Since the beginning of 2023, we’ve reported on two notable Hong Kong food spots in Manchester. In Eccles, we visited Popchop – the local takeaway serving Hong Kong’s top rated pork chop curry, and, in Altrincham, Harcourt has drawn in crowds desperate for a taste of its Hong Kong style small plates. Now, a huge two-day Hong Kong style market is coming to Bury.
Taking place from Friday 17 – Saturday 18 March, the people’s favourite Bury Market will host over 30 stalls serving traditional Hong Kong cuisine and handicrafts.
“The main purpose of the market is to introduce Hong Kong street food to the local people, as I believe food can connect people from different cultures,” said Cammie Liu, owner of Moliuliu’s Store in Bury Market, one of the organisers behind the event. “It will make use of the empty stalls, attract more young people to explore the lovely Bury Market, and also allow Hong Kong people to have the chance to set up their businesses.”
The market, named So Hong Kong, is not only a celebration of Manchester’s Hong Kong community, but an introduction to the region’s food, which includes homegrown Cantonese cooking as well as Japanese, Korean and South Asian dishes. Hong Kong cuisine is characterised by rice dishes, roasted meats, soups and dim sum, amongst others, all of which will be available to sample in Bury next week.
Already confirmed for the event are the contestants of Bake Off: The Professionals 2022, A Little Sweet. The Sale-based bakery is the brainchild of Jeffrey Koo Ka Chun who made his name in the five-star Mandarin Oriental Hotel. A Little Sweet opened its doors back in 2021, offering a menu of breads, pastries and artisan cakes all freshly made in-store. One of Koo’s staples is the Red Bean Bun, a Japanese steamed bun featuring an azuki bean paste filling.
The talented baker has already given fans a glimpse of his menu for the So Hong Kong event, with both a brand-new Hong Kong style pineapple bun with custard filling and a freshly baked egg custard tart available to purchase on the day. Another business joining A Little Sweet is Pan.dora Meal Box, a popular Bury restaurant bringing Hainanese chicken rice, Cantonese thin pancakes, peanuts mochi, rice balls and more to their stall next week.
Alongside these traders, there’ll also be bubble tea from Shining Rainbow Dream Tea & Snacks, Hong Kong hot pots from Ardwick’s Fat Tat, traditional Asian teas from Bang Bang Brands and Yunnan rice noodles from Derek Leung. And it’s not just taste buds that will be satisfied next week, as So Hong Kong is also inviting a number of traders offering Hong Kong arts and crafts, with everything from handmade accessories, stationary, pearl jewellery, candles and aromatherapy products available to browse.
The festival has been organised in collaboration with Hong Kong March and Moliuliu’s Store, a Hong Kong grocery store based in the market. It’s part of a month-long, UK-wide festival promoting, celebrating and introducing Hong Kong culture to different communities, with events taking place across 16 cities exploring everything from film and music to history, food and more.
In Manchester, aside from the So Hong Kong food market, Hong Kong March has also organised a calligraphy and Hong Kong Mahjong workshop, as well as a storytelling workshop for children, both events available to book now. If successful, the organisers behind the food market are hoping to make it a permanent fixture every three months. Visitors would be able to enjoy around 30 businesses offering a taste of Hong Kong’s very best street food throughout the year, alongside craft pop-ups and Bury Market’s beloved resident traders.
One of the North West’s most notable last standing authentic markets, with everything from butchers to fishmongers, fruit and vegetable stalls, haberdashery and DVD collectors, Bury Market has a special place in the heart of its local community. Voted Best Market in Britain once again back in January, the indoor and outdoor market hall is a destination for shoppers wanting to step back in time to the packed out markets of 1960s Britain. It’s clearly looking to the future too.
So Hong Kong will take place from 9am – 4.30pm on Friday 17 March and 9am – 5pm on Saturday 18 March. The event is free to attend.
……………………….
