Salt and pepper fans, rejoice. Vegans, get ready to eat your bodyweight in battered sausage. Manchester’s first fully-vegan Chinese chippy is set to open in Manchester next month.
Opened in October 2019, Woo Tan Scran was the first vegan chippy to open in Liverpool and now the team are bringing the concept to the people of Manchester.
Taking inspiration from the many Chinese chippies in Liverpool, Woo Tan Scran is the brain child of chef and founder Alex Woo. Alex’s family owned chippies when he was growing up and it was his idea to create dishes for a vegan Chinese chippy.
The idea was to provide a better range of options for vegans, rather than just a bit of tofu or mixed vegetables.
Alex was previously the sous chef at Liverpool restaurant Down the Hatch, which serves meat-free junk food like dirty burgers and loaded hotdogs.
He approached Tim Leah, the head chef at Down at the Hatch and owners Jay Baker and Conrad Sharp with some of his ideas and as soon as they tried his proposed dishes, the team knew they were on to a winner.
From there it was full steam ahead and less than two months later, the four founders had opened Woo Tan Scran on Lark Lane in Liverpool, taking over what was previously a quintessentially British chip shop.
Since then, they have developed somewhat of a cult following. Over lockdown, Woo Tan Scran was the most ordered takeaway in Liverpool on Deliveroo.
The menu features vegan versions of your classic Chinese chippy dishes, including spring rolls, dumplings and sesame ‘prawn’ toast. There’s the very popular Salt & Pepper box which includes chips, spring rolls, samosa, nuggets and onion rings all tossed in peppers, onions and those salt and pepper spices.
Meat alternatives come in the form of Char Sui ‘chicken’, crispy chilli ‘beef’ and salt & pepper ‘chicken’. Plus, there’s jackfruit pancakes, their take on hoisin duck pancakes.
In true Chinese chippy form, there are also ‘English bits’ like burgers, chip barms and a vegan battered sausage.
As Alex tells us, Woo Tan Scran already has somewhat of a Manchester fan base. Pre-Covid some people used to make the journey over to Liverpool just to try their food. They’d order from the takeaway and then sit and eat in the pub next door, before heading back to Manchester.
(What I’d give to be able to travel to eat a Chinese chippy tea in a pub right now.)
Luckily, we won’t need to travel much longer as Woo Tan Scran is bringing their dishes to Manchester very soon.
Initially, the menu will be available for delivery only. From a small unit near Piccadilly Station, Woo Tan Scran will be delivering within around a 3 mile radius of the city centre (map below).
If all goes well, they will be looking for a more permanent space to call home in Manchester.
The plan is to start delivering in early December, but we’ll keep you updated.
For more information, visit their instagram: instagram.com/wootanscran.
