The Kitchens

Spinningfields’ latest development puts the fate of six street food vendors into your hands – as it announces the opening date of The Kitchens.

You’ve got to hand it to Allied London, the über property developer behind Manchester’s Spinningfields district. The home of many a blue chip HQ, this high-rise office development could have gone the way of so many business parks: windswept, soulless, unloved. But Spinningfields has done all it can to make itself interesting – in the form of pop-up events (like the Buy Art Fair or Screenfields), concept dining (with a whole lotta bling in the form of Neighbourhood or Ibérica), and weird architecture (hello, Oast House).

So while its soul may forever be in thrall to Mammon, Spinningfields can never be called boring – as its latest street food-inspired development testifies. Said development is The Kitchens, whose launch party (on 11 June) has just been announced.

While its soul may be in thrall to Mammon, Spinningfields is never boring

Like a Britain’s Got Talent for street food, six of the country’s best street food vendors will battle it out over the next year to win a permanent restaurant in Spinningfields. All six will cluster together on the “Leftbank” (the bit of Spinningfields that runs along the River Irwell) while in the process, and the most popular at the end of what must be the longest job interview known to man will not only get a permanent café space, but the full backing of Allied London.

For any foodie in Manchester, this is not news. Kate hinted heavily at the development in her round-up of the best street food in Manchester earlier this year – with three of those she spoke to making it to this stage of The Kitchens. My, the lady’s got good taste. As to those finalists, they are: the Latin American Yakumama; the chicken sandwich delights of Mumma Schnitzel; the brilliantly named Hip Hop Chip Shop; Indian street from Chaat Cart; the aptly named Wholesome and Raw and the “back bacon billionaires” Bangers and Bacon.

Who stays, and who goes? Well, you decide – The Kitchens opens with as much fanfare as casual dining can muster on 21 May. See you on the street.