July 2015 Elite Event: Fine Design, Food, Drinks & Wine

I know I’m a little late on the reviewing here but I can quite happily say that I agree with the below comments. This event was amazing!
The staff were tentative and definitely were interesting in showing off this new coffee shop. I enjoyed how they took the time to introduce themselves and told us how and why this coffee shop had come about.
The beer and wine was flowing all night, along with tasters of their coffee, cakes and health based drinks. The staff were definitely not stingy in the slightest and wanted everyone to try their products. It was great that we could watch over staff as they prepared different types of coffee drinks too.
I enjoyed this experience so much that I went back two days later with my caffeine obsessed friend cos I thought that there was no better place to go for a coffee kick.

Belatedly, I’d like to chime in and add my appreciation for a wonderful event.
In summary:
1) It was great to see the owner and staff of Foundation House being so enthusiastic and clearly loving their work.
2) Might be my favourite espresso martini of all time (and I drink them a lot) — they owe it to humanity to get a liquor licence
3) I tried coffee for the first time ever and it was pretty delicious! I really like the more unusual types they do — really gives the business unique edge
4) Also enjoyed the wacky smoothies — good for non-​coffee drinkers who get sick of boring options in coffee focused establishments!
5) The pizza from ply was excellent, some of the best I’ve had in Manchester. Will definitely be going there properly soon.
6) The chairs/​stools don’t look that comfy but are extremely well designed. As a large place, this is definitely the kind of place I would be comfortable sitting for hours and potentially working in, which is unusual in Manchester where coffee shops tend to be a bit cramp and overcrowded.
Finally, it was great to meet lots of new Unilocalers and see how well the community has been growing.
I’ll be back and I wish the Foundation Coffee House much success!

My first Unilocal event and what a way to start, particularly with an espresso martini. I love the space, the atmosphere and the general vibe at Foundation — it’s super chilled.
We got talked through the coffee and I can happily say I’m now working my way through the board. Really interesting back story about this place and I’m glad to see its doing so well — but no too well so i dont lose my regular spot in the corner?
Fantastic company, coffee and chat.

We were greeted with an espresso martini which for me was the best drink of the evening.
Some of the group were shown around the other half of The Foundation House which has booths and a private boardroom area whilst the rest mingled and helped themselves to the Unilocal stash.
Then the group became one as we congregated near the bar area around the hexagonal tables and high chairs. Jonny kicked things off with a speech about how he’s been a regular at this establishment and introduced Adam. Adam is a former policeman and very passionate about coffee as he explained with passion and detail the story behind opening the coffee house, the science and engineering of coffee and his love for Manchester and the NQ. The toilets have pictures of his grandparents which is a very nice touch.
After Adam’s speech came an explosion of drinks for us to try — Kevlar coffee, bulletproof coffee, alcohol as well as a selection of teas and juices. The coffee smelt better than they tasted. Not being a coffee drinker, the coffees were ok and very drinkable. I also tried a selection of tea. My favourite was the apple and mint which are presented in nice see-​though jars.
Next came the very cheesy pizza from Ply. There was a lot of crust and not too thin base which I like. Unfortunately there wasn’t enough pizza but The Foundation Coffee House did sort us out with a selection of cake.
Natalie later talked about the design features within the place. Although I am not a fan of too metal, I do like the design of the place and the art showcase gives it a trendy vibe.
All in all it was a great evening socialising with fellow Unilocalers and enthusiastic staff and therefore I hope this place does well.

Even though I am not really a huge coffee drinker, I was really looking forward to this event at the recently opened Foundation Coffee. It only opened about 7 weeks ago and has been getting many good reviews.
I arrived and as usual received a warm welcome from CM, Jonny. It was not 100% all setup so I took a seat in the seating area where there were several other Unilocalers. The little wait was a good opportunity to check out the building/​space which is nice and open. I also liked the atrium.
As with recent Unilocal events, there were many «newbies» which was nice to see. Although its always good to see «regulars», its good to see more people getting involved and basically seeing what Unilocal is all about — its not just the reviews but its a community.
While waiting, we got an espresso martinis. Personally for me, since I am not a huge coffee drinker, it was OK. During the evening, we heard from Adam Chapman (founder of Heald Green based QDos Fitness gym), the owner of Foundation Coffee and the idea behind it, why it was started. He was clearly very passionate about it. Since he was also into health and fitness, Foundation also sell a range of healthy drinkers (which we got to try — more of that in a bit). We also heard from Natalie from the design agency Nochintz, who were involved in the interior design of Foundation. They have been involved in the interior design of many places. Its a bit different with Foundation though as they are a lot more involved — The Foundation Coffee House is a joint venture between NoChintz and Adam.
I tried the bulletproof coffee which I believe had coffee, coconut oil, gee and condensed milk in it. Like some of there other coffees, its got the good stuff in it plus caffeine to set you up for that day. To be honest, it tested just like normal coffee to me. And I expected to be hyper for the rest of the night but I was OK — maybe I needed another one or to try the Kevlar coffee?
We also tried some health drinks/​shots they have. They have a range of different fruit based drinks with all sorts of healthy things in it. Unfortunately I can’t remember the drink I had but remember it had apple and cucumber in it — I think — tested pretty good. I think I heard someone sell it was £8 a bottle?
I also tried a couple of the healthy shots. One was lovely which was the manuka honey (heard this is really good for you), ginger and lemon. Not sure if your supposed to but its a shot so I downed it in one. Gave a nice kick! I think it cost about £3.50? I also tried another shot (admittedly just a bit) which was the 100% ginger one. Just a sip was enough! Woah! Burn to the back of the throat!
PLY, who are opposite, provided the food for the evening. A load of pizzas — which will have been cooked in their glitter ball pizza oven. Can’t go wrong with pizza! Tasty :)
Overall, a lovely evening. Thanks to Jonny and everyone involved.
Great to meet the guys from Foundation, Ada, Natalie and Leanne from Nochintz and of course as always, all the Unilocalers «new and old».

Another great event from Jonny and Unilocal,and of course Foundation coffee!
I’d heard of Foundation coffee house opening but had not been in. I was expecting it to be good, especially as it was picked by coffee fiend Jonny. It certainly lived up to my expectations as I really enjoyed the industrial engineering style and ethos of the place. It’s clear that they take their coffee very seriously. This was obvious from the owner Adam but also the staff he’s chosen really seem to care about what they’re serving to people. They’ve very knowledgeable about the coffee, which is sourced from a Cornish company and really good quality. I absolutely loved their espresso martini! Sadly they don’t serve alcohol so this was just a special for us, much appreciated though!
I also enjoyed their teas, sourced from Belfast, and had to try their own «Belfast Brew». All the coffees and teas are precisely timed to get the best taste, and the various machine filters washed every time for the freshest taste. I even enjoyed trying the tea black, unheard of for me!
The cakes I tried tastes of were all very tasty and moreish and I liked most of the health shots.
Of course it was good see old faces and nice to meet some new folks too. Well done Shaun on winning the photo prize, although I am well jealous of your Foundation coffee for the rest of the year prize!

This was my 2^nd elite event and what a night it was, after being at a new real ale bar opening in my local town that afternoon i was thinking how i would manage to attend both places but dam was i glad i did.
The venue wasn’t too far from piccadilly train station which i was happy about and we found it easily.
We arrived and was greeted by the one and only jonny q, after trying an usual cocktail which wasn’t bad we moved over to the other side of the coffee shop for a talk by the owner about the business which was very interesting followed by a few beers and some nice wine.
The business was very large and comfortable and i will definitely be visiting foundation again and doing a separate review for the business.
Another great event by jonny and a superb evening thanks to everyone at foundation the staff did a brilliant job.

Having been along to Foundation a few times for meetings I had a bit of a feel for the place, but it was great to be invited along for the evening with Unilocal to hear a bit of the back story from owner, Adam, and his partners from No Chintz, Natalie and Lindsey.
It was nice to be offered an espresso Martini on arrival — something that I only discovered for it’s evening after the night before recovery properties last year! However, I opted for a beer to unwind with. After Adam told about his families engineering background I started to notice a few more of the features of the venue. I love how the black and white is prolific and how the design even permeates to the hexagonal tables. It was great to hear more about this in Natalie from No Chintz’s talk.
Despite being a couple of times I hadn’t realised the big meeting room shape in the middle of the room was indeed a meeting room. D’oah!
I liked that Foundation’s offering isn’t just coffee, in that they had mini-​bottles of health; the one with honey was nice, avoided the tumeric one! They also had shakes, and the oates/​almond/​etc one was bloomin lovely! Was great to taste those.
Next time I’m in do I try a Kevlar for breakfast?
Great chatting to everyone. Thanks to Jonny, and all at Foundation and No Chintz for a good evening :)

Comfort zones are over rated. They’re comprised of stuff you’ve tried/​settled on and discourage you from stuff you haven’t. They’re also strangely the reason Unilocal events are awesome.
A Unilocal event will eventually (when the right one comes along) force you (in the nicest way possible) to try stuff you normally wouldn’t. I remember the days I didn’t like sushi, I call those days «The days before that Unilocal sushi event».
Anyway onto Coffee, which in all honesty probbly resides about 30 miles north of my comfort zone. But thanks to July’s Unilocal elite event bus I got to pay it a visit. And as well it might sound a bit like a Hollywood film quick fix turnaround but yes, I CAN easily see myself jumping on the coffee bandwagon.(Or at least the Foundation Coffee house one.
Wow, w
hat a spacious, modern, friendly new NQ establishment this was. I loved the décor and the staff were extremely welcoming from the go. Once we’d finished mingling and consumed our respective introductory espresso martinis, it was fantastic to hear Adam’s (proprieter) story about how Foundation came about. His enthusiasm and passion was evident through the smiles and giddy nature of all the staff on the night.
My favourite part of the night was trying out all the «healthy shots». I can easily see myself coming back here for those. The Manuka honey, Ginger and lemon variety really hit the spot, albeit an expensive one if I’m to make it a regular fix (£3.50/shot £8/​bottle? Correct me if I’m wrong anyone please) I know it’s not coffee but for someone who’s not a massive coffee fan it’s a start right? I mean, the only coffee house I’ve previously ever been fond of is Central Perk!
Foundation coffee house is another breath of fresh air to the growing trendy establishments in the NQ and full credit for JQ and Unilocal for introducing it to an ever growing Manchester Unilocal Elite community. All that’s left ot say is pass the Manuka… honey!

What a good Unilocal event hosted by JQ this was my second Unilocal event and like the first 1 it was really good we was welcomed with a nice cocktail foundation’s espresso martin.
Adam 1 off the owners give us a talk all about coffee that man no’s his coffee the staff was coming round with drinks every 5mins which I did not mind about lol loved every min off this event.
They all pulled the stop out to make us feel welcome and it was nice to see new faces.

Federation coffee shop located in the northern quarter of Manchester. When you enter, you enter into a big open space and on the back wall to the right is the counter. I think that it a 128 covers and right in the middle that is a big box which is a meeting room and or a video room that can be independently hired. The coffee shop has a big selection of home made cakes, all taste amazing to me! A nice touch is they do a wide selection of different teas priced around £2.50 to £4.00 and that’s for a pot of tea. There is a big selection of coffee, some of which I have never heard before. The manager did give us a speech and advised a bit of the history of what and why he wanted the place to look like it is very unique, and the pictures on the toilet door is his great grandparents, weird? Go see it and all will be revealed, which I thought was nice touch.

This was a great event thank you Jonny and the team at federation for putting on a great night.
I loved the theam really modern and contemporary I like the materials used keeping the Manchester industrial them going through.
I tried a bullet proof coffee which had coffee, coconut oil, gee and condensed milk in I think but it was really good so tasty a little stronger than I usually have but really nice it acts like a lip balm to so you have soft lips and a caffeine kick at the same time.
The hot chocolates are really good to really thick and tasty I think it was 70% coco I asked the guy behind the counter to reccomend one he did a great choice.
They had pizza delivered shock was really nice I had a drive of magerita and a spiced one both really nice.
They came round with cakes which were amazing all home made my fave was a chocolate sponge with peanut butter icing so creamy light sponge amazing defo going back for a piece if that.
The guys at the federation coffee shop are really passionate about there job and the place and you can really tell I really hope they do well it’s a great shop and will be definitely returning.

This was a very pleasant event at a fantastic venue. Foundation Coffee House is situated in Sevendale House on Lever St., Manchester, on the corner of Stevenage Sq., and is a prime location for rush hour commuters passing through. It has only been open since around the beginning of June, but I think it will soon be a hotspot for many as the place looks great and offers such an amazing variety of coffees, teas, smoothies, cakes and other foods.
From the outside, peering in through the large windows, you can see how open the coffee house is and such big space filled with natural light! The aesthetics of the Coffee House was inspired by the cofounder’s (Adam Chapman’s) family background as he comes from a long line of engineers, and working with designers No Chintz, presents a space that is minimalist in design, and has a strong barebones engineering theme running throughout with steel columns and a cemented floor.
On arrival, as usual we were greeted by Jonny and had chance to mingle with others within the Manchester Unilocal Elite before partaking in the evening events, which would consist of a passionate talk from Adam, sampling any and all products that Foundation has to other (and I mean all! Cakes! Coffee! Smoothies! Award winning Hot Chocolate! You name it!), and ending the evening with another passionate talk from the designers about the finer details of the Coffee House. Not to mention, we were served bottled beer and wine, which is always welcome at these events! But before all of that, we were offered Espresso Martinis to kickstart the night. Not sure how these would go down with non-​coffee drinkers, but I thought they were tasty!
During Adam’s presentation, you could instantly tell how passionate he was about his new venture, giving us an insight to the origins. He used to be a police officer in in Manchester before turning his attention to opening a gym named QDos Fitness, and whilst meeting with the designers during numerous meetings in coffee shops to bring his concept to life it sparked a new idea about setting up a no franchise coffeeshop. Adam really knows his coffee, and even declared himself as a «coffee geek». He careful chose the coffee himself after visiting a roasters in Cornwall and creating a brilliant menu of different coffee drink, mixing it up with different nutrients; you can have coffee for energy to last the whole day (for real!). The coffees on offer a more than just a «caffeine kick», and you understand that this has been a big journey for Adam and the whole Foundation team.
Some of the coffees highlighted in the presentation and recommended by Adam are the Bulletproof, which is a mixture of coffee with ghee, and a Kevlar, which is butter and coconut oil missed with an American coffee.
I sampled the latte, which was exceptional! I am a convert. When I am in the area, this will be where I’ll be getting my coffee! And I will definitely sample the rest of the menu.
The pricerange is great! I’d say it was mid-​range when it came to some of the franchised coffeeshops, but the quality is far greater. A lot of care has gone into the establishing the menu and the servers a really knowledgeable about all the items. Foundation does not mess around with several sizes; you get a to-​the-​point cupsized coffee, which I find to be brilliant. People just want a coffee! They don’t want to be burdened with choosing a size or forced to give their names to ensure they receive their orders.
Cakes and sandwiches come from a caterer so there is no need to cook on the premises and using local good quality caterers and bakery. Very simple! Why have a good range of cakes, both healthy and vegan. Probably the most vegan ranged cakes for a non-​vegan specialised eatery. I sampled the carrot cake and it was delicious! I am a big fan of coffee and cake, and Foundation provides a great combo!
Overall, it was a great event, and I spent some time chatting to Adam, who is a very nice guy and passionate about Foundation Coffee House. It is likely you would see him when you visit, and I look forward to stopping by soon for a coffee, and maybe some cake!
There is on final thing to mention: the toilets are remarkable! I think most people find toilets in most places to be avoided, but not here! Adam made a point to mention that these were constructed with the same quality throughout the Coffee House and endeavours to uphold the high standard for maintaining them. The pictures on the doors indicating the «gents» and «ladies» are Adam’s grandparents, which is a really nice personal touch.
Thanks to Jonny, Adam and all the staff at Foundation Coffee House. See you soon!
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A fabulous Unilocal event hosted by Jonny Q and Foundation Coffee. Welcome cocktails were served in the form of an Expresso Martini. Not really to my taste, though it was interesting to try. Adam, one of the owners have a speech about his career change from cop shop to coffee shop and his passion for coffee. He really knows his coffee, using a Cornish supplier who can trace who picked the coffee beans and on what date.
Bottles of beer were offered as well as red & white wine. Samples of cake were also passed around. I tried 3 different ones, they were all amazing. A lady from the company which did all the interior design gave a talk about where she gets her ideas and inspiration from.
Pizza arrived from PLY, though as my back was turned for 2 minutes I didn’t get any of the first batch. Fortunately more arrived shortly afterwards and I tucked into a delicious slice of Pepperoni pizza.
Had a really good chat with the guys who work there, they all seemed to know their stuff. We talked about the great range of teas that they offer — it’s not only about coffee! There was definitely no shortage of alcoholic drinks. It will be interesting to see how this venue develops as they have applied for an alcohol license.
I wish Foundation every success, they really deserve it. They are already one of my favourite coffee shops in Manchester.

My very first Elite event. EVER. And a great first event! Walked into the wrong place (in fairness there was a sign that said «Closed for private event»… just not the right private event) and walked by Foundation once before I spotted it. As I was walking in I was taken by how bright and spacious it is. As someone who loves to go to coffeehouses to meet up with friends or catch up on a book, I don’t like places where you are practically sitting on top of others and I don’t want low lighting… I don’t go to coffeehouses for romance. Sorry, not sorry.
On one side there is booth seating and on the other side is the service counter as well as a modern looking leather sofa, high tables, as well as hexagonal tables. A little something for everyone. I also noticed they have stands throughout the place where artists are showcasing work. It is quite appropriate that the design company that worked on Foundation is called Nochintz. There is no chintz… and it is refreshing.
We heard from Adam, the owner and former police officer about what they are trying to do at Foundation and I have to say, it is nice to see some different items on a coffeehouse menu… like Bulletproof and Kevlar Coffee. If coffee isn’t your jam, they have a selection of teas, hot chocolate, and various veg/​fruit smoothies. Of course you could always just go for the cake :) Of all the ones I tried (I may have tried a lot), I highly enjoyed the Peach Frangipane, although you really cannot go wrong regardless of what you choose. And… it won’t break the bank! The staff are knowledgeable, but approachable. You know those coffee places where every barista is a snob… that’s not Foundation. They are friendly and seem to enjoy talking about the coffee.
Besides cakes and drinks from Foundation, I also got to try another NQ favourite, Ply! Yup, pizza delivered to Foundation and it was delicious. The pizzas looked and tasted like they were wood-​fired and I because I enjoyed it so much, I did look up their menu and I’m going to have to go… mostly so I can stuff my face with Artichoke and Pig’s Cheek Pizza. This was a nice touch, especially for a Unilocaler like me who is still discovering more of Manchester and this gave me a taste of two!
It was great to meet loads of fellow Unilocalers! For me it was kind of like spotting celebrities since I read so many of their reviews. It was also great to meet new people who can share their Manchester knowledge with me :) It was a great night! Thanks to Jonny, Foundation, and Nochintz for a great event!

Totally impressed with the amazing work and effort made for Foundation. Which is one of the best Coffee places in Manchester. What followed was samples of coffee, wines, beers and fruit juices. PLY delivered some pizzas which were quite the exception. Foundation then supplied their selection of cakes.
All the staff at Foundation were Friendly.
Have absolute love for this place.

My first Unilocal event and I wasn’t disappointed! Given a warm welcome by Jonny and the Foundation team, and quickly got talking to other Unilocalers. A few espresso martini welcome drinks surely helped!
Adam, the owner, gave a really passionate talk about the development and journey of Foundation, then we were given some amazing pizzas from Ply, washed down with plenty of wine, beer and of course coffee!
We were talked through the design aspects of the café which was fascinating, and got the opportunity to chat with the baristas to hear more about the science behind coffee — learnt so much! Really interactive and felt like we got to know the Foundation team really well; can’t wait to come back with friends to share this awesome place.
Thanks to Unilocal,Foundation and fellow Unilocalers for a fantastic night

My second Unilocal event, and what a corker it was! My ongoing love affair with coffee was firstly treated to the delights of Foundation’s espresso martini — delightful, and later a ‘Bulletproof’ and ‘Kevlar’ coffee. Again both were amazing.
Really enjoyed hearing about the journey and concept of Foundation. The attention to detail and quality is refreshing in a city where there appears to be a coffee shop on every street corner. But I’ll be returning to Foundation for their unique coffee drinks, crafted beans, and friendly service. All of the staff were approachable and knowledgable about all the food and drinks on offer.
Cake fiends will be happy, as will vegan cake lovers too (salted caramel and granola yumminess!) — well covered on all bases. Big thanks to Jonny and the team for a great night out, and was lovely to meet and chat with so many Unilocalers — hope to see you all again soon!

Exceptionally impressed with the effort made for foundation. One of my fav coffee places in the NQ!
The event was fun, a bit more chatty and the like! Really enjoyed the different coffee and bouncing off the walls a bit now :) Kevlar coffee is unreal, btw!
I loved this place for its amazing design, hearing more about the place and its design only made me love this place so much more!
Check out the brass ruler!

Well Foundation pulled out all the stops not just for this evening but for the concept of their new coffee shop! Located conveniently in NQ /​City Centre.
The event commenced with a martini espresso, interesting and amazing! Then Adam (one of the co-​owners) gave a run down speech of the history and rationale of why and what made ‘Foundation’ what it is… I personally love these events when this happens.
What followed was samples of teas, speciality coffees, wines, beers and fruit juices where you had 8 of your 5 a day! (Thats no typo!)
PLY delivered some amazing pizzas but there were not quite enough to go around which was a shame…
Foundation then supplied various selections of their cakes, which means now all I want is more!
Finally we had a speech from one of the designers who also has an interest in the business as well as an unfounded obvious passion for the place.
Finally would like to say the staff their on the evening were all passionate friendly and extremely knowledgable… You will be well looked after WHEN you go there for a taste!