Food & Drink
The hidden gem serving up Hong Kong’s top rated pork chop curry in Eccles
Stick Popchop on your list of Manchester food to try!
Chinese takeaway Popchop, in Eccles, serves up a pork curry which has been ranked one of the top ten pork chop rice dishes by Time Out magazine Hong Kong.
From the outside this low-key takeaway, located on Liverpool Road, looks almost indistinguishable from any other. Even the inside is simple and straight to the point, with just a couple of small seating arrangements for the odd person who needs somewhere convenient to quickly demolish their feast.
Owner Samuel serves up the Hong Kong pork chop curry — a 40-year-old family recipe — which made it to the top ten best pork chop dishes in Hong Kong by Time Out magazine.
His dad runs the Sun King Yuen curry restaurant in Hong Kong which is famous for its pork chops, and it’s good news for Eccles, as he passed his wisdom on to his son.
Samuel keeps framed pictures of his dad around Popchop, and in them, he is busy cooking over his wok. It is from him that Samuel learned the techniques to create the top-rated curry sauce and crispy breadcrumbed pork chops that go with it.
Samuel and his wife moved to Eccles two years ago and opened up Popchop in July 2022. Since opening, locals have been queuing down the street with meals reportedly selling out fast — it’s no surprise when you learn the history behind the food and the love that goes into it.
Of the family classic, Time Out said: “This classic curry house in Wan Chai is famed for its pork chops, and is one of the few tourist attractions in the district that locals still love.”
Sharing a little of the secret to how it is made, Samuel said: “The pork is first left to marinate for four hours in a homemade spice mix before being breaded and deep-fried.
“The base paste for the curry is what makes the difference,” he added.
It’s all made using the exact same methods and techniques as his relatives at their restaurant Sun King Yeun in Hong Kong, and once cooked, is served with soft potatoes on a bed of white rice.
Manchester’s Finest Group
FYI: for those that don’t fancy pork, there’s also a chicken version of this dish.
Popchop’s menu is simple but effective. It’s the kind of place that does just a few things but does them really well – an excellent addition to Eccles.
Popchop is open 5-9pm Wednesday to Sunday.
Food & Drink
Popular Italian launches new menu with fresh cheesy pesto pasta and king prawns
If you’re in search of an authentic Italian dining experience in Manchester, look no further than Italiana Fifty Five
A popular Italian restaurant in Manchester has launched a new A La Carte menu.
Italiana Fifty Five has added some appetising new dishes to its menu to expand its offering this spring.
Diners can sample the newly added seasonal items and its authentic classic Italian favourites at all three of its Manchester sites – at the Great Northern, Liverpool Road and Didsbury.
The new A La Carte dishes include Gamberoni Grigliata which is tiger prawns cooked in garlic, butter, lemon and fresh chilli and served with toasted altamura bread for £13.95.
Also new to the menu is the Zoupa which is a hearty seafood soup with king scallops, king prawns, and muscles for £13.95.
Brand new appetisers include the Insalata Tricolore with avocado, beef tomato and buffalo mozzarella for £9.50, and the Bruschetta Speciale made with toasted sourdough bread and buffalo mozzarella spread, roasted heritage cherry tomatoes, garlic, onion, fresh basil and pesto for £9.75.
And if that’s not enough to entice you, diners can also tuck in to the new risotto and pasta dishes, including Risotto Zafferano which is a saffron risotto with parsley, garlic, onion and pecorino cheese for £14.95.
And the Trofie ala Pesto made with trofie pasta in homemade pesto sauce, finished with buffalo mozzarella for £14.95.
Complete your visit on a sweet note and indulge in one of Italiana Fifty Five’s best-loved desserts such as the Tiramisu or panna cotta.
To find out more or book a table at Italiana Fifty Five, click HERE.
Food & Drink
Restaurant famed for ‘cheese wheel pasta’ and ‘towering lasagnas’ looking to come to Manchester
A taste of la dolce vita could be coming to Manchester
The ‘OTT’ group famous for its pasta served in a wheel of cheese and 10-level lasagnas is reportedly looking to open a new Italian restaurant in Manchester city centre.
French-based Big Mamma Group, which owns over-the-top Italian restaurants in London – Gloria, Carlotta, Jacuzzi, Ave Mario and Circolo Popolare – will open a new venue in Gary Neville’s under-construction St Michael’s development off Deansgate.
Its restaurants are known for their flamboyant, retro interiors, resembling vintage maximalism Italian eateries, as well as US-style red sauce joints.
The regularly changing menus feature a variety of Italian classics, including fettuccine alfredo al tartufo, spaghetti with meatballs, a famous ’10 level’ lasagne and carbonara served in a huge cheese wheel.
The Manchester restaurant will be the first UK venue to be located outside of London and will – sit alongside the also announced Japanese-Peruvian restaurant Chotto Matte, also to be built at St Michael’s.
The move follows a host of other operators in the capital choosing to open new sites in Manchester.
Soon to arrive in the city will be the likes of Caravan, Flat Iron, Soho House and Blacklock.
Big Mamma – which was founded in 2013 by French entrepreneurs Victor Lugger and Tigrane Seydoux – has more than 20 restaurants across Europe including Paris, Monaco, Milan, Madrid and Berlin.
Got a story to tell?
Have you got a story or video you think our audience will love? We want to hear from you, drop us an email on submit@propermanchester.com and we’ll get back to you.
Food & Drink
High-end Japanese restaurant MUSU offering 30% off in March
Take advantage of vibrant Japanese dining experience
High-end Japanese restaurant MUSU is offering 30% off in March for customers who sign up to its new free rewards programme.
The contemporary Japanese eatery, nestled in the heart of the city centre on Bridge Street, is launching its own membership rewards programme.
The scheme is free to join and will give members 30% off their food bill throughout March upon signing up.
Rewards customers can enjoy discounted prices on menus including the Omakase – the theatrical, educational sushi experience which is served individually to diners at the restaurant’s six–seat omakase counter.
This also includes the full Land of the Rising Sun tasting menus, which take in a range of cooking styles from all over Japan, devised by chef-patron Mike Shaw.
Then from April, members of the programme will be able to take advantage of a series of other rewards, including 30% off any food bill when dining at lunch time, 10% off when dining at dinner on any menu, and a 10% discount on private hire and private dining.
The restaurant has a closed-off area for its private dining experience for guests to enjoy, which is regularly used by celebrities and food critics alike.
On top of this, members celebrating their birthdays at MUSU will receive a complimentary drink, and every reward programme member will be entered into a monthly prize draw to win a 12-course Land of the Rising Sun experience, complete with wine pairings.
You can get early access to the restaurant’s special events, like its live tuna cutting experience, where a whole bluefin tuna is carved in front of diners, while its expert sushi chefs talk you through the provenance of the fish and the skills displayed in this ancient craft.
You can sign up to MUSU’s free rewards scheme, HERE.
Find something to do in Manchester
Powered by 
Memories of demolished Trafford Park Bakery from the people that worked there
Popular Italian launches new menu with fresh cheesy pesto pasta and king prawns
Hot Wheels interactive experience hosting its first-ever European event in Trafford
Blue Lights: Series two of gripping Northern Ireland police drama launches tonight
Passport fees are rising tomorrow for second time in 14 months
