When Eric Bailly chose to celebrate his birthday in style with a whole load of his Manchester United team-mates earlier this month, they beat a well-trodden path to one of Manchester's most popular footballer haunts. For Eric and his Reds pals including Marcus Rashford, Jadon Sancho and Juan Mata all headed to one of the city's hidden foodie gems - Zouk Tea Bar and Grill just off Oxford Road.
The luxe Indian restaurant has become something of a hotspot for footballers and visiting superstars over the years. Its more secluded location on the edge of the city has leant itself to become a more private dining spot for some of the most famous faces in the world who've dined there - including the likes of music icons Drake and Rihanna.
Indeed Drake was so keen on Zouk's cheese naan and chilo kebab when he booked out the entire venue on his 2017 visit that staff decided to make them house specials on the menu ever since. But Zouk bosses say they can trace back their starting point as a celebrity hotspot to when one particular footballer started to frequent there.
