Recipefiesta

With the Manchester international festival starting this week, we pick restaurants and street food venues to fuel the brain after all that culture

Starting on Thursday and running until 18 July, the Manchester international festival will see the city come alive with cultural activity. The central Festival Square will showcase good food too, from operators such as Neapolitan-style pizza perfectionists Honest Crust and high-quality chef and producer collective Eat Well MCR. But what of refuelling options across Manchester? Here are 10 standouts, from takeaways to ambitious restaurant dining.

BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir is a Hindu place of worship that draws people from all walks of life to its breathtaking building. While its design alone is impressive, the construction of the mandir is even more noteworthy. 

If you're driving on the 427 passed Finch Avenue you can't miss the stunning white structure that looks like it's straight out of a fairytale book. 

You can see the BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir from Hwy. 427. Photo by BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir.

According to BAPS Swaminarayan Sanstha, it took 1,800 craftsmen from all over India to hand-carve the 24,000 pieces of stone that the mandir is made of. 

The entire thing was assembled in just 18 months by 400 BAPS volunteers, without the use of any steel, metal or reinforced concrete. 

All of the stone used in the mandir was hand-carved in India and shipped to Canada in pieces. Photo by BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir.

It opened in July of 2007

The mandir is made completely out of Turkish limestone, Indian pink sandstone and Italian marble. The intricate pieces were made to perfectly fit one another, with the heaviest stone weighing 5.6 tonnes and the smallest just 50 grams.

As the first of its kind in Canada, the BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir recieved a lot of attention during its opening in July of 2007.

An intricate ceiling design inside of the mandir. Photo by BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir.

Toronto media companies called it an architectural masterpiece, a monument to faith and a symbol of the country's diversity.

"The $40 million temple is an architectural wonder. The walls, pillars and ceiling consist of intricately crafted designs and statues. Under yesterday's gleaming sun, it looked like a sparkling crystal palace," the Toronto Star reported after the opening. 

The complex is made up of the Hindu mandir, haveli (the cultural centre) and a heritage museum. 

Inside of the haveli, the cultural centre of the complex. Photo by BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir.

The mandir is a place where visitors can practice and experience Hinduism and the heritage museum showcases Indo-Canadian history and culture.

It follows sacred architecture standards

Its unique stone and marble design was built according to principles laid out in Hindu texts describing standards of sacred architecture called 'Shilpa Shastras.' 

Nearly every inch of the building features carved deities representing different Hindu virtues. Animals such as elephants, peacocks and horses were all carefully carved into the stone. 

The BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir was the first of its kind in Canada. Photo by BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir.

According to the BAPSChannel, the living source of inspiration for this mandir is the spiritual guru and current leader of BAPS, Mahant Swami Maharaj.

It was with the help of the rest of the BAPS community and loyal volunteers that the structure was completed so quickly.

They assisted in planning, scheduling, polishing stones and in any other way they could. On July 22, 2007 all of their work was realized when BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir was opened to the public. 

Before COVID-19, the mandir drew in visitors from all over the country. Photo by BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir.

Politicians from every party attended the opening ceremony, including Prime Minister Stephen Harper, Toronto Mayor David Miller, Liberal Leader Stéphane Dion and NDP Leader Jack Layton.

Since its opening, the mandir became known for hosting festivals, celebrations and a variety of activities. It welcomed children, students, adults and the elderly through its doors for over a decade.

Unfortunately, like many institutions, it was forced to shut down due to the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Intricately designed columns can be seen throughout the mandir. Photo by BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir. 

It served as a COVID-19 vaccination clinic

According to their website, all buildings and services are closed until further notice to ensure the safety of all visitors, congregants and volunteers.

In the fight to help stop the spread of COVID-19, the BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir turned into the site of Ontario’s first COVID-19 vaccine pop-up clinic in a hotspot neighbourhood in April.

In April, BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir turned into a COVID vaccination centre. Photo by BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir.

BAPS Charities partnered with The Ministry of Health, Toronto Public Health and William Osler Health system to operate the clinic, with a goal of vaccinating 15,000 people.

While the COVID-19 pandemic is still forcing BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir to remain closed to the public, the beautiful building awaits a time when it can once again be filled with people. 

Julia Yang started her baking journey when she was only three years old, now she is twenty-four and making the most elaborate custom cakes.

From intricate creations of anime characters like Nezuko from the Demon Slayer, Gojo Satoru from Jujutsu Kaisen and Sailor Moon to wedding and baby shower cakes - Yang has an impressive eye for detail. 

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by 🏳️‍🌈🎂 Julia 🎂🏳️‍🌈 (@cakejuliacake)

Yang started to bake from a young age with her mother for Sunday service at church. She started to help by gathering ingredients then mixing and eventually taking over. 

Julia Yang told blogTO that, "As I got older I wanted to include more cake decorations and incorporate a more creative aspect. I tried my best to learn how to decorate cakes by watching a lot of videos online, reading books and testing out lots of recipes." 

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by 🏳️‍🌈🎂 Julia 🎂🏳️‍🌈 (@cakejuliacake)

Yang went to Ryerson University for Business but after a year of her parents seeing it wasn't her passion they encouraged her to follow her baking ambitions and take a course in baking or culinary instead. 

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by 🏳️‍🌈🎂 Julia 🎂🏳️‍🌈 (@cakejuliacake)

She then went to George Brown College and studied culinary and interestingly enough, the savoury techniques she learned in her program could be applied to her baking. 

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by 🏳️‍🌈🎂 Julia 🎂🏳️‍🌈 (@cakejuliacake)

"I wanted to apply the techniques that I would learn from savoury and apply it to sweet," said Yang.  

She explains that she uses the same technique as making pasta for her baking. "I create a well for the wet ingredients and gradually incorporate it into the dry ingredients -  except I mix in a bowl and not on a slab of wood."  

Prior to the pandemic, Yang was working as a server at the airport. When everything started to shut down she had more time to focus on her craft and use what she learned in her business and culinary program and apply it to her cake business. 

The average cake Yang sells goes for about $160, however, on the lowest end they sell for $85 and can go up to $350, depending on how elaborate the cake is and how expensive the decor adds up to.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by 🏳️‍🌈🎂 Julia 🎂🏳️‍🌈 (@cakejuliacake)

All custom cakes are entirely one-of-a-kind and freestyled, "It takes about 5 to 8 hours to create each cake and I don't sketch it out, I just research the character or idea before getting started then I create on-the-fly as I go."  

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by 🏳️‍🌈🎂 Julia 🎂🏳️‍🌈 (@cakejuliacake)

On average she receives over twenty-five inquiries a week however, "I only accept half of those orders on a first come first serve basis so I can ensure that each cake gets the love and time that it deserves." 

Order requests can be made by sending Yang a direct message on Instagram or emailing her. By the end of July, she will have an online forum to make the process a bit more seamless. 

Yang reveals her long-term goal is to open a cafe with her sister Lucia Yang where cakes, slices, specialty drinks and more will be available. 

Get ready to make a splash, Toronto's biggest waterpark, Wet 'n' Wild is opening on Thursday, July 7! 

All the park's beloved attractions including the Bermuda Triangle, Typhoon, Krazy Kanuck and the Oh Canada! will be ready for visitors to experience. 

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Wet'n'Wild Toronto (@wetnwildtoronto)

Director of Sales and Marketing at Wet 'n'Wild, Susan Kruizinga told blogTO that "The only thing that will be different this year from other years will be all of the COVID safety protocols. We will be taking reservations, have reduced capacity and masks will have to be worn in common areas." 

Common areas include the entry of the park, washroom facilities, retail stores and when social distancing isn't possible, otherwise, a mask is not required.  A mask is also not required in the water or on the slides. 

Capacity will be at 25 per cent, allowing 1500 people in the park at a time. 

Due to the chlorine in the pool and slides, the facility is constantly being disinfected, making the waterpark the perfect post-pandemic summer activity. 

"We were hit pretty hard financially having to be closed for sixteen months. We're hoping that opening the gates and letting people come and enjoy the park will be enough," said Kruizinga. 

The waterpark was closed last year and plans to bring back events and all the extras next year. 

Reservations are highly encouraged and can be booked online. 

As has been the case numerous other times when lockdown restrictions in the GTA have eased (or before they go into effect), malls in and around Toronto were absolutely packed on Wednesday as the province entered Step 2 of its new 3-step reopening plan at 12:01 a.m.

Yorkdale mall has had a line up since before 6:30am 🥲 good luck my fellow mall friends

— Daniella T (@daniellersXO) June 30, 2021

Accounts of bonkers lineups to get into stores and the malls themselves — including as early as 6:30 a.m., well before opening — have abounded on social media, along with general complaints of crowds eager to get their shop on for the first time in months.

Yorkdale ... lines everywhere...🥺😩😩

— rakua🦋 (@rondaah__) June 30, 2021

It seems that Yorkdale has unsurprisingly been the worst culprit as far as lines and hoardes of shoppers are concerned, with many lending their condolences to anyone who has the misfortune of working there today. 

Yorkdale is packed omg.

— t. (@tsvhai) June 30, 2021

Malls across Ontario were shuttered yet again on April 8 as part of the blanket emergency brake shutdown, after only having been open in regions such as Toronto and Peel for just one month following the previous bout of lockdown.

Drove past Yorkdale and the parking lot looks like fucking Christmas. At 1pm on a Wednesday. Smfh. Y’all need to relax

— Jessica (@_JESSICAVIDAL_) June 30, 2021

Though "non-essential" retailers were permitted to open their doors to customers again when Step 1 of reopening began on June 11, those without their own entrances to outside — so, most stores in malls — had to remain closed.

Theres a long ass line outside to get into Yorkdale I’ve never made a u turn so fast 😭

— meg ♡ (@megaancostaa) June 30, 2021

The new rules for recently-opened shopping centres include 25 per cent capacity limits for stores specializing in "non-essential" goods (the majority of mall stores) and 50 per cent capacity limits for those who sell primarily "essential" goods, a limit on music volume, a moratorium on loitering, and mandated closures of food courts aside from takeout services.

Y’all don’t come to Yorkdale today. It’s giving black friday vibes and ion like det.

— #FTBLILBOOTY (@__Liyaah) June 30, 2021

Like in earlier iterations of staged lockdown, many malls have also closed off certain entrances, are screening all customers for COVID-19 symptoms, and are employing apps to help manage lineups and plan shopping trips in advance.

Hopefully, for all of our sake, the bustle will ease once the novelty of these attractions opening up again has worn off in the coming days.

Queer Toronto-based artist Tafari Anthony has been singing and making music since he was just a kid growing up in Pickering, Ontario.

It wasn’t until the release of his newest EP last year that he felt his soulfully energetic pop songs truly represented what was going on inside himself.

“As much as I can be scared to do things with music that seem too Queer, I just have to put my reservations aside for the greater good of releasing music that is honest — and that's the majority of the reason why my last EP did so well,” Anthony said.
After taking a break from the industry in 2018 to work on music that was more true to himself, Anthony's epic 2020 return was solidified with his latest EP, The Way You See Me.

The album features six songs about love, relationships, life’s hardships, and finding self-identity and worth in a world where most people feel they need to blend in to be happy.

“No Good", arguably the most emotionally raw track on the album, is refreshingly relatable. Its music video is an intimate look into Anthony’s personal life and shows his first on-screen kiss with another man — something he describes as a scary thing to do as a Queer artist.

“It was scary as f*ck, I'm not going to lie, but I was able to be free,” he said.

The soulful lyrics are about that oh-so-relatable experience of falling for someone who is a thrill to be with but ultimately bad for you. Toward the middle of the song, Anthony’s obviously well-trained voice soars.

“I seem to attract people who need help, but some people only want you when they need you,” he said.

It's a track Anthony said he didn’t think would become so popular, but it resonated strongly with a lot of fans.

“People keep coming back to ‘No Good’ because it's honest and real and about what people have dealt with. The whole purpose of music and writing and being creative is to reach people.”

It’s this kind of collaboration with other artists on various projects that inspires Anthony’s creative process the most, and something he’s looking forward to continuing as an openly Queer person.

In the past, he would approach sessions with his guard up and act differently so as not to out himself.

“Now I just go to sessions and people know who I am. If you're not down with it, peace. I don't need to work with you. Being more open, not caring what people think and being myself has allowed the right people to gravitate toward me,” he said.

This year Anthony was one of a handful of Queer Toronto artists showcased on a virtual concert variety show for Pride Toronto 2021, called Basket Full of Queers.

Anthony also has some exciting remixes in the works with Denise De’ion, Lincoln Baio, NAWMS, LAGO and Michael Ticar with a release date sometime this August.

The idea of having studio, acoustic and remixed versions of each project he creates allows Anthony to share his musical influences growing up and love of multiple genres.

“I feel like the remixes are a great way to pay homage to Queer spaces by making the music more upbeat and more traditionally Queer,” Anthony said.

“It also gives me the opportunity to bring in other creatives that can infuse their experiences and sounds into the work, which is exciting and fun for me to see how they hear things, based on my work.”

Reflecting back over the pandemic and 2020, Anthony sees it as a blessing, allowing him to hunker down at home and focus on collaborative passion projects one at a time, instead of saying yes to every project that comes his way at once.

“I have to allow myself to push past self-doubt, I don't need to do so much, the priority needs to be on my mental health and pursuing my own happiness.”

Anthony is donating a portion of vinyl sales for The Way You See Me to Supporting Our Youth (SOY) Toronto, an organization providing services to Queer youth who are coming out in difficult situations.

We all know that Toronto's real estate market is painfully exorbitant, but one new condo listing is giving even the wealthiest, most-eager-for-a-bidding-war prospective buyers a run for their money — although not intentionally.

The one-bedroom, one-bathroom unit on a lower-level of a townhouse at 208 Niagara Street is decent size for one person (somewhere betwen 600 and 699 square feet), has a recently-renovated bathroom and even a fairly-sized outdoor terrace to enjoy the summer on.

Unfortunately, it hit the market on Friday with a listing price that made it unaffordable to, well, basically everyone (with the exception of Jeff Bezos).

Apparently, the agent at CBRE Limited who created the listing made the mistake (or joke) of adding an extra few zeros to the price, putting it at a staggering $670,000,000.

The error was corrected on June 25, as indicated a price change notice that knocked off $669,330,000, leaving the unit on the market for the far more reasonable — albeit arguably still a bit too expensive —$670,000.

The new price will surely garner significantly more authentic interest  than the owners must have seen in the past few days with such a ridiculous initial price.

Let's just hope that there will never be a day where Toronto's notoriously hot market will never get so hectic that a few hundred million for a residential property is considered normal.