Ithaca: The Opening
Many millions later: Ithaca opens on Saturday 17th May.
Arnie Hira must be one of the most determined bar operators in the city. The Manchester entrepreneur has been waiting in the wings with Ithaca, his multi-million pound, 7000 square foot entertainment complex, battling against the council, the naysayers and even the church. But the struggle is finally coming to an end, and his dream venue is about to open it’s doors.
It was July 2006 when this idea first became public knowledge and straight away the project was stuck in a quagmire after a Manchester church objected to the opening hours. Ithaca wanted to stay open late, or at least to 4am - which compared to some of the venues on Deansgate is actually quite early – and the church feared that this would keep their on-site representative, who slept a few metres away from the venue, up all night.
Manchester councils licensing team, a group of people who haven’t a brain between them, called it in the church's favour and Ithaca was forced to cut their opening hours. They’re now aiming to open till 1am, but there’s a hint that if the venue can get through its first few months without any trouble then the licensing team will look at the opening hours again.
(Last year I spoke to the PR man at the church, or rather I spoke to the father who was dealing with the press, and he was relaxed about the opening. The issue wasn’t half as important to them as had been reported, and we had a jolly time chatting about how websites work.)
The location, on John Dalton Street, is probably the most ideal. Far enough away from The Locks, Peter Street and the hard drinking taverns south of the city Centre, and close enough to Ithaca’s rivals: Panacea, The Circle, Restaurant Bar and Grill et al. It’s home is a four storey building that looks a little like a squat townhouse, formerly an Italian Resturant, and behind the black frontage and the Ithaca signage lies something quite special, or so we’re lead to believe.
What’s inside is still a mystery. Arnie won't be drawn on imagery, other than the exclusive snaps of artwork that he provided me with a few months ago, but you can expect something very special. Initially there were rumours of a glass floor in the VIP lounge, of huge bars cut from marble and of technology that would put other bars (and NASA) to shame, but the end result won't be visible until those glass doors swing open and the chrome lift rises for the first time. What we do know is that the project cost in the region of £3million, which suggests that this more Living Room and less Baa Bar. In fact, less Living Room and more Mash & Air (if anyone remembers that bar)
There's one thing that has changed since Arnie first spoke to me about his ideas in 2006, and that's the marketplace. Across town Vermillion has opened up, inside that is Cinnabar, and between them they provide food, drinks and high end decor for the great and the good in Manchester. This giant warehouse sized complex can hold thousands. The nearby Cloud 23, self proclaimed as the best bar in Manchester, was lauded as the ‘Bar of the Year’ for tourists, and it certainly is just that. Panacea, the bar beneath the Restaurant Bar and Grill, was something of a destination for the party elite, but thanks to some negative press (and frighteningly bad some of it is) it could easily lose its edge with the top end of the market. It may have been a long time coming but the timing for Ithaca may be perfect.
Food
The food that they plan on serving has to be good, and the early indications are that it would exceed expectations. There’s a small question mark over who will be in charge of the kitchens, but a special tasting session, which featured Rio Ferdinand, Wes Brown, John O’Shea and Ithacas head chef, was a success. The menu, at first glance, appears to appease both those who are experts in fine dining, and those who are just hungry. The bar will serve from a separate, cut down menu, and the inspiration for the food has been Asia, so expect some fusion dishes, and an oriental twist on the usual crowd pleasers.
VIP
Members bars don’t go down well with the Mancunian masses. They either fail, or attract disdain. (The Circle is the one exception, but that’s meant for meejah types rather than the elite, Bar Below is a prime example of a bar that worked well only after it abandoned its membership only scheme, and the only other alternative is the soon-to-be-relaunched Island bar inside Pure that caters for the mainstream elite). How does Arnie counter having an entire floor for members only? “We only have limited floor space, and demand is going to be high so membership is the only way to ensure our regular customers are looked after.” Hints that have been dropped suggest that Mancunians will never have seen a VIP bar like this before, including a ‘conch’ shaped bar (see Wikipedia!) made from Venetian black glass.
Despite it’s size there’s likely to be queues around the block for the opening bash, and the weeks to come (fairly warned, be thee). If Ithaca sounds like your bag then I suggest you have a quiet word in Mr Hira’s ear about getting hold of a membership card.
The proof of the pudding will be in the eating....
Ithaca opens to the public on Saturday 17th May, with a media event on Friday 16th. Following the launch the restaurant will be open for lunch and evening sittings, the Ithaca bar will be open in the evenings.