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Man City star’s wife Ilkay Gundogan blasted after calling Manchester restaurants ‘awful’
Sergeant Emily
The wife of one of Manchester City’s star players has come under fire after taking a swipe at restaurants in the city and calling them ‘awful’.
Sara Arfaoui – who is the wife of Manchester City midfielder and club captain İlkay Gündoğan – took to social media this week to offer her thoughts on Manchesteris a thriving, ever-expanding, and much-loved hotel community in response to a fan who asked her to list some of her favorite places to grab a bite to eat in the city.
The model and TV presenter is known to be an avid foodie herself, so it’s no surprise fans want to hear what she has to say about the Food and drink scene in his new hometown.
What seems to have shocked people, however, is that she’s not really a fan of what’s on offer here.
In response to a question during a Q&A on her Instagram Stories yesterday, Sara explained, “Sorry…I’m sad to be honest but nothing.
“I tried so hard to find a good restaurant but… terrible food everywhere.
“Can’t find real Italian or good sushi or just fresh food… everything frozen. The restaurants here only focus on making money with drinks and shots like nightclubs, not quality food.
“Maybe in London but in Manchester nothing. I am sorry.”
Given that we Mancs aren’t too fond of anyone leaving our beloved city, Sara’s comments were met with a flurry of backlash from Manchester restaurateurs, industry figures and of the legion of devoted foodies – all of whom fought back. in line with their own views throughout the day and urged the public figure to reconsider what she said.
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Not only that, but famed food critic Jay Rayner even waded into the argument.
“It’s a ridiculous point of view,” Rayner said.
“Manchester is full of brilliant, independent restaurants. This is an absolute gem of a place to eat and reviews like this during tough economic times are not helpful to businesses struggling to make ends meet.
An anonymous local restaurant owner even contacted Sara herself to ask her to clarify some of the comments she made, according to reports in The Sun, saying: “There are so many great restaurants in Manchester. I suggest you do your research before you speak. And only because your husband is a footballer and you have money and you’ve probably paid for it all and a good life is offered to you here in Manchester.
“You should be grateful for that, instead of firing restaurants.”
To this challenge however, the 27-year-old model – who wed the footballer earlier this year in May – probably didn’t give the answer the restaurant owner was looking for and decided to double down on his comments, explaining: “So because that we are successful people, we can’t give an honest opinion?
“I’ve tried all the best restaurants here but for me it’s a no. I can not lie. Unfortunately, I’m used to Italy, so you can imagine it’s hard to compare.
She added, however, that Manchester is “a great city” with “great people” – but “not for the restaurants”.
Featured Image – Sara Gundogan (by Instagram)
