A new food hall is set to open on Manchester’s Peter Street this year, adding three new kitchens and two new bars to the area’s already thriving food and drink scene.
Put together by the team behind the aperitivo and coffee bar Haunt, opened in the same building last summer, the new opening Exhibition will bring together three of Manchester’s best chef operators inside the iconic St George’s House.
Hosting three new kitchens from the Michelin-recommended Osma team, the Michelin-trained Carlone Martins of the Sao Paulo Project, and Ramsbottom’s lauded Basque fire cookery restaurant Baratxuri under one roof, this already sounds like it will blow every other local food hall out of the water.
Diners will be able to tuck into fine Brazilian-British fusion, Scandinavian and Basque dishes as part of the new dining experience, whilst elsewhere Exhibition will also boast two new bars, fresh beer straight from in-venue Manchester Union lager tanks, and a number of exhibition spaces for local artists.
Caroline Martins, Great British Menu chef and Manchester’s Chef of the Year nominee, will be launching the Sao Paulo Bistro, serving popular dishes from her popular fine-dining residency in Ancoats in a more relaxed setting.
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At her Bistro, you’ll find daintily-plated oysters, hand-dived scallops in creamy cassava, Lancashire ribeye steak sandwiches with Garstang blue, and a showstopper chocolate dessert made using liquid nitrogen and specially-imported cocoa beans from Brazil.
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Keeping local suppliers at the heart of her menu whilst exploring her fusion theme, chef Caroline will work closely with Platt Fields Market Garden, Dormouse Chocolates, Northern Cure, The Flat Baker and more to promote quality produce.
She will be joined by a team from Ramsbottom favourite Baratxuri. The specialist fire cookery restaurant will also move in, serving a selection of lunchtime pintxos alongside its classic Basque dishes – available as a mixture of small and large plates.
Think big cuts of meat and whole fish with a mix of large sharing dishes, such as its famed Capricho Oro’ Txuleton (a 1kg bone-in rib steak), alongside various nibbles like boquerones and the finest grade jamon Iberico de bellota, sourced from free-range pigs that roam the oak forests between Spain and Portugal.
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Elsewhere, Prestwich favourite Osma will bring a new relaxed edge to its Scandinavian concept serving open sandwiches, fresh salads and hearty soups during the day before switching its menu offering to something a little more sultry come nightfall.
Think tempting small plates like Avruga caviar pots with toasted brioche, whole lobster with herb butter, sashimi with caper and shallots, and a dish of roasted and pickled beetroots with raspberry and rose,
Elsewhere, the bar operation will be headed up by the award-winning Gethin Jones (formerly of Ducie Street Warehouse and Cottonopolis) with a specialist cocktail bar menu focused exclusively on brandy throughout autumn.
The bar offering will also include a dedicated rotational line for Manchester breweries like Sureshot, Cloudwater and Pomona, and a carefully chosen wine list designed to complement the kitchens stellar food offering.
Due to open in Manchester this autumn, a date has not been set but we’re expecting it will be some time in November. To keep up to date until then, make sure to follow Exhibition on Instagram here.
Feature image – Supplied
Food & Drink
Smash-hit sandwich shop Earl’s is set to open another site in Bolton
Danny Jones
Yes, beloved Bolton butty shop and bar, Earl’s, is set to open up their second location in the Greater Manchester borough, taking the food from the town centre over to Farnworth.
We’re keeping our fingers crossed for a metropolitan expansion either this year or next, but for now, we’re just glad to hear we’re getting more of the good stuff.
Earl’s Day and Night Deli, to give them their full name, is the latest name to join the lineup of new foodie faces joining the culinary boom over at the Farnworth Green development.
Soon, the stacked sandwiches, quality coffee and laid-back vibes will be coming to one of the best up-and-coming new neighbourhoods.
Founded by two local lads, Jonny Eckersley and Andy Partington, the first venue only opened back in December of 2024, but has gone on to become a North West-wide sensation.
Carb connoisseurs will literally travel for this scran, and having tasted it for ourselves a couple of times now, it’s no wonder.
Taking inspiration not only from regional food and drink, but also from the wider atmospheres and culinary cultures of Lisbon, Sydney, Antwerp and more, if they can translate even half the levels of chill from the OG Earl’s into this soon-to-open sister site, we’re sure it will hit the ground running.
As per an official press release, fans and those who’ve never tried it before can “expect a menu packed with freshly made sandwiches, alongside a line-up of hot and cold options available for both grab-and-go and delivery.”
Crucially, they’re also looking to carry over that feeling of a seamless transition between services, blending everything from morning coffee runs and the lunch rush with casual evening hangs.
Co-founder Jonny said in a statement: “We are staying true to our roots by bringing a second Earl’s in Bolton. This new venture helps to fuel our expansion plans and widen our catchment area so even more local people can enjoy the Earl’s experience.
“We have big plans for the space and can’t wait to get started.” An exact opening date hasn’t even been confirmed yet, but we’re already getting excited.
Tom Wilmot, joint managing director at Capital and Centric (the developers behind Farnworth Green) added: “We back standout local operators, and Earl’s is right up there – great food, loads of energy and a proper following already behind them.
“Farnworth Green is shaping up to be a neighbourhood with real character, and Earl’s is only going to add to that. Expect it to be busy.”
Crown and Kettle set to take over another former Northern Quarter bar
Danny Jones
The team behind beloved Ancoats pub The Crown and Kettle have announced that they are set to take over another former bar and restaurant location in nearby Northern Quarter.
We were gutted to see the old place go, but at least we can’t think of many better to take over the unit.
The historic watering hole on the corner of Oldham Road and Great Ancoats Street is said to have stood in that spot since the 18th century, but now the present owners have confirmed they’ll be taking on a third venue, having also opened The Rat and Pigeon back in June 2024.
Many of you may have been to one or multiple of its previous iterations of the site in question over the years, but most recently, it was the Calcio sports bar – and soon it’ll become ‘The Badger’.
Revealing the news online last week, Crown and Kettle wrote: “We’re delighted to announce that our new pub, The Badger, arrives on Dale Street this spring!
“Once home to Calcio, Allotment & Nickelbys, this beautiful old building first served as The Haunch of Venison public house back in the early 1800s. Over the past few months, we’ve been hard at work, quietly bringing it back to life & returning it to its roots as a community pub.
“With The Badger, we’ve set out to create the kind of place we love most, warm, welcoming, full of character, with all the charm of a great countryside pub in the heart of the city.
“Expect cosy corners, traditional pub foods, fine ales & the warmest of welcomes. Made for regulars. Open to all. Worth returning to. We can’t wait to welcome you to your new city centre local. GET SET(T)…” Oh, very good indeed.
We visited Calcio many times over the past couple of years, both for work and pleasure in our own free time; it was a great place to watch the footy, enjoy some matchday scran and roll back the years with retro videogames.
As mentioned, though, not only did it used to be one of multiple Allotment vegan and vegetarian eateries in Greater Manchester – thankfully, their presence still remains in multiple buildings – but it has a past long before that which many people bring up on social media.
Insert, “I remember when…’ post.
While we might not know much about what they have in store for this next chapter, knowing how much we love their current city centre favourites, we’re very excited.
As it stands, we’re also yet to hear anything about a more precise opening date, but at least we know it’s coming sometime soon, and we have every faith they’re going to smash it.
Georgina Pellant -
4th October 2022 
