That’d be Manchester’s “curry cafes”, in the Northern Quarter.
Originally set up as lunchtime “works canteens” for the asian workers in the district’s garment industry. South asians were the “incomers” in the 60s and 70s, taking over from significant Jewish communities working in the area who had arrived mainly in the mid-late 19th century. My father spent all his working life employed by one of the garment wholesalers (they specialised in women’s coats). It was an obvious trade development from Manchester’s cotton industry - not for nothing was the city known as “Cottonopolis” in the late 19th/early 20th century. However, I digress from the food.
So, we have a number of back street eating places which now mainly cater at lunchtime to the current Anglo workers in the area. Very “divey” - more or less clean, if you know what I mean. And the thing to order is the “rice and three” - big plate of rice and your choice of three curries from the seven or eight on offer each day. Priced at around £5, it’s the city’s bargain food.
The “This & That” is probably the best known - https://www.thisandthatcafe.co.uk/ .
That’s “this & that” as in “I’ll have some of this and some of that, please” My favourite is the tiny “Little Aladdin” which has about 3 tables and is entirely vegan - [Manchester, city centre] Little Aladdin
