A seasoned food critic with thousands of subscribers trekked for miles to taste what Oldham has to offer and said he was 'blown away' by the food.
Ali Khan from Aylesbury has more than 50,000 subscribers to his YouTube channel, Heyman Food Reviews, where he has been documenting some of the best food joints the UK has to offer for the past two years.
However, Ali's passion goes beyond searching for the best cuisine as he said he is committed to helping local businesses thrive by showcasing their "delicious offerings" and giving feedback to restaurants, cafes and takeaways.
His comprehensive reviews assess the quality of the ingredients to the presentation of the dishes themselves as well as the price point.
He has amassed more than 500 reviews under his belt at the time of writing.
Ali said: "I believe that good food should be celebrated and shared.
"Through my reviews, I hope to inspire others to explore the UK's culinary landscape and support local businesses in the process."
So far, Ali has made the 180-mile trip to Oldham 23 times - and here are just some of the places he went to.
Khyber Kebabs, Crossbank Way
Ali said the "hype levels" of Khyber Kebabs were "super high" after he heard the Oldham-based takeaway promises to deliver the "best chapli kebabs outside of Pakistan".
He said the food is cooked fresh in-house, smells "phenomenal" and comes in "ginormous" portions.
Tucking into a lamb karahi, which Ali said was "absolutely delicious" and tender, he then tried the infamous chapli kebab where he was "lost for words".
Meanwhile, he said the lamb kebab on the mixed grill was "banging" and overall found the Crossbank Way takeaway to be leagues above some of the other places he's tried in Manchester.
"This place is too good", Ali added.
Spicy chicken burgers, Union Street
In Ali's next visit to Oldham, he ranks six spicy chicken burgers from different takeaways on Union Street.
Here is what he found:
Georgia Fried Chicken ranked in the top spot with a rating of 9.5 out of 10.
Ali commented on the size of the burger, being like a "hearty dumbbell", and said it was the clear winner in terms of its spice and crunch factor.
Toronto Fried Chicken then came in second with 8.7 out of 10 as Ali said the contender was a "bit of a dark horse" with the chicken being salty and crunchy.
Havana Burgers and Shakes came in third place with a rating of 8.5, followed by its neighbours, Virginia Fried Chicken (8/10), and Rajas (7.5) which Ali found was less spicy and salty compared to the others.
Florida Fried Chicken, however, came in last place with a rating of 7 out of 10.
Tokies, Oldham Road
Ali went along to Tokies in Royton to try the heatwave pizza with a "super unique" kebab crust.
He said it was a "piece of architectural food" though said it was "a little bit on the thin side".
Next up was the UFO pizza with a cheeseburger crust and a variety of burgers, which he found to be "lean and clean", as well as a 'chipizza' - chips with pizza toppings - and a milkshake and Biscoff cheesecake.
"I love it when restaurants try something different in a sea of just burger places and pizza places.
"This is my third trip to Oldham and it is impressing me time and time again.
"I was completely blown away by the pizzas, I enjoyed the burgers, awesome place - Oldham has done it again", Ali added.
Zaraks Grill Lounge, Bottom O' Th' Moor
Ali said he was drawn to try the steaks at Zaraks after hearing from his subscribers from Preston, Bolton, Sheffield and Newcastle who love the Oldham restaurant.
In his review, he said it offered the most "tender mouth-watering lamb" he has ever tried and praised the peppercorn sauce as well as a medium-rare T-bone steak.
Ali commented: "I'm blown away by how tender that meat is.
"The lamb is cooked and seasoned to perfection.
"That is probably one of the best lamb dishes you are going to have up here, 100 per cent.
"That is one of the best steaks I've had up north.
"I feel like it's proper posh in here.
"I can see why people would travel the distance to come here because, frankly, it's worth the drive, man", he added.
Bank Grill, Rochdale Road
Bank Grill, which recently shot to fame on TikTok after its very own Salt Bae - dubbed 'Salt Bhai' - amassed millions of views, was also visited by Heyman Reviews.
Ali tried the chicken mozzarella and a variety of grilled items, including waka waka chicken, naga wings, peri chicken and lamb chops which all went down a treat.
"Nando's who?", he said while reviewing the food.
"Seriously, Oldham has some amazing food joints. The scene here is absolutely epic.
"Can you tell I love this place? I'm considering moving here", Ali said.
To view more of Ali's Oldham food reviews, visit Heyman Food Reviews on YouTube.
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