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
Beloved Manchester Italian restaurant unveils big refurb
Thomas Melia
Much-loved Italian restaurant Italiana Fifty-Five has just unveiled a beautiful refurbishment at one of its Manchester sites, along with a new menu of fresh, handmade pasta.
Gone is the famous yellow colour palette of this Italian eatery as they swap in a sophisticated and regal turquoise blue at their Liverpool Road restaurant.
This establishment is known for its impressive shop-window pasta making stations where you can see your food prepared live in-store and while walking past outside the venue.
They’re continuing their foodie legacy serving carby creations, like a flaming cheese wheel pasta where staff blowtorch the cheese to ensure it’s as melty as possible.
One of the biggest menu highlights at Italiana Fifty-Five is the cappellacci, which comes in two equally gorgeous forms and much like its English translation, emulates tiny hats.
These cute little plates come in two delicious stuffed pairings – the burrata, combined with a tangy tomato and beef filling, and a salmon with cream sauce and fresh lemon for a match made in heaven.
Beloved Manchester Italian restaurant Italiana Fifty-Five unveils big refurb. Credit: The Manc GroupInside Italiana Fifty-Five as it unveils a new look on Liverpool Road. Credit: The Manc Group
How can you think of anything more ideal than a table full of hearty and home-comforting meals than one that also features an array of beautiful sides?
Usual delights like the burrata on a bed of rocket, tomato and finished off with a balsamic vinegar glaze area great addition to your already faultless food.
Cheesy garlic pizza bread is quintessential when dining in an Italian restaurant, and Italiana 55’s lovely flavour-packed favourite is a go-to when ordering here.
The Liverpool Road restaurant also has a tonnata pizza which uses toppings that are an exact ingredient breakdown of the Mediterranean sauce, which it shares its name with.
In photos: Italiana Fifty-Five has undergone a refurb. Credit: The Manc Group
What better way to wolf down some incredible Italian feasts than with some perfectly paired alcoholic offerings like the classic Aperol spritz, trusted espresso martinis and a selection of fine wines.
Their menu is staying as tasty as ever with their delicious pizzas and pastas, with the new fresh pasta menu available at their restaurants on Liverpool Road and in Didsbury.
Bakery chain Gail’s is attempting to win over Prestwich after spelling mishap
Daisy Jackson
Gail’s has announced a plan to try and make amends with Prestwich after spelling the village’s name wrong on the new bakery’s signs.
The massive bakery chain finally confirmed that it would be moving into the suburb on the fringes of Bury and Manchester, but made a fatal flaw at the first step.
The huge posters are missing the letter ‘T’, instead saying ‘Hello Preswich’.
More than a few eyebrows were raised locally, with people saying it’s ‘not a great first impression for the locals…’.
And now Gail’s is attempting to put things right by offering free tea to Prestwich residents.
In new material released today, they wrote: “Oops… people of Prestwich, we owe you a ‘T’.
“You may have seen how we missed out a ‘t’ in our new bakery signage.
“We’re sorry for the mistake, and to make up for it we’d like to brew you a tea when we open.”
The new advertising has a QR code which people can scan to claim their free cuppa.
Gail’s has also passed its thanks on to ‘local resident Clair’, who actually came up with the suggestion on The Manc’s LinkedIn post here.
With this development, Gail’s has now confirmed it’ll be opening in Prestwich – directly opposite the new Rudy’s – in early 2025, with free tea served then to those who scan the QR code.
Gail’s will hand out free tea in Prestwich to apologise for spelling the village’s name wrongHuge bakery chain Gail’s confirms move to Prestwich – but spells village’s name wrong in signage
Georgina Pellant -
4th October 2022 
