Zumuku Sushi, Ply pizza and ‘native beef’ steakhouse Tallow to open at New Century food hall
The New Century food hall will host six of the North’s best independent food operators as well as a coffee and a grab ‘n’ go concept when it opens later this month
It was once an iconic concert hall played by rockstars like Jimi Hendrix and The Rolling Stones. Now, after almost a decade of disuse, the former live-music venue New Century Hall is being brought back to life once again (with a slightly different name).
Following a £10 million redevelopment it will reopen in full later this September, but for now all the focus is on the 300-cover food hall which will spill outside onto Sadler’s Yard for al fresco dining, drinking and regular events.
Adam Reid of The French, Altrincham Market House favourite Bahn Vi and father-and-son duo BaoBros23 have already been confirmed as tenants, with the former getting us very excited about a salt-of-the-earth butty shop inspired by childhood visits to the bakery.
Now, the New Century team has announced the next three eateries coming on board to complete its full foodie line up.
Offering a mix of casual dining options, New Century bosses have revealed that popular Northern Quarter pizzeria Ply and Wilmslow sushi favourites Zumuku Sushi will both join the ground floor kitchens alongside Tallow, a ‘native beef’ steakhouse and burger concept from classically trained chef Tom Lowe.
Each will bring something different to the site, with PLY exploring ‘wild pizzas’ as part of a collaboration with the planet-saving flour company Wildfarmed.
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Firing everything in a custom-built pizza oven at the helm of New Century’s ground floor, chef Carl Fraenki-Retti has developed his recipe using their biodynamic flour to create a 24-hour slow proved dough which forms the basis of a vibrant menu.
Meanwhile, chef Tom Lowe will draw from the great steakhouses of the UK and Europe and his passion for well bred, native beef at new opening Tallow. Working with 28 day aged beef from local butchers, diners can expect to find high quality steaks, burgers and sides.
And last but definitely not least, Zumuku Sushi will bring its authentic, fresh sushi and other Japanese favourites to the food hall.
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Already hugely popular in Wilmslow, this will be the first Manchester city centre site for Zumuku. Sushi chef Benjie did two years of training in Japan, before moving to the UK and taking the plunge in 2018 to set up the first Zumuku takeaway. Now he has seven in total across Greater Manchester.
Alongside the roster of food traders, diners will find a full bar offering with local beers, wines, a creative cocktail menu and artisan coffees, teas, juices and smoothies all available.
As well as the kitchens, music and events venue above, the ground floor will be home to Access Creative College.
New Century will be home to the college’s third site in the city with degree-level courses in music, games and computing delivered by the innovative educational provider, DBS Institute.
The state-of-the-art creative campus will include a media centre, production pods and the opportunity to experience work in a live venue within the same building.
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Co-op Live confirms cancellations caused by part of air conditioning unit ‘falling from ceiling’
Daisy Jackson
The Co-op Live arena has confirmed the cause of tonight’s last-minute gig cancellation and subsequent postponement of future shows.
Reports said that an object had ‘fallen from the ceiling’ before doors to the public officially opened.
Co-op Live has now confirmed that ‘a component of the air conditioning system’ separated from the ductwork, and stressed that no one was injured.
A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie, the artist who was meant to perform tonight, had said that ‘something happened with the venue while I was at soundcheck today’.
Oak View Group, which owns the venue, said that it had ‘made the necessary call to ensure the full safety of all visitors to the venue to postpone the performance’.
Tim Leiweke, Chairman and CEO of Oak View Group said: “The safety and security of all visiting and working on Co-op Live is our utmost priority, and we could not and will not run any event until it is absolutely safe to do so.
“Today was a very unexpected situation but without a doubt the right decision.
“I deeply apologise for the impact that this has had on ticket holders and fans.”
It’s believed that the issue with the HVAC system was an isolated incident ’caused by a factory defect’.
Co-op Live said: “We were not able to verify that all similar nozzles were free of such defects.
“In conjunction with wider stakeholders, Oak View Group has made the necessary call to ensure the full safety of all visitors to the venue, and to postpone the performance.”
The rest of the nozzles inside the huge arena will now be tested for similar defects.
They said in a statement: “We understand the need to reassure fans over future shows. We are working with artist management and promoters to limit the impact on the opening season schedule.
“Where necessary, we will identify alternate dates, and will continually reassess to provide fans with sufficient notice regarding imminent shows.
“Should shows be cancelled or rescheduled, fans will be contacted by their point of purchase and offered a full refund where preferred.”
Olivia Rodrigo’s two Manchester shows at Co-op Live have been postponed
Daisy Jackson
Olivia Rodrigo’s shows at Co-op Live in Manchester have been postponed after a night of drama for the new arena.
The star was meant to bring her GUTS Tour to the city on Friday and Saturday night.
But the huge 23,500-capacity arena has now confirmed that both of these gigs will be postponed.
New dates will be announced as soon as they’re confirmed.
Co-op Live said in a statement: “Due to an on-going venue-related technical issue, the scheduled performances of Olivia Rodrigo’s GUTS World Tour on 3rd and 4th May are being postponed.
“Ticket holders can either hold onto their tickets or obtain a refund from their point of purchase.
“We deeply apologise for the significant inconvenience this will cause for many.”
The massive arena was supposed to open for the first time to the public tonight with a performance by A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie.
But it was called off at the eleventh hour, with fans turned away from the doors just minutes before they were meant to open.
Co-op Live has now confirmed that the reason for the cancellation was that a piece of the HVAC (air conditioning) system had ‘separated from the ductwork’.
Rigorous testing on the rest of the system now needs to take place before fans can safely be welcomed inside.
Olivia Rodrigo has yet to issue a statement about her Manchester shows on 3 and 4 May being postponed.