This’n’That: An Artistic Curry Movement

HIDDEN down a generally unnoticed alley in the Northern Quarter lies This-n-That a gem of a South Asian cafe huddled down Soap Street.

Perhaps this flash of colour will catch people’s peripherals on the way past an otherwise unremarkable street. 

This-n-That is an old favourite of Manchester Confidential’s brought to our attention once again because of the recent appearance of quirky new street art painted on the external walls.

Creative works aren’t unusual for the streets of Manchester’s Boho Quarter. However this isn’t your average urban graffiti, it’s a tasteful piece of wall art, depicting a rainy, retro street scene, full of silhouettes against a city backdrop. A colourful summary of what this slightly time-worn, industrial street setting may have been in years gone by.  

Inside the cafe it’s a pretty basic set up, like a school canteen with easy-clean plastic furniture. However, despite the unglamorous presentation, this is where - as Mancunians know - you can find some of Manchester’s truly tasty curry dishes; the rough edges are all part of the authentic appeal.

After taking a few snaps, I went inside for further investigation about how this mural came about, speaking to owner Mr Mallu over their famous dish of rice and three:

“It was one of our regulars in a local company that suggested the paint job," said Mallu. "He thought we needed to tidy the outside up a bit. Turned out he was an artist and had some ideas, so we let him get on with it, by the end of the week we had the picture.” 

Mystreetretro is the company responsible for creating the work. The Manchester based architect and designer certainly found something that equals the unpretentious feel the cafe oozes and matches the fun of a simple setting.

“We are really happy with it”, continues Mallu “lots of people stop to take their photos outside on the painted bench. It’s a feature. We are thinking about updating the inside now too”

Perhaps this flash of colour will catch people’s peripherals on the way past an otherwise unremarkable street. Though in honesty it hardly needs to attract more business, the queue is out the door and the atmosphere is lively and buzzing.

It’s simple business with a simple concept: cheap, tasty food delivered by a smiling, no-nonsense team. Except now it’s been tarted up with a rather dashing lick of paint.