Exclusive: Preview Dog Bowl Pictures

Confidentials 26 March 2013

DOG BOWL opens to the public on Friday.

There are five lanes of bowling plus a sixty cover restaurant. The new venture is part of a Mancunian brand that includes Black Dog Ballroom and Liars Club. It's the second bowling alley to open in a month after Manchester city centre went for years without one.

One of the clever little touches in Dogbowl is the Lucky Pin. In amongst all the skittles in each lane, there's one pin branded with Jack Daniels, knock it down and you win a cocktail for six.

Barry Gamble, formerly of Livebait and a top chef, will deliver a pulled pork carrying, burger laden, quesadilla loaded Americana menu that on a brief sampling of the slow-cooked meats should work very well.

So why do a bowling alley?

Jobe Ferguson, one of the operators and owners, told Confiidential: "We always wanted something more than just a vertical drinking den. We have pool in the Black Dog bars for example. Here you get the food and the bowling too, where friends can have a laugh together, as well as have food and drink. There's also quality music in the evening from the DJ booth we've inserted. We want everybody down here, so there'll be bowling sessions for families and kids too - kids parties on a Saturday and Sunday.

"We had a very enjoyable trip to New York looking at their smaller scale central alleys rather than the big suburban sheds, and that inspired us with this place. Food is a big thing in the New York places too.

"It's taken a while to convert the old Cocotoo restaurant but now we're at the end of that process I couldn't be happier. I'm really buzzing about this."

Jobe Ferguson and his many shoes

One of the clever little touches in Dog Bowl is the Lucky Pin. In amongst all the skittles in each lane, there's one pin branded with Jack Daniels. When that gets to the front the person who's bowling - and they could be the worst or the best player of the group - has a chance to knock it down.

Should they do so they get a Jack Daniels cocktail inside a bowling pin that serves six. Should they fail they get mercilessly mocked by their mates

Dog Bowl is at Whitworth Street West, 0161 228 2888. Click here to book.

Evening Food Menu