“I absolutely s*** myself”: The horror of gentrification is being exposed in Greater Manchester... 2:22 A Ghost Story at The Lowry
01.11.2023 - 07:39
/ manchestereveningnews.co.uk
There’s an absolutely gorgeous wine bar not far from our house. It’s been quietly going about its business in Levenshulme, becoming a local word-of-mouth powerhouse since opening in 2019.
However the incredibly talented team behind Isca had the national spotlight thrust upon them recently.
Their innocent existence was rumbled a few weeks ago by an article in The Sunday Times, in which restaurant critic Charlotte Ivers gushed about their ‘small plate’ of cabbage on the menu, which was priced at £10.
She admitted that she enjoyed it, and in doing so, is probably herself part of a wider problem that’s happening more broadly in traditionally working-class areas.
It got her thinking “whether it’s good that some places get nicer and filled with natural wine, or whether it’s bad that working-class communities in cities around the country get overrun by posh kids looking for an artisan bakery and somewhere they can pretend mummy doesn’t have a house in Kensington.”
The Manchester Evening News took note of the piece, and it caused a bit of a stir in the comments section. One reader said it was nonsense to suggest that 'Levvy' has been gentrified, pointing out that Isca is next door to a Cashconverters.
"Loads of hipsters have moved in," another counters. They claim that they've been shocked at prices of the new influx of businesses in the area, "as are the bemused long-term Levenshulme residents"
Now Levenshulme is an interesting place.
You can pay north of £6 for a gorgeous pint of craft beer at the lovely Nordie, and nom on their hispi cabbage – priced at £11 – which comes with an almond curry sauce, a shallot pakora, seaweed butter and celeriac raita.
And then, a few doors down at one of the still-standing Irish pubs a pint