North West Premier Hospitality

Buy Local – Eat Urban

Urban Cookhouse, 54 Princess Street in Manchester city centre
Written by Roma Publications

Urban Cookhouse, 54 Princess Street in Manchester city centre

Salford based operator Violet Hospitality has launched their debut site, the Urban Cookhouse at 54 Princess Street in Manchester city centre.

Located in a former shipping warehouse the venue boasts an urban, stylish design theme as well as an eclectic menu set to make diners taste buds tingle.

Premier Hospitality caught up with Tim Coulston, Managing Director of Violet Hospitality, to find out more about the firm’s latest venture. Tim commented:

“The venue has been styled on a New York loft apartment with high ceilings and pillars and columns running throughout. We thought it was a great place to turn into a minimalist, modern bar and restaurant serving a range of eclectic fusion foods; there is something for everyone with dishes containing flavours from all over the world. The menu’s eclecticism is reflected in their cocktail selection as well.”

Working alongside main contractor Tec Cre8, Violet Hospitality has transformed the space into a vibrant, downtown restaurant bar and lounge. Split across three main areas Urban Cookhouse comprises a stylish bar competed with a floating bar in the centre, the main restaurant area with a mixture of high and low seating, and an open kitchen located to the rear of the venue.

A mezzanine level and basement area contains back of house space and storage areas. The whole venue, including back of house areas, spans 4,200 square foot and now contains the reinstated original corner entrance which had originally been boarded up.

Urban Cookhouse, 54 Princess Street in Manchester city centre

Tim said the project ran smoothly thanks to Tec Cre8, headed up by Managing Director Duncan Godwin, a friend and colleague of Tim’s. Tim added:

“The building itself has a lot of character; we have worked closely with the planning team to make sure we didn’t interfere with the building in any way. We have exposed many of the iron work pillars and lit them as well – I would say this aspect of the design is the venue’s main pull.

“Urban Cookhouse is vast and so there was a lot of work to be done to the flooring and ceiling. The work we have done to the floor is incredible compared to what it used to be as we have fitted wooden floors throughout, as well as fitted three layer ceilings.”

The venue features exposed metal works and galvanised steel adding to the Cookhouse’s character and– feeding the urban vibe. A large glazed, timber wall is situated between the bar and restaurant, featuring numerous glazed panels, offering diners and drinkers alike great views of the open kitchen.

The restaurant is open seven days a week serving both lunch and dinner, with the lounge offering a relaxed space to enjoy music and drinks into the night. The urban New York loft style of the restaurant provides the perfect setting for a business lunch, a leisurely dinner or simple cocktails with friends after work.

Speaking about his debut venue Tim commented:

“This is an exciting time for Violet Hospitality; we’re looking forward to launching Urban Cookhouse in Manchester. Manchester’s restaurant and bar scene has seen fantastic development over the past few years and I believe the Urban Cookhouse will be an excellent addition to Princess Street.

“This is the first project we have done transforming a space from a shell into an operational restaurant and it has been a really good learning curve. I personally have always wanted to create and operate my own brand, as opposed to working for other people, so this venue is really important to us. We love Manchester as it has got such a vibrant, booming restaurant scene at the moment and we are really happy to be one of it’s the latest additions.”

About the author

Roma Publications