Love Island is synonymous with influencers and fame, as popular contestants are often swamped with brand deals as soon as they land back in the UK.
Other stars on the show are less lucky when they head back into reality, as their social media followings haven't skyrocketed in the way they'd hoped, leading them to search around for more exposure.
Contestants from the hit reality show have notoriously landed themselves in hot water after demanding freebies from brands, hotels or eateries, and one restaurant in Manchester has had enough of such requests, so decided to take a public stand against influencers reaching out for cost-free food in exchange for an Instagram photo or two.
Viet Shack owners recently condemned 'cheeky' social media influencers who were asking for free food, threatening to expose the next person who tried it.
Referencing the ongoing cost of living crisis and how hard businesses have been hit, their Instagram post read: ""In conclusion, STOP ASKING FOR FREE S**T and just come help and support ya locals. Can't you see there's a crisis and there's favourite spots closing down due to financial deficiencies?"
After spotting the post going viral online, I had to head down to the restaurant to try the food for myself (not for free, I might add). I've often passed the humble-looking Vietnamese eatery while heading into town for a night out, but never ventured in - so I wanted to find out why influencers were so desperate to eat there.
For a Wednesday evening, the venue was absolutely rammed, with three people squished onto tables for two, and staff members looking more than busy. Considering it's a walk-in-only venue, I was shocked at how full it was, and when we were seated at our table, began excitedly perusing the menu.
When I paused to look at the decor, I was surprised at how minimalistic it was. It's certainly charming, but it was a lot less extravagant than I expected, as the haunts Love Islanders frequent tend to be more flashy.
This is far from an insult, however - if anything it made me more excited to try the food.
We ordered our drinks - three cocktails for the table - but we were left waiting over half an hour for them to arrive. When they did turn up, we eagerly took sips and were impressed with the generous measure of alcohol in each of them. I ordered a rum pornstar martini, and it wasn't too vanilla-heavy, which I liked. Perhaps the Insta-worthy drinks are be part of the appeal for celebs.
By this point, we were more than ready for our starters. I was with two pals, and we decided to share three between ourselves. We opted for crispy oyster mushrooms, halloumi, and prawns as we thought it'd be good to have a variety.
The starters were amazing. The portion size of each one was great, making them perfect to share between the three of us, but would be enough for one if you were keen to keep it to yourself.
I'd never had mushrooms served like this before, and I'd be keen to have them again. The halloumi was served in generous chunks, and the prawns were meaty and delicious (despite us all being incredibly apprehensive about how to de-shell them).
We then ordered our mains (as we were told the food comes as and when it's ready, but we wanted to dine in a more traditional way) and when they arrived I was salivating.
I ordered 'quack fries', which like the name suggests, is a portion of fries covered in duck. I chose this as duck isn't a meat I'd ever eat at home, so thought it'd be a nice treat.
The duck was a real star of the show, with perfectly tender meat and crispy skin, but the fries felt a little dry for my taste. If I were to visit again, I'd get it over a bed of rice instead.
We couldn't have left without sampling the dessert, especially as our waiter recommended a specific one to us. We opted for the 'golden bao' with vegan coconut ice cream.
It was tasty and was arguably the most aesthetic of all the courses, but it was just a little bit tricky to eat with a spoon as the dough wasn't very soft. The vegan ice cream was some of the best I've ever tasted though, it just took a little while to eat it.
Overall, I found Viet Shack to be a lot more modest than I'd anticipated. Because owners of Viet Shack had shared a post on their social media pages where they blasted celebs for trying to get free food, I did wrongly presume that it would be a lot showier than it was.
If you were looking for a casual bite to eat, it could be one to try. Overall, my share of the bill, without drinks and tips, cost £33.40, which isn't bad for three courses. However, the duck fries set me back £16.10, which isn't a cheap dish.
Having said that, I did thoroughly enjoy my experience - the staff were friendly, the food was good, and there's plenty more on the menu to choose from if I do go again.
Perhaps the price is why Love Islanders who 'finished in a low spot on the show' are trying their luck with them...
Have you ever been to Viet Shack? Let us know in the comments.
