 years
Whether you're after egg tars, pandan cakes or coconut flower buns, this fresh Chinese bakery is a must visit whenever you find yourself in Manchester city centre.
Over in Manchester’s Chinatown, there’s a little family-run spot that is the place to go when you’re craving delicate Chinese buns, pastries and cakes.
From egg custard tarts made with the lightest, crumbly Chinese puff pastry, to fluffy buns flavoured with ham and cheese, sesame, red bean, pandan and more, if you’ve not been to a Chinese bakery before then trust us, it’s well worth a trip for the colourful cream cakes alone.
First established in 2003, Wong Wong Bakery is a firm local favourite with a wide variety of sweet and savoury choices on offer. Ever since Ho’s Bakery closed in 2021, it’s also the last shop of its kind left in the neighbourhood.
Image: The Manc Eats
Image: The Manc Eats
Sitting on Princess Street next door to Yang Sing (which happens to be one of Chinatown’s oldest restaurants) it is easy enough to find, with a jolly-looking baker good-naturedly juggling plates of goodies in each hand on its colourful sign.
Inside it is clean and modern, with red lanterns hung up high in anticipation of the upcoming Lunar New Year celebrations.
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On display are bevvy of colourful and enticing treats, ranging from the familiar to the unfamiliar. Think bright green pandan cakes and coconut flower buns to savoury bread: some covered in ham and cheese, others filled with pork floss, sweetcorn and tuna then rolled in seaweed.
Wong Wong Bakery’s pork floss, sweetcorn and tuna seaweed roll. / Image: The Manc Eats
There are some unusual (to a Western palate, at least) flavours on offer here, as well as some cute looking buns – including an adorable one shaped like a tortoise, complete with two eyes and a cartoonish smile on its tiny head.
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They also serve traditional pineapple buns, so named for their characteristic cracked golden yellow topping (so don’t expect to find any pineapple in there), as well as tempting celebration cakes that look so good they have us wondering who in office has a birthday coming up next.
When we visit, there’s quite a queue. People line up to get their fill of tarts, pastries and buns on a Monday lunchtime – their gold wire baskets brimming with bags of buns snatched from the grab-and-go display cabinets next to the front door.
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Everything here is made, fresh with the bakehouse clearly visible from the shop. As you line up and wait, you can see the bakers through the glass working away in a pristine-looking kitchen that sits in the corner.
Opposite are the cashiers, their tills flanked by two glass cabinets brimming over with innumerable cakes and pastries.
Speaking of the cashiers, for our final word let us warn you: if you want your treats, make sure to bring cash. It is strictly cash only, and there’s no wiggle room on that.
We, ourselves, forgot and had to run back to the office to beg borrow and steal some money. Don’t be like us. These bakes are too good to miss out on.
Feature image – The Manc Eats
News
Government officially approves Eton’s plan to ‘remove barriers’ and open new FREE college in Oldham
Emily Sergeant
Eton’s plans to open a new free college in Oldham will officially go ahead following Government approval this week.
In case you need bringing up to speed a bit, plans for three new post-16 colleges – with the other two being in Dudley and Middlesborough – that are designed to help give young people who’ve done well in their GCSEs the opportunity to achieve the A-Levels they need to go to Oxbridge and other elite universities across the world were first announced back in March 2022, and then given the green light in August 2023.
Eton has partnered with Star Academies – which is said to be the highest-performing state school trust in the country – for the new colleges.
The colleges will aim to recruit ‘dynamic young people from deprived communities’, including in Oldham, and provide them with a ‘rigorous and rounded education’ that supports their ambitions to achieve places at ‘the very best universities’.
Oldham Council has welcomed the news that the new college – set to be named Eton Star Oldham – will go ahead, after the Government confirmed the conclusion of its national review into the proposals.
The decision means that Oldham will become one of the first places in the country to offer this new education model that combines high standards with strong partnerships and expanded opportunities for local young people.
The Government has officially approved Eton’s plan to open a new free college in Oldham / Credit: Wikimedia Commons
Approval means pupils from every background will soon have access to the ‘very best’ opportunities.
Cllr Arooj Shah, who is the Leader of Oldham Coucil, said this is ‘great news’ for Oldham, adding: “Eton Star Oldham will give our young people access to life-changing opportunities, no matter their background or where they start in life.
“We have been clear throughout that this must be a college shaped with our young people, our parents and our communities.
“Now that the Government has confirmed it will go ahead, we will work closely with Eton College and Star Academies to make sure this delivers for Oldham’s children and opens doors for generations to come.”
Work will now begin on the detailed next steps – including design, delivery, and engagement with families and communities.
It’s also been confirmed that the college will be built on the current Tommyfield Market car park site in Oldham town centre.
Featured Image – Oldham Council
News
Former Salford Red Devils player planning phoenix club after the team’s collapse
Danny Jones
A former Salford Red Devils player is planning to start a phoenix club from the ashes of the fallen rugby league team.
Retired winger Mason Caton-Brown, who played for the Red Devils between 2014 and 2016, is leading the consortium currently being linked with resurrecting the Salford side.
The Greater Manchester sporting institution sadly folded following liquidation on 3 December after a prolonged period of uncertainty and crippling debts.
Despite investors promising funds and multiple adjournments to their winding-up ceremony, time simply ran out and now Caton-Brown and co. are, hopefully, looking to pick up the pieces.
Heading up the move to bring back the beloved outfit, the former chairman of the ‘Forever Reds Supporters Trust’ (FRST), Malcolm Crompton, local entrepreneurs Paul Hancock and Ashley Washington are also assisting with the proposal.
Simply known as ‘The Phoenix Bid’, they are said to have potentially secured a six-figure sum and have already reached some provisional pre-contract agreements with a new coach and several players ahead of the formal offer being taken into consideration.
Publishing a lengthy mission statement on social media earlier this week, the ex-pro wrote: “I moved to Salford from London over 10 years ago, and the club and city welcomed me with open arms.
“It made me who I am today. The Salford City community is like no other, and the club is a big part of that, so when I saw it was at risk of going under, I truly felt the need to be a part of a solution and give back to the club, city and the community.
“But I’m not on my own, I’m part of a team of people that are passionate about what this club means and truly focused on making sure a true Salford RLFC stays alive and is something the fans and the city can call their own.”
Chatting with BBC Sport Manchester in a recent interview, the 32-year-old Enfield-born athlete turned businessman – who also represented the London Broncos and Wakefield Trinity – claims that conversations with investors and stakeholders are progressing nicely.
🗣️ "We are looking to bring this club back to life"
Former Salford winger Mason Caton-Brown has outlined his plans for a new phoenix club.
Salford fans, make sure to listen back to last night's Total Sport.
Signing off the post with a strong assurance, he said: “If our bid is successful, I promise we will do everything we can to protect the club and build a future Salford can be proud of.”
As for the fans, a spokesperson for the aforementioned supporters’ trust dubbed the prospective personnel spearheading the revival as a “powerful and credible team”, with Caton-Brown promising to reveal all the exciting details if the bid gets green-lit.
Speaking in an official press release shared with The Manc, the one-time Jamaican international and adopted Salfordian added: “This isn’t just about rebuilding a club, it’s about rebuilding belief.
“Salford means everything to me as a club and is part of my story. We want to create something the city can be proud of again; a club that stands for honesty, sustainability, and genuine community connection.”
“We’re inviting the people of Salford to stand with us. Together we can rise again, not just to bring rugby league back to this city, but to make sure it thrives for generations to come.”
Do you think The Phoenix Bid will be successful and, more importantly, do you think this group are the right people to bring the club back and get them moving onwards and upwards again?
Georgina Pellant -
17th January 2023 
