THE recent Cup North Manchester Coffee Festival was wired proof that our enthusiasm for the Bean shows no sign of abating. That’s why two of our best local coffee houses feel confident enough to expand their city centre outlets.
Grindsmith’s upcoming venture in Bridge Street looks the more spectacular, cladding the exterior of the former Sundowners Travel Centre at No.62 with a colourful Arts and Crafts-inspired crystal mosaic. They’ll occupy the ground floor, offering their own-roasted coffee and a brunch roster when it opens early in 2019. The upper three floors will be home to cool work units, created by landlords Watch This Space – and a bushy looking roof garden.
Centrepiece of the new space will be a horseshoe shaped bar area, a living plant wall and a 'theatre kitchen'.
Co-founder Luke Tomlinson said: “The store has been designed with fantastic service and experience in mind. We wanted to treat our customers to a stunning environment that feels very different to anything they’ve had elsewhere in the city where they can still enjoy all their favourite Grindsmith classics.”
These will include stacked buttermilk pancakes, power bowls and breakfasts, from Full English to vegan.
Grindsmith began in 2013 as a five by three metre wooden pod on Greengate Square, followed by a coffee trike, then coffeeshops on Deansgate and more recently MediaCityUK.
Fellow coffee and brunch specialists Federal are planning to open their second branch on Deansgate early in the New Year – at No.94, next door to recently opened Manahatta. It will have twice the capacity of the original up on Nicholas Croft near Shudehill Bus Station
All day brunch dishes will include French toast, banana bread, eggs Benedict and – yep got it in one – smashed avocado and eggs. Reflecting winter, there will be comfort options such as hazelnut and cacao porridge, with toasted hazelnuts, dark chocolate and poached pears.
A favourite special of ours we hope makes the transition is the roasted butternut pumpkin crostini with rocket pearl, pomegranate, pickled cabbage, whipped marinated tofu and oat cream, topped with pumpkin and sunflower seeds (pictured above).
But if it’s all about the coffee for you, zoom in on their range of single origin coffees from London’s Ozone roasters. As at Nicholas Croft, also on offer will be raft beers, natural wines and cocktails.
