Hip hop legends Fun Lovin’ Criminals rocked New York inspired independent bar and restaurant, Urban Cookhouse with our very own VIVA Ems last night at a private VIP party to celebrate its first birthday and will be wowing Mancunians in a second bash today (Friday, April 15).

Celebs and Manchester’s party people celebrated in style as iconic rappers’ Brian ‘Fast’ Leiser and Frank Benbiri from the famous ‘Scooby Snacks’ band, took to the decks at the 4,500 sq ft converted shipping warehouse in Princess Street, which offers an authentic taste of downtown Manhattan.

Guests tucked into the eatery’s hallmark ‘Urban Legend’ burgers, washed down with plenty of tipples including their trademark Rhubarb Sling Thing, Staten Island Iced Tea and Heyyy Honey cocktails, as the funksters’ played New York House and of course hip hop, including classic numbers from their Limelight club days, at the chic venue until 2am.

VIVA Ems also got the venue jumping when she took to the decks to play alongside them and you can catch her with Fast and Frank tonight.

“We are an authentic taste of downtown Manhattan so we just wanted to do something brilliant to celebrate our first year and getting Fast and Frank from the Fun Lovin’ Criminal’s down was the icing on the cake. We had a brilliant time last night and now we’re set to do it all again tonight for our customers and anyone who wants to see what Urban Cookhouse is about,” said owner Tim Coulston.

Starting from 5pm with drink offers until 8pm, including two beers or two glasses of prosecco for £5 and bottles of wine or two cocktails for £10, the iconic FCL’s Brian ‘Fast’ Leiser and Frank Benbiri, will be banging out the tunes from 8pm on Friday (April 15).

The party is to celebrate Urban Cookhouse’s hugely successful first year and Tim is now planning to expand with a further three sites.

“It’s been a fantastic first year and I’m delighted Urban Cookhouse has made its mark on Manchester’s restaurant and bar scene, especially when you consider there’s been nearly 30 new sites opened in the city centre within the last 12 months” said the 28-year-old entrepreneur, who also heads experiential catering company Violet Hospitality.

The 250-capacity loft-style site inspired him to create a cool, authentic New York destination, boasting an 85 cover casual dining area that offers brunch through to dinner, carry-out and corporate catering, with a mouth-watering menu of NYC delicacies, including its hallmark ‘Urban Legend’ burgers, as well as Freddy’s ribs, wings, dogs and disco fries and new ‘Scooby Stacks’ pancakes in honour of FLC.

With a late license (it is open until midnight weekdays and 2am Thursday through to Saturday), a trademark loft lounge and bar and extensive cocktail list, it’s a favourite destination for Manchester’s party-people including nearby offices, students and the city’s gay village.

“Urban Cookhouse’s location means we tap into different markets throughout the day which is one of the reasons for our success”, said Tim.

“And we’ve made some huge changes to the concept since opening to ensure we appeal to more people. We simplified the menu making the dining experience casual and on trend, and it’s gone down a storm – we actually made our milestone 10,000 urban legend burger a month ago!”

Now he is looking for a further three sites to open in 2016. “We’ve seen a few sites but nothing has stood out so far. We’d like to expand the Urban Cookhouse brand within the North West, and also develop some different bar concepts for Manchester.”

For further information visit www.urbancookhouse.co.uk & keep up to date with Tim on Twitter @TimCoulston

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