Exciting news for the area’s foodies and business people, this week, as Jamie’s Italian is opening in Manchester on 20 February. I usually tend to eat closer to home, around the Wilmslow area, but business and friends alike often take me into Manchester city centre and it’s always handy to know good places to go for lunch – and sometimes a bite to eat in the evening, after a hard day of meetings.
Jamie’s Italian is an informal chain of restaurants run by Jamie Oliver, a professional chef who has built a culinary business empire after first enjoying TV success in the late 1990s. He is also very well known for his charity work and political campaigning with regard to healthy eating, especially among children.
His new restaurant in Manchester has been the subject of great interest among dwellers of this region, as Manchester’s restaurant scene has begun to gather momentum in recent years but still lacks the volume of celebrity owners one would expect, given its status in the eyes of many as the ‘northern capital’ of the UK. Jamie’s Italian is not the style of restaurant which is likely to bring a Michelin star, but it may well help to continue raising the city’s profile to attract investment from entrepreneurs with high-brow ambitions.
The building in which it is housed has also provoked discussion, as it is one of the city’s most famous art deco constructions. Formerly home to HSBC (previously known as Midland Bank), 100 King Street is a stunning grade II-listed building and many of its features have been painstakingly retained for its new lease of life. Even the original vaults will be used for private dining… a bit claustrophobic if you don’t like windowless rooms, but undeniably an impressive idea. I can’t wait to try it out.
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