Celebrity chef Jamie Oliver has found rare Joy Division and New Order master tapes alongside £1.1m worth of guns, gold and jewellery when converting the banking vaults in the former HSBC Midland Bank on King Street into a stunning private dining room at his new Jamie's Italian. The room retains nearly all the original features of the vaults, including the safe deposit boxes if not their contents, which sadly for Jamie, he's had to hand to the Treasury. ~14 Feb
Before he had barely opened the doors to his new Manchester branch of Jamie's Italian, Jamie Oliver was already being courted for a role with Manchester City Council. The exceptionally hard-working yet never media-shy Labour councillor Pat Carney confirmed that he had urged the Town Hall to get in touch with the celebrity chef to join them on projects teaching school children about healthy eating, weight management and the dangers of smoking. ~13 Feb
In 1959 Monsieur Gineste de Saurs bought an Italian restaurant in Paris, called Le Relais de Venise, as an outlet to sell his family's wines. Without a restaurant background, he kept the operation simple, adding a ‘L’Entrecôte’ sign outside and serving just a salad starter followed by steak frites. Little did he know that it would become one of the most celebrated restaurants in the world and a branch would open on Manchester's King Street, 53 years later. Work is underway on the old Armani unit for a spring launch. ~ 9 Feb
Jamie Oliver's highly-anticipated Manchester restaurant
is exclusively giving Restaurants Of Manchester
readers 50% Off food, the week ahead of the official
launch. Jamie's
Italian is set to open to the public
on 20th February, however there is a limited number
of places available for our exclusive preview sessions,
which will give his new team a chance to test drive
the menu in the impressive King Street building.
~9
Feb
Following their sale of Jackson's Wharf to pub operator Brunning and Price, Peel Holdings have now put the adjoining Castle Quay up for sale for £3.4m. Home to Choice Restaurant, Bar Eight cafe, Key 103 radio and, until this year, your very own Restaurants Of Manchester, the beautiful Grade II listed building was built in 1831 by the Manchester Ship Canal Company. As well as a few other offices, the building is also home to a small number of apartments whose residents, including Jason Orange and Mike Harding, successfully campaigned to prevent their landlord demolishing Jackson's Wharf.
~ 1 Feb
Rank has closed down the historic Grosvenor Casino on Whitworth Street on Sunday the 15th January, "because it was no longer commercially viable" and coincides with the launch of their brand new G Casino at Parrs Wood in East Didsbury, which opens on 6th February. They will continue to operate the Grosvenor Casinos at Salford and on Charles Street in Chinatown, together with the G Casino on Bury New Road. Rank had also previously operated the loss-making Hard Rock Casino near The Printworks. ~ 20 Jan
Anybody who has been out and about around town recently, will know how quiet the bars and restaurants have been, with the Manchester Pub & Club Network describing New Year's Eve especially as "bitterly disappointing". There's already some notable closures including Nossa Casa (previously Tropeiro) and Just Chinese Oriental Tapas in The Printworks, whilst Lounge 10 has been closed "for refurbishment" since October, Kro2 gutted before Christmas ahead of a "February" refurb and the recently opened Sirocco in Barton Arcade closed "until March". ~ 9 Jan
After much delay, the date for the most highly-anticipated Manchester restaurant launch in living memory has finally been announced. Jamie Oliver has confirmed the lavish King Street branch of his Jamie's Italian brand will open on 20th February 2012. The popular rustic Italian restaurant will join 23 other branches around the globe, with Liverpool and Leeds being the closest for those desperate to taste Jamie's Tuscan Wild Boar Sausage before then. ~ 13 Jan
The Lowry Outlet, next to The Lowry Theatre in Salford Quays, has announced a record Christmas period with sales up 11% on December 2010.
The factory outlet mall, which is home to 80 stores, a cinema, gym, food court and six restaurants, including Burger King, Bella Italia, Cafe Rouge, Pond Quay, PIzza Express and Lime, also announced that 2011 was a record year with 9% more customers than in 2010. ~ 13 Jan
Piccadilly Gardens is to get a new Nando's Chicken, Zizzi restaurant, Travelodge and Waitrose after an incredible family feud was settled in court. When Michael Noble died in 2006, the Nobles Group, which he co-owned with brother Philip, was split. His wife, Gill, inherited most of the group's properties, including 19-31 Piccadilly, whilst his brother kept all the company's businesses, including Nobles Amusements and Aberdeen Angus Steak House. Following a three year bitter court battle, Gill's property company will evict Philip's amusement arcade from the building on the corner of Oldham Street to make way for the profitable new development. ~ 11 Jan
Travellers to Piccadilly Station will get a nicer welcome to Manchester city centre with the £35m redevelopment of Station Approach. Manchester based property developer Realty Estates are behind the conversion of the iconic Gateway House with work underway to convert the seven upper stories into a 270-bed hotel including an entire floor housing a bar, restaurant and conference facilities. It is expected to open at the end of 2013, with work on redesigning the existing 16 ugly ground floor units to start late in 2012. There will also be a new block built on Ducie Street featuring offices above a retail unit. ~ 10 Jan
The ground floor of King's College in The Northern Quarter (on the opposite side of Stevenson Square from NoHo bar) is set to become Pizza Slice, a pizza restaurant with late night opening ~ 17 Feb 2012
Boltonian upmarket Chinese buffet chain, The Chinese Buffet, has announced ambitious plans to unveil twenty new restaurants in the next five years, including a TCB Express in Manchester city centre ~ 17 Feb 2012
Following their recent Prestwich opening, Didsbury's Istanbul Grill are set to open a third unit with the £400,000 refurbishment of the former Weavers Bar in Cheadle ~ 16 Feb 2012
Pure Space on New Wakefield Street (just off Oxford Road opposite the Palace Hotel) is set to re-open as a newBlackdog Ballroom in May 2012, taking the same concept as its Northern Quarter original. ~ 15th Feb
Due to open in May, No.15 Wine Bar in Alderley Edge is set to become The Botanist, a Living Ventures pub in the same concept as their Spinningfields offering, The Oast House ~ 31 Jan 2012
The manager and three members of staff at Gusto Didsbury were held hostage by a gang of robbers armed with a single-barrelled shotgun and knive, who then fled with "a large amount of cash" ~ 31 Jan 2012
London Indian restaurant chain, ChennaiDosa, are to open their 11th outlet in Stretford Mall ~ 30 Jan 2012
Following a very lengthy refurbishment, Lounge 10 on Tib Street is set to open in time for Valentine's Day with inspiration from Ronnie Scott's Jazz Club in London. It's been closed since September and there are possibly plans to make it a private member's restaurant with an emphasis on live music. ~ 25 Jan 2012
The £80m First Street development opposite Deansgate Locks, which already hosts the council and will be the new home to both the
Cornerhouse Arts Cinema and Library Theatre,
is now set to get a 4 Star Innside
by Melia
Hotel, complete with restaurant and bar. Pending planning permission, work is set to begin on the 208 bed complex in July and will be the first in the brand outside of Spain and Germany ~ 18 Jan 2012
After seeing their plans for a Piccadilly Station branch fall through in October, 1950's Americana themed London chain, Ed's Easy Diner, will now be opening at The Trafford Centre. ~ 11th Jan
Following previous applications for a restaurant, a site reguarly touted to be that of the second Alchemist, 1 New York Street, is set to become a late night bar with the working title of Number 1. Just off Piccadilly Gardens, could it be another Living Ventures outlet, with Grill On New York Street on the same road? ~ 9 Jan
Manchester company Blue Training UK has bought the Bower Hotel in Chadderton, which will also become home to a new
training academy
for
young apprentices looking to work
in hospitality and catering ~ 9 Jan
