Indian Tiffin Room specializes in authentic Indian street food that is inspired by the bustling streets of India. The original restaurant in Cheadle is very highly regarded for its food and service. When approached by the owners, Lewis & Hickey had to consider how the best of the original location could be reinvented in Manchester’s newest cultural and commercial location. The shell commercial unit provided a contemporary canvas of large glazed areas, bare concrete and blockwork. The challenge was to fill the cavernous space to create a bustling, street feel that reflects the origins of the menu and complements the experience of the location. Two cut-out shipping containers are delicately balanced to house the kitchen which is the focus of the restaurant, the theatre of the chef’s activities as much a visual attraction as the food itself. Upcycled and re-used materials are utilized to create the bar and elements of the furniture including the deconstructed rickshaws that form seating booths. We worked with specialist lighting designers on the bespoke light fittings that mix rickshaw wheels with the multi-tiered tiffin pots that give the restaurant its name. Road markings on the floor, bespoke graffiti and wall hangings from India complete the street ambience in a light hearted collision between standard commercial unit and the Indian sub-continent.