Konger Cafe

If you want to know where Manchester’s footballers go, the answer is Konger Cafe. With sport on the TV and hearty soul food, it’s easy to see why. They may not play for United or City but you might catch one of Konger FC’s star players. The restaurant is a celebration of this community club.

Why is Konger Cafe so good? It’s all about wok hei and the feelgood factor.

This unassuming cafe, stuck between a carpet warehouse and a vehicle repair shop, serves cha chaan teng. That’s comfort food Hong Kong-style. It’s not something you save for best but it is delicious.

People travel for this food so it must be very comforting. The fact is, it’s not something you can recreate at home even if you’re nifty with a bottle of soy sauce.

That’s wok hei. Or the maillard reaction. However you describe it. That smoky complex flavour that only comes from a wok and a very hot heat. Hotter than a home hob.

I love the Hong Kong curry with beef and the sweet and sour chicken which has a flavour profile that is slightly different from the UK takeaway staple.

However, the menu is the taste of home for Manchester’s expat Hong Kong community who can’t get enough of Konger Cafe’s crispy chow mein and the salt and pepper crispy pork chop.