WHAT do you call somewhere that’s not an event space, a tea house, a cafe or a bar - but a mixture of all four? That would be LEAF, which officially opens this week in Bruntwood’s West Village following a soft launch last week. 

There aren’t many places you can enjoy a cake and a cuppa in the Saturday small hours

LEAF is already something of an institute in Liverpool, where it opened eight years ago with just one staff member in the city’s Static Gallery. Retaining a penchant for creative spaces, it then relocated to Baltic Triangle before further upsizing to its current Grade II-listed home. Set over two floors, LEAF on Bold Street now employs around 50 staff and has become as well known for its lively events calendar as its food and drink offering; scooping two Great Taste Awards over 2015 and 2016. 

The LEAF team now aim to bring their popular recipe to Manchester, after the two-year search for ‘an imaginative space with bags of character and charm’ led them to the former RIBA CUBE gallery on Portland Street. Despite the preference for big spaces - with 150-180 covers, a private function room and a skylit basement for events - the emphasis is on a welcoming space sans pretension. Custom booths make for cosy corners, while artisan straw lights cast a mellow glow and novelty beehive shakers give a nod to the Manchester worker bee. Oh, and watch out for hidden teas hidden in the nooks and crannies... 

“One of our specialities is having no particular demographic,” says General Manager Emma. “Whether a nan coming in for a piece of cake, high flying execs having a corporate meeting or students popping in with their laptops - we want everyone to feel at home. We’ve even had Derren Brown visit our Liverpool branch. And a lot of people use the venue for first dates, because it’s so versatile.”  

Food and drink-wise, LEAF on Portland Street will be similar to its Liverpudlian counterpart, with over 60 varieties of loose leaf tea and an all-day menu that includes vegetarian, vegan and gluten free options. With a focus on local suppliers, typically wholesome options include butterbean and lentil stew, mezze sharing platter and salt and pepper squid. Tea and homemade cakes are always available (even at 1.30am on a Saturday - handy if you want to stay out without the threat of hangover) and big cups are designed to hold all the contents of the tea pot to prevent any over-infusion once it’s brewed. Yes, they know their tea here - you can even have two varieties, champagne cassis and rose petal, infused with gin.

 
Tea is also available to buyTea is also available to take away

Talking of which, Manchester booze brands will be represented through the likes of Three Rivers Gin and Shindigger. Cocktails come home-bottled, on ice, and there’s also a strong selection of cask ale. 

“The danger of being so many things to so many people is forgoing one area to focus on another," Emma added. "But at LEAF we put the same dedication to quality into everything we do: from breakfast to mains to evening drinks, and our homemade cakes and teas. Creating a community is also important to us, which is where the events element comes in.” 

True to LEAF's philosophy, these are designed with all slices of the societal pie chart in mind. Planned events include everything from life drawing to knitting and book clubs. Gigs will also be a regular occurrence, from spoken word to music, and the weekly Crackle & Dust event promises ‘a vinyl-only excursion into hip-hop, boogie, electronic, funk and disco.’ Got a sweet tooth? There’s a pudding club, too, compromising five courses with matching teas. No wonder they have a dedicated events team.

In all, it’s indeed welcoming; and clearly the staff feel the same, with those like GM Emma now in their seventh year with the company. LEAF may be operating in a competitive environment but its track record and hybrid nature suggests it can weather the stormy seas (or should that be teas?) of culinary Mancunia. After all, there aren’t many places you can enjoy a cake and a cuppa in the Saturday small hours. 

Managing Director Natalie Haywood said: “I’ve been looking for years for a big versatile space in Manchester and when the RIBA CUBE Gallery became available it seemed like the perfect venue. The location felt right, and it’s in a diverse neighbourhood, which fits our desire to create a welcoming venue for everyone to enjoy tea, music and good times. We cannot wait to open the doors!” 

thisisleaf.co.uk - 113-115 Portland Street, M1 60W. Opening times: Mon-Thurs 8am-midnight, Fri 8am-2am, Sat 9am-2am, Sun 9am-midnight 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

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