Pop-up Tampopo...

Tampopo is a noodle bar in Manchester. Well it's a small chain really. They have three in the city, another one in Bristol and one in Reading. The one they had in the Corn Exchange on Exchange Square has closed down temporarily. The Corn Exchange is having a massive refurb. It inexplicably, given its position next to Selfridges's and Harvey Nichols and across from the Arndale Centre, failed to thrive as a shopping destination. So it's closed and will reopen as a massive food complex with lots of restaurants, food stores and other food related activities. As anyone who has ever tried to get a half decent plate of food in the city will know, it's next to impossible at the moment. And, yes, that was irony. It's a bad week for the city if a new restaurant or six doesn't open somewhere. And Manchester is famous for having come out of the recent recession with more restaurants than it went in with.

Tampopo have moved into this pop-up field kitchen outside the building while it is being done up. It's open to the elements which is fine on a balmy, late summer September afternoon like we have been having of late. But how will it cope in a Manchester January? Well the roof folds down in front of it on cold days keeping the patrons toasty warm inside.