Manchester’s newest and smallest wine bar has opened - in a shipping container.
Le Social, run by Frenchman Jérôme Boullier, has just had his first weekend of trading from his unusual base, located at Pollard Yard on the New Islington area of the city.
It is so small it has just three tables, which can be booked for two hour slots on Saturday afternoons and evenings. However, Mr Bouillier told the Manchester Evening News, these petite dimensions are a part of the experience.
He remarked: “The intimate nature of the bar means customers will gain knowledge as well as try out something new and exciting and meet new people in doing so!”
There, is, however, enough room to do more than just serve wine, with the establishment serving a deli-style menu featuring French, Italian and Spanish food. Wine can also be sold by the bottle to be taken away.
Le Social may become a popular feature of the New Islington district, a part of the city that used to feature a cluster of empty old warehouses by the Ashton Canal, but has been transformed in recent years with major new office and apartment developments and the arrival of the Metrolink Tram system.
However, it is not just in areas of urban regeneration that Manchester folk are able to enjoy buying food and drink from old shipping container; a cluster of them have been brought together at Hatch, which lies on Oxford Road in the shadow of the Mancunian Way flyover.
Other locations set for a new catering outlet in a shipping container include Poole in Dorset.
The Bournemouth Echo has reported that the town’s council has granted permission for the existing snack kiosk at Baiter Recreation Ground to be replaced by a new facility in a recycled container for three years.
It will shortly begin a tendering process for a food and drink provider, starting from next year.
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