ALONGSIDE Altrincham Market’s link with the return of Northern Quarter's Mackie Mayor market hall, and Soho House’s likely deal for the HQ Building at Old Granada Studios, the D&D Group’s affiliation with Allied London's £73m No.1 Spinningfields scheme is up there with the worst kept secrets in Manchester hospitality.
The group operate 35 restaurants in London, Leeds, Tokyo, New York and Paris
So, in the least surprising news since we learnt that we’re all being shafted by a bunch of tax-dodging rich folks, Confidential can now reveal that D&D have indeed been confirmed as the operator to take control of the restaurant, bar and terrace space on the top floor of Allied London’s 19-storey project on Quay Street.
D&D Manchester (we’ll call it that for now) should open when the building completes in the summer of next year. We know this because we sent Allied London chief Mike Ingall this email:
‘Hi Mike,
‘Seen your tweet about the new restaurant opening in No1 Spinningfields – that’ll be D&D we assume? Top brand that. Can you confirm so we can write 300 words about something everyone already knows? What’s the plan? Oh and when’s it opening? Ta.’
To which a characteristically laconic Ingall replied:
‘Summer 17. New brand as always with D&D.’
No.1 Spinningfields will boast a rooftop terrace like D&D's Angelica in LeedsSo there you have it. Word from the gaffa’s mouth. D&D are in and bringing something new. You can all get back to work now…
Want more? Ok.
D&D are a fairly big deal. A coup even. Why? Managed by chief exec Des Gunewardena and managing director David Loewi ('the eponymous D and D'), D&D is the successor to the restaurant group founded in the eighties by famed English designer and entrepreneur Sir Terence Conran. The group operate 35 restaurants in (mostly) London, Leeds (Angelica and Crafthouse in Trinity), Tokyo, New York and Paris, including two highly regarded Michelin starred operations with posh Launceston Place in posh South Kensington, and Angler seafood restaurant in The City.
Most recently, D&D launched the much publicized German Gymnasium, which may sound like an over-friendly gentleman’s sauna in Vauxhall, but is in actual fact a great big gutsy bloody £5m 500-cover restaurant plonked in a listed building by King’s Cross – built in 1865 for the German Gymnastics Society. Ahh.
What’s more, the group have also confirmed plans to expand further North with a site in Glasgow, alongside a third restaurant in Leeds within the city’s £165m Victoria Gate development later this year.
Gunewardena said: “Expansion in Northern England continues to be a significant part of our group’s growth strategy and this announcement reflects that.
"Manchester is a fantastic city and we have watched closely over the last few years the resurgence of the restaurant scene in the city and in Spinningfields in particular.
"We are big fans of Allied London’s development and are very excited to be becoming a part of it.”
No.1 Spinningfields will be 19 storeys high with a restaurant on the rooftop Powered by 
