THIS isn't the Manchester Arndale Market I once knew; where the pungent stench from the fish market would entwine with my hair as I bought knock-off Adidas trainers and boiled sweets.
My lunch was served up rather than slopped together. There also wasn’t a generous helping of oil found in most fast-food places – and it was appreciated.
Now, it's a brighter, smarter lunchtime destination welcoming good and solid eats - and they've popped that fish market at the far end.
New to the food line-up and tucked between a curry joint and popular burrito haunt, Panchos, there's tiny Vietnamese ‘street food’ luncheon, Viet-Shack. This is establishing a bit of a name for itself.
Manchester Arndale Food Market
Most of the Arndale Market's (reviewed here) diverse food provisions are successful, yet Viet-Shack appeared to have won over the majority crowd and I joined a considerable queue.
Run by Nelson Lam, or 'Mr Shack', it’s Vietnamese cooking updated ‘inspired by mama’s good home cooking’. Lam's also exiled artificial additives and evil processed meats to lure in the health conscious. Mama would have wanted it that way, I suppose.
Mr Shack
Typically these days, adding a modern element to a traditional dish means popping meat between a bun. It’s becoming massively underwhelming – even when it comes to choosing 12.30pm grub.
At Viet Shack you get all the token street food, with grilled steak and chicken burgers and we’ll refrain from commenting on the ‘Viet Dogs’, but there’s also salads, Vietnamese baguettes called ‘Banh- Mi’, and traditional meat and rice dishes.
They also appear to find a way to include lemongrass with most meals - which given the importance to South East Asian food is no surprise.
Regardless, I chose the BBQ pork chops with white rice.
BBQ Pork with white rice (£5.50)
Unfazed by the food courts growing bustle, Viet Shack’s three-teamed staff stir-fried up my pork at lightning speed.
I found it hard to disguise my genuine surprise at the nicely balanced meal - all for as little as £5.50. In fact, it's the most expensive option on the menu, as most dishes averaged at £3.
The Viet-Shack presented a good sized helping of crispy and spicy pork, drizzled (not smothered) with BBQ sauce, delivered on a fluffy bed of white rice and decorated with a small green salad.
Tucked between curry and burrito joints, Viet-Shack
My BBQ pork was visually appetising in the way most fast and purse friendly places aren’t. My lunch was served up rather than slopped together. I wasn't given a generous helping of oil found in most fast food places – and it was appreciated. Another plus for Viet-Shack.
It was a generous portion, although mostly made up of white rice. Once I gobbled down the pork, I was left with a tray of the white stuff.
More of the well-prepared pork and a bigger helping of chilli ketchup would have gone down perfectly, as most have discovered no matter how well it's cooked, rice on its own is remarkably bland.
Yet that small blip is easy to overlook. The Arndale Food Market has come on leaps and bounds and Viet Shack's fresh, filling and health-conscious food is welcome to the fold.
Follow L'Oréal Blackett on Twitter @LOreal_B
ALL OUR SCORED FOOD REVIEWS ARE IMPARTIAL AND PAID FOR BY MANCHESTER CONFIDENTIAL. REVIEW VISITS ARE UNANNOUNCED AND COMPLETELY INDEPENDENT OF ANY COMMERCIAL RELATIONSHIP.
Viet-Shack, Arndale Food Market, Manchester Arndale, M4 3AH.
Rating: 15/20
Food: 8/10
Service: 4/5
Ambience: 3/5
