North West

Cote Brassiere

Cote Brasserie, Manchester, Deansgate

With branches nationwide, Cote Restaurants creates a modern interpretation of the many famous bistros of Paris and since its inception, the firm has continued to expand.

All of the restaurants serve diners authentic classic brasserie dishes with a modern twist, using high quality produce at great prices.

Favourites such as steak frites, moules marinières, corn-fed chicken from rural Brittany and tuna Niçoise, can be found on the a la carte menu, alongside desserts such as Côte’s crème caramel and the much loved crème brûlee.

In April this year Cote opened a branch in Manchester located in the Deansgate area of the city. The venue was a tricky site to navigate as it was situated over a series of units. The company bought two units and knocked them both through in order to create a large open space.

The restaurant spans two floors housing the main restaurant space on the ground floor and a private 12 cover dining room, which can be hired out for events. We caught up with Leading Designers Robert Angell Design International to find out more.

Robert told us that the restaurant was created out of two units which created a series of natural alcove spaces allowing the team to create intimate seating areas, as well as give the restaurant individuality and character.

Cote Brasserie, Manchester, Deansgate

The design team, assisted by main contractor Fileturn, also placed large back to back banquette seating throughout the centre of the restaurant space which acts as an impressive feature of the venue.

The team have replaced the entire shop front and installed folding and opening windows to allow for indoor-come-outdoor dining facilities, which will come in particularly useful in the summer months. A fully commercial kitchen has also been installed.

Robert Angell Design International also worked on the Windsor Cote Brassiere which was nominated in the Casual Design Dining Awards. This site posed various challenges as over time it had been subject to a series of cover up refurbishments. All of this needed to be taken back to a shell to really open up the space in order to create an amazing property. There was a lot of structural reinforcement and restoration work to this Grade 2 listed building that needed to be dealt with before any fit out works could begin.

Cote Brasserie, Manchester, Deansgate

Due to the challenges uncovered during the project the site took much longer to complete than initially expected. The team also found that because of the many changes in level throughout the venue running any sort of mechanical and electrical works had to be approached sensitively and carefully.

The listed building used to be a restaurant and cafe and was very run down when Cote initially purchased the site. As well as being structurally challenging the venue also posed difficulties because of its odd layout.

The building is made up of seven small, oddly shaped areas which are not directly linked and instead are connected via a series of corridors. The two storey building has about four changes in level which again made the onsite works very challenging.

Although the layout was difficult to navigate for the onsite team its redeeming feature was the breathtaking views of Windsor Castle it boasted. The ground floor, situated at river level, offers diners picturesque views as does the first floor, which is on the bridge level.

Cote Brasserie, Manchester, Deansgate

The venue is decorated in Cote’s brand colours and features gold gilded wallpapers and mirrors which create a very elegant atmosphere. The Windsor branch also boasts a lovely pavilion space which has been designed with blinds and big feature pendants. Each area of the space has been considered to highlight the amazing views. Robert Angell commented that the feedback since opening has been incredible and has exceeded expectations.

Robert added:

“Cote is a great client to work with. They came to us because of our experience and commitment to delivering the on-going restaurant development programme which enhances their brand values. Cote is a very important client to us. We work to very tight programmes and budgets and ensure this is maintained throughout the contract period.

Cote Brasserie, Manchester, Deansgate

“We are delighted that we are producing great designed restaurants which in turn give the Cote a great return on their investment. We have also been recognised for this by being shortlisted for the Casual Dining Design Awards which is always a great boost for the team to know we are doing a fabulous job.”

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Roma Publications