The wife of one of Manchester City‘s star players has come under fire after taking a hit at the city’s restaurants and branding them “horrible”.
Sara Arfaoui – who is the wife of Manchester City midfielder and club captain, İlkay Gündoğan – took to social media this week to give her opinion on Manchester‘s thriving, ever-expanding, and much-loved hospitality community in response to a fan who asked her to list some of her favourite places to grab a bite to eat in the city.
The model and TV presenter is known for being a keen foodie herself, so it’s no surprise that fans want to hear what she has to say about the food and drink scene in her new home city.
What does seem to have shocked people, though, is that she’s not really a fan of what’s on offer here.
In response to a question during a Q&A on her Instagram Stories yesterday, Sara explained: “Sorry… I’m sad to be honest but nothing.
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“I tried so bad to find a good restaurant but… horrible food everywhere.
Ilkay Gundogan’s wife has received backlash after calling Manchester’s restaurants ‘horrible’ / Credit: Sara Gundogan (via Instagram)
“Can’t find a real Italian or good sushi or just fresh food… everything frozen. Restaurants here are just focus on making money with drinks and shot like night clubs not quality food.
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“Maybe in London but in Manchester nothing. I’m sorry.”
Given the fact that us Mancs don’t take too kindly to those hitting out our beloved city, Sara’s comments have been met with a wave of backlash from Manchester’s restaurant owners, leading industry figures, and legion of dedicated foodies – who have all hit back online with their own views throughout today, and have urged the public figure to reconsider what she said.
Not only that, but renowned food critic Jay Rayner has even waded into the argument.
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“This is a ludicrous point of view,” Rayner said.
“Manchester’s packed full of brilliant, independent restaurants. It’s an absolute gem of a place to eat and comments like this during difficult economic times are not helpful to businesses struggling to make ends meet.”
“I tried so bad to find a good restaurant but… horrible food everywhere.” / Credit: Sara Gundogan (via Instagram)
One local un-named restaurant owner apparently even contacted Sara herself to ask her to clarify some of the comments she made, according to reports in The Sun, saying: “There’s so many great restaurants in Manchester. I suggest you do research before you speak. And only because your husband is a footballer and you have money and you have everything probably paid for and a great life given to you here in Manchester.
“You should be grateful for that, instead of slagging off restaurants.”
At this challenge though, the 27-year-old model – who married the footballer earlier this year in May – likely didn’t give the response the restaurant owner was looking for, and deciding to double down on her comments, explaining: “So because we are successful people we can’t give an honest opinion?
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“I tried all the best restaurants here but for me it’s a no. I can’t lie. Unfortunately I’m used to Italy so you can imagine it’s hard to compare.”
She did, however, add that Manchester is “a great city” with “great people” – but “not for restaurants.”
James Acaster reveals eerie song all Traitors contestants are forced to listen to before every roundtable
Emily Sergeant
James Acaster has revealed the eerie (and pretty surprising) song that all Traitors contestants are forced to listen to before every roundtable.
In case you’ve been living comfortably under a rock, you’ll probably be aware that comedian James Acaster is currently a contestant on this current season of BBC‘s smash-hit reality TV competition show, The Celebrity Traitors – a show that viewers in their millions are tuning into each week, with some big names on the cast.
Acaster is currently (spoiler alert… but it shouldn’t be at this point, we are several weeks in after all) one of three Traitors competing on the show, and he’s doing a pretty good job at it.
But we wonder how much of his success can be put down to the producers’ love of a certain song they like to play before every roundtable? Probably next to none, but it’s surprising to find out how much of an integral role the tune plays though.
The song we’re referring to here, it has been revealed, is ‘The Hanging Tree’ – a folk ballad made popular by The Hunger Games.
‘The Hanging Tree’, composed by James Newton Howard and Suzanne Collins, was famously sung by Jennifer Lawrence’s character Katniss Everdeen in the third instalment of the film franchise, The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 1.
The lyrics are as follows:
Are you, are you Coming to the tree Where they strung up a man They say who murdered three? Strange things did happen here No stranger would it be If we met at midnight In the hanging tree
So, as you can see, the song does make reference to ‘murder’, which is a key part of The Traitors game (not real murder, of course), but even with that context, we’re still not sure why the producers are keen to play it out before every roundtable.
During a viral TikTok clip from an on-stage Q&A this week, Acaster revealed the song’s usage to the audience: “You all walk in silence down the corridor, and you all sit down, and they don’t announce it’s gonna happen.
“The first time this will completely blindside you, but they do it every single roundtable. They play that song from The Hunger Games, that ‘coming to the tree’ song. Like acapella, Jennifer Lawrence.”
He continued: “It was every f***ing time, it was the only song we heard the whole time we were in there, and all day I would have it in my head constantly, everyone would, I’d go ‘have you got coming to the tree in your head?’ and they’d go ‘yes, it’s in my head, again’.”
Viewers who watch the show may have spotted the song being played in the background or transition between certain scenes, but now it’s been revealed that the contestants hear it too.
Who would’ve thought?
Featured Image – Euan Cherry / BBC / Studio Lambert
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Tickets officially go on sale for rare 70mm IMAX screenings of Dune: Part Three in Manchester
Emily Sergeant
Tickets have now officially gone on sale for rare 70mm IMAX screenings of Dune: Part Three in Manchester.
Arriving on screens from 18 December and gearing up to be one of the most anticipated films of the year, Dune: Part Three – which is the third and final instalment in director Denis Villeneuve’s Dune franchise – will be screening in IMAX 70mm at Vue Manchester Printworks, one of only three venues to show it in this format nationwide.
There are only 40 other venues across the globe showing the film in IMAX 70mm, and Manchester is the only city outside of London to screen the blockbuster this way too.
Based on the novels of Frank Herbert and set nearly two decades after the previous film, Dune: Part Three features an ensemble cast of all-star names led by Timothée Chalamet and Zendaya.
Alongside them will be Jason Momoa, Florence Pugh, Anya Taylor-Joy, Rebecca Ferguson, Robert Pattinson, Charlotte Rampling, Javier Bardem, and Josh Brolin.
After seats for a special early screening of the film in IMAX sold out in less than 30 minutes last month, the IMAX 70mm showings – which officially went live today (20 October) – are expected to be snapped up fast by film fans in Manchester.
“A decade in the making, Denis Villeneuve’s epic Dune trilogy is reaching its dramatic conclusion this December,” explained Dean Cross, who is the Senior Screen Content Manager at Vue.
“As the only venue outside of London to be screening Dune: Part Three in IMAX 70mm, it’s a privilege for us to offer this unique way to experience the film.”
Emily Sergeant -
6th October 2022 
