The Randall & Aubin Manchester occupies a former retail premises on the ground floor of a reassuringly solid Victorian commercial building in Manchester’s Bridge Street Conservation Area. The design was inspired by the original R&A in Brewer Street in Soho, the stylistically eclectic brasserie famous for its unique character and the seafood menu created by Jamie Poulton and Head Chef Ed Bains. The first R&A had its roots as a butcher’s shop, which remained little altered with the change of use. To reflect this, the bare essentials of the Manchester fit-out were selected or designed to create a similar setting – traditional shop-front with opening windows, white tiled walls, marble tops and simple metal fittings. On this background were overlaid the familiar and necessary restaurant accoutrements such as a bar, fixed seating, chairs, tables, lighting, signage and other fittings plus some interesting ‘found’ objects obtained directly by the operator. The resulting restaurant has both a pleasant ambiance and has captured the essence of the London original. Happily for the operator and design team it has also received an enthusiastic welcome from the people of Manchester and the North West.
Randall & Aubin
Manchester
Open 2017
Photos by Alex Daniels