Interior and branding studio NoChintz has completed two new commercial projects in Manchester on behalf of the Sparklestreet group of companies, owners of Manchester’s Teacup Kitchen and Proper Tea at Manchester Cathedral.
The Northern Quarter based team has completed projects which required the resources of both its divisions. NoChintz ID, the studio’s branding and graphics offering, completed the brand refresh of Teacup Kitchen and teamed up with the NoChintz interiors team to complete the brand new Proper Tea at Manchester Cathedral.
Proper Tea is owned by Sparklestreet and TV star Yvette Fielding who tasked the team with creating a space that was contemporary yet accommodated the prevalent surrounds of Manchester Cathedral and its visitors centre – in which the tea room is housed.
The interiors team developed the light and airy interiors, collaborating with furniture maker and designer Peter Masters – who had previously worked on the original concept for Teacup Kitchen.
Their initial designs saw the creation of tables and chairs featuring distinct patterns made up
from individually drawn configurations of antique teacup handles and doors, as well as bespoke cabinetry and an innovative tea service area which acts as a focal point as does the black and white flooring that distinguishes the café space. NoChintz also designed an apothecary style counter area on which a multitude of loose-leaf teas are displayed.
Bath Ales invests in Graze Expectations
Independent local brewer, Bath Ales, has unveiled a fresh new look for Graze Bar and Chophouse in central Bristol.
First opened in November 2009, the restaurant was the original of the successful Graze concept – with namesake venues subsequently opened by Bath Ales in Cirencester and Bath. Robin Couling, managing director of Bath Ales, said: “We launched Graze Bristol four years ago to cater for people who enjoy quality food and drink in a contemporary setting.
“It is important to us that we continue to invest to support and extend the success we have seen with a quality proposition like Graze. The refurbishment is intended to update the Bristol location as we’ve refined the concept since it first launched.”
Designed by local business Simple Simon, changes include a complete overhaul of the kitchen and improved seating areas. New bar stools are located by the kitchen to provide additional seating, whilst comfortable banquette seating still dominates.
Alice Bowyer, executive chef at Bath Ales, added: “We’ve updated the kitchen to make it more efficient and functional. The whole Graze concept is based around top quality British meat and this means having the best kitchen equipment as well as sourcing the finest ingredients.”
At the heart of the kitchen is the distinctive Josper oven which is fuelled by charcoal and used to barbeque prime cuts of steak.
The menu has recently been refreshed to include delicacies such as duck hearts on toast with dates and port sauce and smoked haddock kedgeree, cockles, poached egg.
For the full menu click here
About Bath Ales:
Based between Bath and Bristol, Bath Ales is an independent brewery established in 1995 which uses traditional brewing techniques with cutting-edge technology. The business currently produces just over 20,000 brewer’s barrels annually and has had its own bottling plant since 2007.
Bath Ales now operate 11 sites across the South West – Colston Hall, The Hare on the Hill, The Hop Pole, The Salamander, The Swan, The Wellington, Beerd, The Grapes a little bit further afield in Oxford, and three Graze, Brasserie & Chophouse sites in Bath, Bristol and Cirencester. The latest flagship Graze in Bath also features a fully functional microbrewery.
Grade II-listed Pitcher & Piano Nottingham open again
Following an extensive £450,000 refurbishment, Pitcher & Piano Nottingham has re-opened.
Housed inside a deconsecrated Unitarian church in the Lace Market and spread across two levels, Concorde BGW was tasked to overhaul the iconic site whilst being sympathetic to the Grade II-listed surroundings.
Managing Director of Pitcher & Piano, Colin Sadler, says: “The highlight of our refurbishment sees us move the bar to a central island server, drawing vision to the incredible stained glass window opposite as you walk in. The new server will enable us to further improve bar service, and deliver our range of quality cocktails even faster. The dynamics of the bar will also massively improve the dining experience for our customers.”
Other new features at the bar include custom-made light fittings – notably, the oversized, birdcage-inspired light – and crackle-glaze white tiles interspersed with sections of dark oaked parquet flooring and reclaimed timber. Flanked by comfy high chairs, the bar acts as a fresh focal point for the ground floor.
The refurbishment also sees the addition of curved booths near the entrance for smaller group bookings together with new poseur-height communal tables, two baby-blue grand pianos and a low wall that hems in the raised seating area.
There’s a toned-down and stripped-back industrial feel throughout with bespoke metal high stools – commissioned and designed exclusively for Pitcher & Piano – zinc and reclaimed timber tabletops, and filament lamps suspended from a wall-mounted steel conduit via fabric-covered cables.
Distressed finishes, vintage mirrored panels and shabby, mismatched chairs add to the motif, while one-off pieces of furniture such as a Louis-style armchair in metallic turquoise leather and quirky metal stacking chairs provide character.
Revamped menu + sharing cocktails
The refurbishment will set the scene for Pitcher & Piano Nottingham to become one of the city’s premier dining destinations, with a revamped all-day menu that elevates British comfort-food classics with fresh, seasonal ingredients. A rotating ‘Food We Love At The Moment’ section will highlight culinary trends from hot-dogs and spicy fried buttermilk chicken through to pulled pork burritos.
Catering as much to cocktail connoisseurs as it does wine-lovers, the drinks list that has been devised for Pitcher & Piano Nottingham will include classic and sharing cocktails, while the bar will also feature an impressive choice of top-shelf spirits, local ales and a well-sourced wine list.
Managing director Colin concludes: “We are delighted to be investing in Pitcher & Piano Nottingham, and have recently announced our plans to acquire more sites for our premium bar brand. We are currently looking for more sites across the UK.”
Pitcher & Piano Nottingham, The Unitarian Church, High Pavement, Nottingham, NG1 1HN
0115 958 6081
For more information click here
The Lost & Found wins in DesignMyNight Awards 2014
The Lost & Found has been awarded ‘Best Bar’ in Birmingham in the DesignMyNight Awards 2014. Voted for by the public, the bar and restaurant beat off stiff competition, with well over 5,000 entries received.
DesignMyNight, the UK’s fastest growing online lifestyle discovery guide describes The Lost & Found as ‘one of the most imaginative in the city’ with ‘some of the most creative concoctions, luxe interiors and Birmingham’s only hidden bar.’
Located in a stunning Grade II listed Victorian building and open seven days a week from breakfast through to lunch and dinner, the imaginative menu is full of seasonal produce with an emphasis on hearty main courses and boasts an array of innovative cocktails, premium spirits, craft beers and an extensive wine list.
Managing Director, Colin Sadler says: “We’re honoured to have received this accolade, particularly as it was voted for by the public. This is a true reflection of the quality of the design as well as the creative food and drink menus. We’re pleased that guests are enjoying the experience as much as we had hoped and are delighted that we have successfully introduced a fresh new concept to Birmingham.”
The Lost & Found, 8 Bennetts Hill, Birmingham B2 5RS
For more information click here
Debenhams Oxford Street: hospitality transformed
The Debenhams’ £25 million comprehensive refurbishment of its Oxford Street store has transformed its overall offering – including three new hospitality areas that mark a strong break with the past, and may come to be regarded by both customers and management as the ‘jewels in the crown’, helping to take the in-store experience to a much higher level.
In common with many other individual stores and shopping centres in the UK, the Food Services team at Debenhams – led by its Director, John Baker – has been studying the demographics of its customer base, as well as the examples set by stores and shopping centres elsewhere. Hospitality is well known to help to retain shoppers and therefore footfall, not only delivering revenue in its own right, but also in other parts of the retail environment.
The three new hospitality areas in Oxford Street seek to address the needs of both current shoppers throughout the store, and those of new or future shoppers – and it’s likely, of course, that the hospitality on offer will influence and attract new shoppers. And, if the offers deliver, they could even attract customers as a hospitality destination in their own right. The stakes, therefore, are high.
As can be seen from the atrium (above), the store has a fresh, up-to-date new style, and the new restaurant, café and bistro have been designed to complement that look, taking Debenhams’ in-store hospitality experience to a new level, seeking to be the best that London has to offer.
Lower Ground – W1 Bistro
Nestled amongst a new oasis for women on the department store’s basement floor, the W1 Bistro offers modern design features, informal table service, and a relaxing but stylish environment in which to enjoy food and drink.
The refreshment aims to be well-presented, light, healthy and tasty, even aspirational. Alongside an exclusive wine and cocktail list, the menu offers such contemporary dishes as crispy salt & pepper squid with a lime aioli, oak smoked salmon on sourdough with salsa verde, and a grilled halloumi, almond and courgette ribbon salad.
Though it’s still being carefully analysed to ensure it meets customer requirements, it’s clear already that customers are attracted to this area and the food – not to mention drinks – on offer.
Café on 2
A quick escalator ride up to the second floor finds a new hospitality area – Café on 2. Positioned alongside young fashion, this space delivers relaxed café style service, with multiple access points to the service counter ensuring service within two minutes.
Again with contemporary, relaxed styling to suit the fashion around it, it celebrates London’s dynamic food culture and takes inspiration from the best in artisan street markets, putting the emphasis on flavour and freshness.
In addition to premium tea and coffee and artisan pastries, menu highlights include creamy fish pie, delicious lamb hot pot, and savoury snacks like oven baked sausage rolls.
Digital menus also feature, encouraging shoppers to take a quick, enjoyable coffee break or a light lunch at their leisure.
Restaurant on 5
Debenhams’ Restaurant has truly been elevated – not just from its old location on the second floor up to fifth, but by a transformational visual, service and menu upgrade.
Re-created with families, children and tourists in mind, visitors can now enjoy a bright, spacious restaurant with contemporary fixtures & furniture (see above and below).
It remains a self-service restaurant, but the layout has been specifically designed to guarantee customers a smooth and swift service. For example coffee, tea and other drinks are available at every counter allowing for just one counter stop, and large digital menus on the back bars of each station make selection easy.
As well as an aesthetic overhaul, the menu has been re-created, using local and fresh produce wherever possible and a rigorous focus on quality. At the same time, there is food aimed specifically to suit children, whilst the overall menu aims to celebrate the ‘high notes’ of British cuisine.
John Baker, Director of Food Services, comments: “The 5th floor restaurant is a celebration of British culinary history and heritage, with an emphasis on iconic dishes both British visitors and tourists love.
“Fish has always been one of our best sellers so we’ve created a Fish & Chip Shop where fresh plaice, cod, scampi and salmon fishcakes will be available with thick-cut chips and mushy peas!
“Whether it’s a traditional English breakfast, a fruit scone with tea or a Sunday roast, customers can expect to find all the British classics on offer.”
The new restaurant seats over 250 people, with a range of service points – such as the (very popular) carvery counter, and the traditional fish and chips counter. But it’s not all ‘hearty’ food: there’s soups, a bespoke salad bar, and a bakery all offering quality hospitality.
Coffee on Ground
At the end of March, the hospitality facilities will be completed with the opening of a Coffee offering on the ground floor. This will be very much a ‘grab and go’ outlet: pastries, salads and more on offer to store customers and local workers or visitors.
What next for foodservice in Debenhams?
Debenhams investment in these hospitality services demonstrates not only that it recognises the profitable opportunity that foodservice offers in attracting customers and revenue in its own right, but also the additional or retained footfall that it delivers to the store as a whole.
The three (soon to be four) hospitality offerings are supported by a food development team that seeks to keep them attractive and therefore compelling for visitors – both as relaxing environments, and as enjoyable food and beverage offerings. The early evidence suggests that this ambition is being realised, and that Debenhams can now compete with rival offerings not just in Oxford Street, but in the wider area.
Oxford Street, of course, is a unique shopping destination: the mixture of traditional Debenhams customers, families and tourists is not replicated in other Debenhams stores. Which means that care must be taken in applying the experience and lessons from Oxford Street to other locations. Nonetheless, we can expect to see some of the successes and efficiencies spreading to other stores in the future as Debenhams seeks to replicate the hospitality successes of Oxford Street across the Group.
Margaux – South Kensington’s new haunt
Following a successful launch period, margaux has now officially opened its doors. Located in the heart of South Kensington, this new venture offers a menu of European classics, delivered with a unique and modern twist and complemented by an equally impressive wine selection.
The margaux concept is the creation of co-owners Sylvia Kontek and Vittorio Monge. These much-travelled epicureans have channelled their passion into creating both a local retreat and a destination venue for all London’s wine and food lovers.
Head chef Xavier Castella Vilamajo, who honed his craft at culinary legends like Zuma, Spice Market, Iberica and elBulli, has created a menu of signature fare, together with his own take on much-loved favourites, many of which are wine-based.
Diners can feast on sumptuous starters such as pork terrine with white grape reduction and seared foie gras with toasted brioche, pear, vanilla & port reduction. These are followed by the likes of line caught monkfish, smoked eggplant, macadamia snow & lime, together with slow-cooked dishes like duck leg confit and margaux beef bourguignon (with Bordeaux in place of the usual Burgundy) and finally poached pear in red wine with homemade vanilla ice cream.
Created with only the finest and freshest seasonal ingredients, menus change according to the season, with dishes varying on a weekly basis.
Providing the backdrop against which to enjoy margaux’s food and wine is a strikingly industrial setting by renowned interior designers Brinkworth, whose portfolio includes the Michelin star Dabbous.
Stark and contemporary, margaux is characterised by a liberal use of organic features and textures across both its floors. Exposed brick and pipework abound, while the restaurant is lit by exposed filament Edison light bulbs and mismatched lampshades suspended from tiered wrought iron chains. This bold aesthetic gives the restaurant and bar a freshness and vibrancy that sets it apart from some of the more over-the-top venues found in this neck of the woods.
margaux also offers an 11-cover bar for more casual dining, together with a stylish private dining room accommodating up to 20 people for dinners, parties, launches and wine tastings. For larger events, the whole downstairs dining area can be hired out exclusively.
152 Old Brompton Road, London, SW5 0BE
For more information click here