Imbiba joins Million Pound Menu...

BBC Two gives some of Britain's brightest food talent their very own restaurant and a once in a lifetime opportunity...

In November 2017 the BBC gave 12 budding restaurateurs the chance to turn their dreams into reality with each potential operator running a pop-up restaurant in Leftbank, Manchester. The Imbiba team joined investors from across the UK to review a range of concepts. The show goes live on BBC from 17th May at 9pm.

A range of diverse and dynamic concepts were presented, for the investors to assess and review:

  • Epoch: Seasonal British restaurant run by Ruth Hansom and sommelier Emily Lambert, who met while working at The Ritz.
  • Black Bear Burger: Married couple Liz and Stew Down who founded a burger company in 2016 which is still open in Boxpark, Shoreditch.
  • Naked Dough: The UK's first cookie dough cafe by pastry chef Jen Henry and her friend Hannah Adams, currently located at Westfield London.
  • Bubble&: Husband and wife team Martia Lietz and Rupert Smith's street food trader, located at Cardinal Place and Shepherds Market.
  • Dynasty: Chef Jay Morjaria serves up tapas-style small plates with “plant-forward” East Asian and Latin ingredients. 
  • Hollings: Ronnie Murray teamed up with beverages expert James Randall for a restaurant focusing on provenance, quality produce and seasonality.
  • The Cheese Wheel: Graham Bradbury's freshly made Italian fettuccine, immersed in a luxuriously large wheel of Grana Padano still has a spot in Camden market.
  • Shrimp Wreck: Scottish chef Ewen Hutchinson focused on the allure of local seafood.
  • Greedy Khao: London street food traders Greedy Khao who serve up modern, Thai vegan fast food.
  • Finca: Cuban street food restaurant founded by four friends from Liverpool.
  • Trap Kitchen: Prince Cofie Owusu's business, based on American soul food. 
  • Wholesome Junkies: Chelsea Campbell is a passionate, purely vegan, street food vendor.

Find out if they got investment on BBC2 Thursday's at 9pm in this six week series.

Fraser Bradshaw