All Bar One – New opening for city slickers
Southampton’s most stylish new city bar, All Bar One, is located at West QuayWatermark – the city’s recently opened £85 million dining and leisure development.
The new venue which is on a single level, was created within an empty shell and was designed by Design Coalition, with Harvey Shopfitting as fit out contractors and Curtins as mechanical and electrical engineers.
The 422m² unit is the brand’s all-important first in Southampton and is located on the lower promenade of the development, ideally positioned overlooking the scheme’s plaza.
Neil Mahoney, associate at Design Coalition said: “We have worked with Harvey Shopfitters on many Bar One projects over the last few years and they always do a good job and have played a prominent role in the evolution of the brand. Curtins also did very good work on this project in difficult circumstances.
“The brief was to cater for the professional female market aged 25 to 35. The design has evolved from that of 20 years ago when it had a hard, stripped back industrial feel and is now much softer and more comfortable yet still with an industrial essence.”
The interior includes a bar/servery and a coffee and deli counter situated near the entrance. Located within a separate screened off area, is ‘Cocktails and Bubbles’ – a space designed to host cocktail mixology masterclasses which can be booked for private parties.
The design is geared to provide a flexible space allowing customers to eat and drink where they choose.
The main bar features poseur height furniture along its frontage, as well as a range of mid-height furniture adjacent.
A key feature of this and all All Bar One venues is a large wine wall behind the bar displaying an extensive range of wines on shelving.
Another major feature of the interior is the theatre kitchen where diners can see their meals being prepared, with both booths and loose seating in the surrounding area.
All Bar One showcases an eclectic European cuisine and an impressive stock of beers and wines, while the diverse menu offers delicious sharing platters and world tapas, succulent hand-pressed burgers and signature main courses.
Main plates include Steak Frites – 21 day aged 9oz rib-eye, served with peppercorn sauce, watercress, Parmesan and rosemary fries; Tempura line-caught cod fillet, mushy peas, tartare sauce, lemon and ‘fish & chip shop’ style seasoning; Peri-Peri half chicken marinated with lemon and garlic, with coleslaw and served with fries or house salad; Crispy Duck Salad glazed with honey and sesame sat on pak choi, carrot, cucumber, red chilli, coriander and spring onion and Chicken Katsu – ‘Firecracker’ chicken with steamed sticky rice in a Caribbean inspired curry sauce.
Neil Mahoney continued: “The interior is generally open plan, although we have included some decorative fret-cut screening to give pockets of privacy. The colour palette is very much muted, including heritage shades such as browns, creams and blues, as well as brickwork finishes and reclaimed boarding on the walls around the main bar.
“Floor finishes include polished concrete, timber and a large tiled area cut into the timber floor at the front of the bar.
“In keeping with the slightly stripped-back look we have included lighting in squirrel-style cages, which gives a muted amber glow.
“Externally, we created a screened area with booth and loose seating, and a shop front which can be opened up so that the exterior is almost an extension of the interior.
“The venue, which opened in January 2017, is reportedly doing well and has had some good feedback and reviews in local blogs.
“We are currently working on two more Bar One locations, including one in Harrogate and the other in Chester.”
All Bar One is a pub chain of around 50 bars in the United Kingdom, owned and operated by Mitchells and Butlers plc which was part of the Six Continents group (previously Bass) until 2003.
The concept was designed by Bass as a ‘female friendly’ bar at a time when many pubs and bars were considered intimidating places for single women to go and drink or eat, hence the huge glass frontage, the open plan space and the bright airy interiors. This followed the lead of existing female friendly bar chains such as Pitcher & Piano and Slug and Lettuce.
The first bar was opened in 1994 in Sutton, London, town centre. As of 2016, the venues were mostly based in central London, however they are now expanding throughout the UK, as far as Aberdeen.
AEL Solutions
AEL specialise in the creation of outdoor environments for dining and socialising. AEL are the UK’s leading manufacturer and supplier of commercial furniture, giant umbrellas, awnings and structures for the alfresco market.
AEL is able to build bespoke solutions at their UK factory, providing a ‘one stop shop’ for all exterior requirements, making it easier to manage projects while saving time and money. The company has been in operation for 15 years and within this time has worked with many prestigious names.
AEL has been working closely with Mitchells & Butlers for many years, including sites such as All Bar One, Browns and Miller & Carter nationwide. The company also supply products to other national and independent pub companies, restaurants, bars, hotels and leisure facilities.
Working on All Bar One Southampton, AEL delivered and installed a number of outdoor chairs and dining tables, bespoke booth seating (manufactured at the company’s Reading factory), plus a variety of seat cushions.
Rob Watson, AEL Solutions Marketing Manager, said:
“Our creative ideas can help promote the All Bar One image and brand, by providing their customers with all-weather comfort and protection, combined with a great ambience.”
Rob added:
“Our products are either manufactured to order here in our own UK factory, or stocked and ready for dispatch from one of our distribution hubs. All products meet our strict quality criteria and are tested to perform under the rigours of daily commercial use.
“Our operational capability and stock levels ensure we can deliver on projects of any scale, from large rollouts with challenging deadlines to one-off bespoke items. We also maintain a full after-sales service nationwide.”
Lightique
Lightique is a decorative lighting specialist, supplying an extensive range of lighting to the hospitality industry. The company has been in operation for almost 30 years and within this time has supplied decorative lighting to the likes of Harvester, Toby, YO! Sushi, Yates, Holiday Inn, Crowne Plaza and Brewhouse & Kitchen, amongst others.
Most recently, Lightique has supplied decorative lighting to All Bar One.
Neil Smith of Lightique, said:
“I just love to work with Design Coalition and Mitchells and Butlers on the All Bar One Brands, as they always have such WOW factor and we get to create some great one-off light fittings.”
