Three independent food operators added to line-up of New Century Hall’s new food hall

rpbi-openings.co.uk, 14 August 2022

Manchester’s New Century Hall - which opens on 26th August - has announced the next three food vendors who will be joining the ground floor kitchens. 

The bottom floor of the new music and events venue has been turned into a food hall, with a host of the North’s best in class food operators getting involved.

The three new additions include Zumuku Sushi, offering up authentic Japanese cuisine; chef Tom Lowe’s steak and burger concept, focusing on sustainably sourced produce; and Northern Quarter favourite’s Ply, with their new elevated pizza concept. The food hall, which opens later this month will seat 300 people, and will also boast local beers, creative cocktails, artisan coffees and a grab ‘n’ go concept.

The live music and events venues above, in the restored New Century Hall, will open in September. The soon-to-be-revealed space has all been designed to inspire creativity and collaboration and will also spill outside onto Sadler’s Yard for al fresco dining, drinking and regular events.

Bringing independent Japanese cuisine to the table, Zumuku Sushi - which has several outposts across Greater Manchester - will bring authentic, fresh sushi, as well as other Japanese favourites to the kitchens. Sushi chef Benjie trained in Japan for two years before moving to the UK, and opened his first Zumuku takeaway in 2018 - the new concert and food venue will mark his seventh venture.

He’ll be joined by classically trained chef Tom Lowe who brings his passion for well bred, native beef to the offer. Inspired by great steakhouses in the UK and Europe, Lowe has created Tallow, which will use only sustainably sourced 28-day dry-aged beef from local butchers to provide high quality steaks, burgers and sides.

Rounding off the offer, pizza connoisseurs Ply will bring their elevated pizza concept, Wild by Ply, to the table. Collaborating exclusively with Wildfarmed, chef Carl Fraenki-Retti has developed a new recipe using their biodynamic flour to create 24-hour slow proved dough, which forms the basis of an impressive menu of pizzas with seasonal toppings.

Each pizza will be wood-fired in a custom-built pizza oven at the helm of New Century’s ground floor, with all dough made daily on premises and hand stretched. Just last month it was announced that Adam Reid, the celebrated chef from The French restaurant at the Midland Hotel, would launch a new ‘posh sandwich’ concept at the venue.

Reid is set to launch ‘The Butty Shop’ when the hall opens later this month, as a celebration of the British butty, using childhood trips to the bakery as inspiration. The upscale butties will be available for breakfast, lunch and dinner, and the menu will also include some classic butty accompaniments, like pickled eggs and potato salad.

The food hall will also welcome Altrincham Market alumnus Banh Vi, the Vegan Vietnamese and Thai kitchen, known for its brilliant plant-based take on the banh mi sandwich, along with hearty noodle broths and summer rolls. And BaoBros23, a father and son team making homemade bao buns with a northern England twist.

The Grade II-listed New Century Hall was a key part of the Manchester music scene, and during the 60s and 70s hosted gigs from music icons like Jimi Hendrix, Tina Turner, the Rolling Stones, and The Bee Gees. Developers have now restored the concert venue, keeping its wood panelling, its original sprung dancefloor and its backlit ceiling.

Promoters Now Wave, who have run gigs across Manchester for over a decade, including programming live music venue and bar YES, will be behind the shows going on at the transformed concert hall. The £10 million redevelopment is part of the regeneration of that part of the city called NOMA, just by Victoria Station.

As well as the kitchens, music and events, the ground floor will also be home to Access Creative College - an established national college specialising in kick starting careers in the creative industries. With a successful music, games and media college already on Oxford Road, its third outpost in the city will offer degree-level courses in music, games and compu