Manchester’s restaurant bosses have hit back at Ilkay Gundogan's wife after she said there were no good places to eat out in the city, and branded them “horrible”. Sara Arfaoui who married the Manchester City captain earlier this year, was asked on an Instagram Q&A to name her favourite places to eat out in the city.
The 27-year-old said she struggled to find a ‘good restaurant’ and that all the food was ‘frozen’. As expected, her remarks have been met with outrage from Manchester’s hospitality community. She replied to the question saying: "Sorry I'm sad to be honest but nothing. I tried so bad to find a good restaurant but... horrible food everywhere.
"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."
READ MORE: 'Horrible food everywhere, everything's frozen...maybe in London but in Manchester, nothing'
Gary Usher, owner of Kala in the city centre and Hispi in Didsbury, took to Twitter to weigh in on the debate. “We have two restaurants in Manchester & I’m genuinely delighted that footballers & their wives don’t come because I’d be questioning our offer if they did. Good taste & class is hardly synonymous with footballers wives & their leopard print themed cinema rooms.”
Speaking to the M.E.N., Liverpool chef Sam Grainger, chef patron at the critically acclaimed Belzan in Liverpool and Madre, the Mexican taqueria which has set up shop at Freight Island, and is due to open a restaurant in Manchester this year, said: “I would really like to know where she's actually been in Manchester, as she clearly hasn’t researched and looked where to go.
"It’s really damaging to hospitality at the moment, everything is on a knife edge and we could lose everything, so these comments could really destroy us - it's just really wrong. I honestly think Manchester’s food scene is unbelievable and it's just going to get better and better. You’re going to see all the London restaurants heading this way - we’re really at the forefront.”
Thom Hetherington, CEO of the Northern Restaurant and Bar event, also took to Twitter to share his thoughts, and even suggested he would launch WAG and footballer tours to educate them on the city’s thriving food scene. Speaking to the Manchester Evening News, Thom Hetherington urged some caution when responding to Sara Arfaoiu’s comments.
“I think it’s important to remember Sara’s comments were a possibly flippant answer to an Instagram question, but unfortunately it’s become front page news which has an impact, and I think that’s sad for a number of reasons. The first is that Manchester does have great restaurants, and that’s not just the one-eyed opinion of a local champion!
“I show national and international food writers, restaurateurs and consultants around the city on a regular basis, and all of them agree we have a fantastic crop of restaurants, from The Sparrows and Erst to Mana and Hawksmoor, that can stand toe-to-toe with their peers in London or elsewhere.
"Local restaurants need our support now more than ever, and to be fair as a club Manchester City, it’s players and it’s management, have been supportive of hospitality in the city – indeed some have opened their own places like Tast on King Street - and Ilkay himself launched a fantastic appeal to support Mancunian hospitality businesses during the pandemic.
“I’d find it genuinely sad if people like Sara, who has lived and travelled all over the world, came to my home city, lived here for many years, had an awful time, at least gastronomically, and left feeling the city had a terrible food scene. Life is too short for bad food, and maybe the clubs and the restaurants in the city can work together better to ensure that every player and their families gets to see and enjoy the best of it during their time here.”
Renowned national food critic Jay Rayner, quoted by the Sun, also responded to the comments: "This is a ludicrous point of view. 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."
One local restaurant owner, who reportedly contacted Sara directly, told her in a message: "There're so many great restaurants in Manchester. I suggest you do research before you speak."
They added: "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 restaurants."
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