East Street, Manchester – Pan-Asian Street Food
Manchester’s original, independent, Pan-Asian restaurant Tampopo has opened a new concept, East Street, on Piccadilly Gardens. Taking over the old ‘Rice’ site, East Street has brought an ‘on the go’ version of Tampopo to the heart of Manchester city centre.
The prominent Piccadilly Gardens site has been transformed into a 56-seater restaurant with outdoor dining for 20 people. Take-out customers can order from the big open kitchen and dash, whilst those eating in can grab a seat for a quick pit stop, or while away an afternoon grazing on street food-style sharing plates and enjoying crisp Asian beers.
Tampopo has been serving East Asian food for over 20 years - inspired by the casual, fast-paced dining style of Thailand, Vietnam, Malaysia, Indonesia and beyond. The team have also developed a strong Festival following, having taken Tampopo on the road to Festival No 6, Manchester Food and Drink Festival, Bluedot and Kendal Calling. This experience has given the team great insight into delivering their classic dishes quickly.
East Street is the latest evolution and will focus on the ‘grab and go’ street food experience, serving up excellent value, Tampopo-style food to takeaway or to eat in. This is relaxed, ‘grab or graze’ eating and drinking just like you’ll find in the busy street markets and shopping centres of Bangkok and Singapore. And with prices starting at £4.95 per dish, East Street’s arrival is big news for those seeking affordable lunch and dinner options, from Thai Green Curry and Beef Rendang to Vietnamese Chicken Salad and Thai Green Curry
The site’s interior redevelopment mixes light and shade with the industrial style of the building balanced with a light, bright colour palette, lots of neon and a great big open kitchen. Outside, Piccadilly now has an East Asian ‘pop’ of colour with a bright, eye-catching frontage. “At every opportunity over the last 25 years, I have immersed myself in the culture and flavours of East Asia,” says David Fox, Tampopo Co-Founder. “Earlier this year I visited Malaysia and Singapore, and arrived home bursting with ideas and inspiration from this ever-changing region. One thing that is constant is their love of food and of eating it on the go. I am bringing a little bit of this to Piccadilly Gardens.”