Banyan goes bigger and bolder
BANYAN is preparing to open its second Manchester site this weekend, this time in Spinningfields, and we’ve taken an exclusive first look around.
They’ve designed a suitably glossy venue to go with this ultra-glossy part of town, transforming the 7,000 sq ft site into a split-level den for drinking, dining and dancing.
It’s a brand-new building, dead opposite what will be The Ivy Brasserie later this year, which has allowed the Arc Inspirations team to go bigger and bolder than they did in their other site within the Corn Exchange. A mezzanine level looks out over the venue, which is decorated in white marble, copper, dark wood, and deep greens and blues. The Spinningfields venue has a stronger focus on drinking and late nights compared to its sibling’s food focus, with DJs and live entertainment on the cards for weekends. A white marble bar dominates the ground floor. Bottles of spirits and champagne reaching up toward the doubleheight ceiling and a copper honeycomb-tiled wall shines behind them. Tall tables and bar stools furnish the bar area with raised round booths . Around the corner is a dedicated dining area with an open kitchen and banquet seating.
Upstairs on the mezzanine is a second bar known as the Empress bar, with an illuminated marble effect for both the bar and wall behind it.
Trees dotted with white flowers spring up throughout the space and Tom Dixon light fixtures drape down above the bar.
The food offering is shaping up to be much the same as the Corn Exchange’s - a pleaseeveryone mix of powerbowls, sandwiches, grills, pies, curries, tagines, skewers, burgers, and pub classics. Mains are between £9.50 and £19.95. Desserts will include a salted caramel chocolate torte and a bramley apple and bramble crumble (both £5.95).
For drinks, it’s an extensive range of cocktails, from sweet and fragrant gin- and vodkabased drinks to punchier whiskey and rum concoctions. Cocktails are priced between £7.95 and £9.50.
There’s also a ‘gin paradise’ section, plus a range of beers, ciders and wines, and a nonalcoholic cocktail menu.
Both the mezzanine bar and the dining area are available for private bookings. There’s a small outdoor terrace where patrons will be able to order food in the warmer months.
Banyan Spinningfields will open on Saturday October 27 at Vantage Point on Hardman Street in Spinningfields.