VIETSHACK (MANCHESTER)

Mall food usually do not usually have good choices to run to, especially if you're into healthy eating and will not have any more french fries even if they smell so heavenly good.

Arndale Mall in Manchester actually has a market. Right at the opposite side of the manchester cafeteria. It hosts a variety of good food, mexican to vietnamese and houses a number of fresh food with it's own fish market section.

Today we're focusing on the vietshack corner. It is extremely popular, with guests lining up to the start of the market. It specialises in vietnamese street food, like banh mi and salads. It even has a signature burger on it's menu.

We ordered some roast beef banh mi and duck salad. What I love about vietnamese cooking is the mixture of sauces they use in their dishes, whatever they bring to the table always gets elevated up with their marinate or dressings. Banh mi, with it's toasty bread and medium roast beef is nothing without the salad tossed with a sweet and sour dressing. It is refreshing and has notes of squeezed lime in the mixture.

Duck salad, cooked medium, still pink in the middle, tossed with a salad of basil, cucumber, shredded lettuce and carrots and shallots, it has crunchy bits on the top, to which I have no clue what it is. Again with the dressing, but this time tangy and spicy.

I really recommend this stall in arndale market, they have a variety of much more things to eat. I bet delicious, every one of them. Though the line would be of inconvenience, the wait isn't very long.

It opens daily with the mall and closes around five.

This is Sharon signing off this week's post. Stay tune for more.

SUGAR JUNCTION: VINTAGE TEA ROOMS (UK)

It's a favourite past time for macunions to congregate on a sunny Sunday at a local eatery. The town especially a buzzin' with the day's weather. The tea rooms were filled, especially by the windows where the sunlight is streaming in and you can people watch the pedestrians walking by.

We have selected a prime location for lunch this week. Teehee. It's a place I've been eyeing for weeks past now. It's at Northern Quarter, yes, the great Northern Quarter, with food and much more food. As I've said from my last post, the northern quarter is pot brimming with eccentricities and oddities of the grungy kind. Always something happening in those streets, this week a market of arts and crafts.

It was too full upstairs, so here we are, below deck. 

I really like that lamp. I like the wallpaper a little too much.

They use books for menus. Novel idea. Geddit?

Waitress was top notch. Had our meals come in less than fifteen minutes. It was the lunch menu, so here are our orders.

Red Wine Beef Brisket with onion pickles and I think rocket salad inside, oh and before I forget, monterey jack cheese, melted! on the brioche. Yums. It was a messy meal, I tell you that, also, juicy beef, my hand was dripping from it. Had a side of cole slaw and some potato and sweet potato fries.

Halloumi toast with basil, a side dish of potatoes fries and sweet potato fries and some slaw.

Delicious mocktail, English County Garden, fresh mint, cloudy apple juice, elderflower syrup and lemon juice, with fresh blueberries. Very refreshing on a nice day out.


Sugar Junction. It was spacious, lots of interesting decor inside, and the food was delicious.

Opening times are Monday and Sunday, 9am-6pm. Tuesday to Thursday 9am-8pm. Friday and Saturday 9am to 11pm.

Breakfast menu till 12 pm. Also they have a afternoon tea menu, which looked scrumptious, and would try next time I'm there.

Address:Sugar Junction, 60 Tib Street, Manchester, M4 1LG. 

Visit their website for more information. http://www.sugarjunction.co.uk/index.html

This is Sharon, signing off this week's blog. Stay tune every week for more. 

UMAMI THE NOODLE BAR : JAPANESE CUISINE

Umami according to the wikipedia page is the term used to describe the savory taste one experiences when eating good food. It's one of the many terms foodies use to explain the great flavor they are going through at the moment.

To start, I would like to say the japanese game here is very bad. It's been a long time since I had decent japanese cuisine in this country. I think there is very few japanese restaurants in Manchester which is probably why it's hard to find a good restaurant.

The restaurant I am talking about this week is the one on the Oxford Road in Manchester. It is a long stretch of road that many students find themselves walking through daily. There's definitely places to eat along this road, it is littered with affordable prices with meal plans.

This restaurant is located in basement. I've always like underground restaurants. It becomes an adventure to walk to the bottom, it's almost like discovering a hidden treasure.

It was during the lunch hour which is very busy. We came before the line started, which made me feel very lucky.

It wasn't very crowded at the time, but the tables were arranged so you had to share among st strangers. Which to be honest, is a fun way to eat.

My brother and I had a lunch meal. I ordered spring rolls, malaysian satay, and ramen for the both of us. My ramen was with dumplings, and his was chilli with slices of beef.

At first glance it was together a very pleasing looking meal. It was arranged nicely and placed properly on the plate.

The rolls were crunchy, not to oily. The malaysian satay as well, wasn't like the real thing but it was delicious either way. It had a bits of peanut in the sauce and was creamy but not to.

The real let down was the ramen. I always thought what makes a good bowl of noodles, especially in ramen, is the soup, the broth that enhances the noodles to a whole new level. Unfortunately this bowl of noodles, did not have such. The only thing it got going was the fact that it was that the noodles were cooked properly. The chilli was slightly better, with the spices helping the broth as well with the beef cooked with it. 

Overall I have to say that the food wasn't bad with the price given for it. It has a nice atmosphere with a good lunch plan. 

 Opening times : Monday to Saturday 12-11pm
                            Monday to Sunday   12-12pm

 Location : 127/153 Oxford Road, Manchester, M1
7EE

This is Sharon signing off this week's blog. Stay tune for more next week. 

THE KRO BAR: SCANDINAVIAN CUISINE (UK)

In the cafeterias of the university of manchester, it will be impossible to find any food that would be appetizing while it's hot. Most on the lunch menus, they would serve things that are cheap enough and ready to eat. It would mean sandwhiches, paninis, soup or noodles. There are some halls that would cater other varieties but it isn't exactly delicious.

Therefore to those who do not prefer anything of those ready made meals, there are numerous places on the oxford road. There is the infamous Curry Mile just down the street from the university buildings, with numerous delicious eateries. There are cafes and bars like the one where I frequent often called, The Kro Bar. 

It is a Scandinavian cafe as well as bar. It is located just opposite of the Student Union building, and next the to the international society building. The location itself is great, since hordes of student come by and go through this street. 

It has a little outside seating outside the cafe/bar, where when there is sunlight (which is rarely) will be taken over by customers.  The building itself is quite old like everything in Manchester. Something that you should find about Manchester is that they are quite proud of their old streets and buildings. A very charming trait of Manchester.

Kro Bar has stools lined up right in front of the bar, something you will see immediately as you enter. This restaurant prefers self service, so whenever you feel like ordering, you have to do so at the bar. 

The space inside is crammed when it's during lunch hours and dinnertime. The table are these long ones that you have to share with other customers, and in between these tables the spaces are quite narrow. 

There are more spaces upstairs and much more roomier. It does however have the old room smell, which isn't pleasant. 

I ordered chicken and chorizo risotto, bruschetta and homemade toffee pudding. 

The chicken and chorizo risotto, Chorizo is a spanish pork sausage. It can be salty because some chorizos are often cured or fermented which makes it very flavorsome. It can be spicy, depending on the amount of chili put in as well. The risotto was made sublimely, not dry, mixed with the chicken and chorizo, putting alot of taste into the dish. 

The bruschetta was on a thick slice of bread, with olive oil, some herbs I believe to be basil and cherry tomatoes. The bread was put in the oven to reheat, and therefore the crust had a bit of a crunch. Nothing ever goes wrong with bread and olive oil. 

My favourite dessert I think coming to the UK, is definitely toffee pudding. Toffee pudding is a traditional british dessert, served warm and with cream or ice cream. The cake is made of chopped up dates, baked or steamed. The one I had was served with the syrup of dark toffee, and ice cream. The cake was moist and warm, something that I really enjoyed, and the sweetness of the syrup is mixed with the cold vanilla ice-cream and the moist cake, had me with goosebumps. It is definitely a sweet dessert, something that should be considered when ordering it. I was barely able to finish the whole thing. 

I do really recommend this place. Though the seating arrangements could use some work and the price is a little steep. The location is ultimately ideal, since you're able to get to classes quick with a full stomach. 

Opening hours : 11.30 pm - 9.00pm

Location: 325 Oxford Rd, Manchester M13 9PG

This is Sharon signing off this week's episode on The Makan Post. Stay tuned for more.

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GUSTO ITALIAN RESTAURANT: ITALIAN CUISINE (UK)

Italian food is renowned wherever we go. It is a loved cuisine every where in the world. The pizzas, the pastas, all the popular food choices at beloved restaurants.

In Manchester, there isn't an exception. This restaurant is located near SpinningField, an area that is filled with many fine establishments from eateries to cute boutiques. It is very much a place for those who enjoy the finer things in  life as it requires a hefty wallet to enjoy it.

We went to Gusto, an Italian restaurant that has come to our attention. We can afford this place only because we were offered a discount of the bill.

The restaurant is well decorated, giving it an elegant and sophisticated feel to it.

We ordered appetizers of smoked salmon, deep fried calamari, and meatballs.

The smoked salmon was very light, and arrived chilled. It was tasty, had the feel of spring in it, and was dressed with a citrus mayonnaise dressing.

Deep fried calamari wasn't very oily but crispy and seasoned well.

The meatballs covered with spicy meat sauce, that was mixed with grand pradano and a type of italian bread. It was seasoned well, the sauce was delicious with it.

I had a pasta that was with tomato sauce and shredded duck. The meat was cooked well, and not dry at all. It went really well with the pasta and the dish wasn't very heavy at all.

The pizzas were cooked in a brick oven, the sides of it flaky and a little burnt, but we didn't mind. We had one called caprino, with goat's cheese, roasted red peppers, pine nuts, caramelised onions, pesto ,mozeralla and rockets, The dough in the middle was a little undercooked, but over all delicious and well made.

For dessert we had tiramisu, a classic. To be honest this was what my day. The coffee was well integrated into the sponge of the tiramisu and the cheese layers. It was soft, and creamy, not overwhelmingly and was delicate to eat.

I would recommend Gusto as a place to eat for dinner but the price is a little steep for the dishes they carry. The atmosphere is certainly enjoyable as it is a lovely place, with good service and beautiful presentation of the food.

Opening hours: 

Sunday to Thursday - 12pm to 12 am

(Kitchen closes at 10pm)

Friday 12pm-12am, 

(Kitchen closes at 11pm)

Saturday- 12pm to 12am

(Kitchen closes at 11pm)

Location: 

4 LLOYD STREET, 

OFF DEANSGATE, 

Manchester, M2 5AB

United Kingdom.

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This is Sharon signing off on this week's episode. Tune in next week for more.

LEVENSHULME MARKET: FOOD ADVENTURES (UK)

The markets are what I really looked forward to when I came to the UK. I have been told stories of good food and excellent atmosphere and so far I haven't been disappointed. I've been to the ones in London but that was awhile ago before I started this food blog. But I've been to this one in Manchester.

It is called Levenshulme Market and it produces local sourced food and other commodities. My friend and I got lost on the way there and this elderly couple come to our need. They gave us a ride to the market and they told us that the place was well attended. Every Saturday night starting from the beginning of March when it's not as cold, but still cold.

The locals who live there as well visit every week, a person we met told us that he comes every Saturday after walking his dog. He recommends the freshly baked pizza which had a line, actually every stall in the market seemed to have a line. The food there caters to all sorts of diets, vegan, vegetarian, lactose intolerance but you have to asked them first if so. They usually have a sign that tells you whether or not they cater though.

I've been told of this market by friends who visited the place and they came back happy and full. Levenshulme is a little way outside the city of Manchester, it isn't very far, it would take half and hour or so by walking and less with the bus. My bus stops right near the market and I was glad of that, but somehow we managed to get lost even so.

When we arrived at the market, it starts at 10, it still was busy with people. The place was filled with families and grown up walking their dogs. The dogs were adorable, there were babies too but I'm more of a dog person. I can't handle babies.

So the first thing that caught our eye as we wandered, the market wasn't so big so it didn't take very long to get around, was the duck panini. It was a medium rare duck patty, melted blue cheese, with caramelised onions. The man serving it was a very friendly guy, talking to the customers as he cooked. The ingredients all complement each other and the duck meat was soft and not chewy and easily digestible. The blue cheese, salty and not overpowering.

Next door to him was the popular pizza stall, we ended up having a mushroom pizza, with truffle oil. Delicious might I add. The man freshly bakes it in front of us, and grated the Parmesan cheese on top of the pizza once it's done. It wasn't a very long wait, and it was baked in the stone oven in front of us which is impressive. The crust wasn't so thick but it was fluffy and had that slight brownness at the edges, which were crispy to the taste. The cheese stretched as we pulled at it and the truffle oil gave it some scent and taste.

The market was also a place for locals to sell their own products. There were stalls selling trinkets, antiques, old books, clothes, paintings, jewelry.

I bought two rings from a sweet old lady. She told me the ring's stones she found somewhere in another market and bought it so she could use it to make the ring I bought.

I had a green tea latte, which is a rarity here in the UK. If there is green tea latte here though, it wouldn't be a really good as matcha is expensive here. The green tea latte wasn't so bad, I could actually taste the matcha in it.

There was also vegan blueberry waffles, that we ordered. I didn't have the chance to take a picture of it. But it was made on the spot, the ingredients which is mixed in front of us.

The lady was very friendly, chatting with every one of her customers. The waffles were warm and had a good fresh and crisp texture. It doesn't need any maple syrup, it was sweet enough by itself. We finished it quite quickly.

I got ice cream from a woman in a cool ass van. I had a chocolate mocha ice cream. It had a thick concentrate of chocolate and coffee, but wasn't bitter but sweet. It hit the right spots and was delicious.

The day wasn't so bad, the weather was grey but it didn't rain. My friend and I had a really good time.

I really recommend, if you live in Manchester, to go visit Levenshulme Market.

Their website is http://www.levymarket.com/

Address: 
Farm Side Place, 
Off Stockport Road, 
Levenshulme, 
Manchester.

Opening hours: 
Everyday
10.00 am to 4.00pm





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This is Sharon signing off on this week's episode. Tune in next week for more.

AL TAIBA BUKHIRI, THE CURRY MILE : MANCHESTER HANGOUTS (UK)

Manchester is famous for a lot of things, football, obviously, the rain, lol. But I think the Curry Mile would be one of my favorite things here in Manchester. It's just a whole street full of delicious middle eastern and Asian cuisine as far as the eye can see. I guess it's cause lots of Malaysian food has Indian cuisine in them, and being in restaurants with that smell has brought me back home. Also, it educated me in the different Indian foods, and brought my knowledge of middle eastern cuisine to an all new high. As a foodie, I've always just enjoyed eating entirely new foods, happy about just having to taste something new and authentic.

So I've been going to Curry Mile a couple of times now with my friends, but this past few weeks, we've been going every few days which is awesome. It's not as expensive as other restaurants, and I rarely spend more than ten pounds for a huge portion of food and desserts. 

There's a place I think I've been more than four times this past month. It gives free drinks to Malaysians, which is what brought me in the first place, giggles. It was in malay, which obviously proves that I'm Malaysian if I could read it. So anyway, what I love about this sort of cafes, is that most of the time the people working in the shops are so friendly and lovely. It's very welcoming and they smile genuinely all the time. This shop is called Al Taiba Bukhari, quite at the very beginning of Curry Mile. This place is great cause they give huge portions for reasonably good prices. 

So I ordered chicken al faham with rice. Basically grilled chicken with lots of spices, like turmeric, red chilli, coriander, these are just a few examples of what they marinate their meats in. The chicken I and was slightly charred which is just nice, and the chicken is all tender and moist inside, like how I love it. The rice is fluffy and not undercooked like most of the places here in the UK, mixing it with turmeric and saffron, the rice would be a yellow colour. They always provide some salads and sauce, it's yogurt sauce and spicy chili sauce of sorts.

There was also some lamb chops, lamb kofta and kebabs. It's all deliciously served with naan, which is freshly made. It's like soft, and crunchy at the sides, the sad thing is that it gets cold so fast cause of the weather here. And with some grilled onions, tomatoes, and lots of lettuce. The meat is all seasoned the same way, with the same spices.

Kofta is minced meat mixed with herbs and spices and grilled to perfection. Naan is a type of flat bread that is mixed with spices and eastern with the meat, replacing rice. 

Since we were Malaysian, we got a pot of mint tea which I drink finished. Cause it's cold and the tea is great for battling against this weather. 

The pictures are courtesy of my friend Kimberley Wong, with my phone by the way. Hahaha. Just adding it out there.

They open from 12 in the afternoon to 2 at night. 

Address:
Al Taiba Bukhiri

21 Winslow Rd I Rusholme, 

Manchester, M14 5TB 

This is Sharon, signing off this week's episode from the UK. Stay tuned for more episodes coming your way. 

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The Makan Post brings to you weekly food adventures, so be sure to catch us every week for new episodes and don't forget to subscribe to us. Just click on the follow button below. Also check out our Instagram page @themakanpost. Cheers.

themakanpost@gmail.com