ONE year old this weekend and The Refuge by Volta is still a hive of activity inside The Principal Hotel. In the heart of theatre land with The Palace next door and HOME just down the road they’ve introduced a Pre-Theatre Menu.
Available Monday to Friday, from 12pm-6.45pm, the offer is six ‘Voltini’ small plates plus a carafe of wine for £45 a head, for a minimum of two people.
Meanwhile, if you want to join in its birthday celebrations, check out ‘Refuge Is One’ this Saturday (September 30). There’ll be a free entry Courtyard party from 4pm-10pm with The Unabombers on the decks from start to finish, while the bar will feature Refuge fave DJs James Holroyd and Will Tramp from 3pm-1am.
Plus there are performances from Cha Cha Boudoir, along with birthday treats and surprises, special cocktails, craft beers and to whet your whistle on entry The Refuge will be offering a free drink courtesy of Beefeater Gin, to be redeemed here. There will also be a ticketed event, held in The Refuge Basement, when Electric Chair Presents welcome Gilles Peterson.
Over the past year Unabombers Justin Crawford and Luke Cowdrey, who curate The Refuge, have linked up with Spanish restaurant Levanter and chef Robert Owen Brown (remember the Manchester Kebab? and are in collab mode again during Manchester Food and Drink Festval when they share the Mayfield Depot stage with the team behind acclaimed Didsbury bistro Hispi on Thursday, October 5.
There are still tickets available, at £55 – buy them here – for Hispi Meets The Unabombers, a music meets food experiment like no other.
The Refuge, Principal Hotel, Oxford Road, Manchester, M60 7HA. 0161 2281111.