Inside the New Zealand-inspired brunch spot opening in Manchester's 'hidden' neighbourhood

"We love a challenge here at Caravan," co-founder Laura Harper-Hinton tells me as she sits in one of the plush booths overlooking the all-day dining spot's brand new site In Manchester.

Located in the up-and-coming St John's neighbourhood, home to Aviva Studios, upscale eatery Fenix and soon, Soho House, it's a little bit out of the way, hidden even, but this hasn't deterred Laura and her fellow co-founders Chris Ammermann and Miles Kirby.

Native New Zealanders, the restauranteurs came to the UK fourteen years ago to open their first site at London's Exmouth Market before opening a further six sites including one at Coal Drops Yard at King's Cross, which at the time was only in the early stages of its development - a little bit like St John's in Manchester now.

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"When we opened King's Cross it was still an emerging area of the city and we were the first restaurant to open there," Laura explains. The University of Arts hadn't opened yet and the beautiful fountains now outside hadn't been completed so it was a wonderful thing to see it grow and emerge."

Hoping to emulate their success in London, the trio are preparing to unveil their first site in the North here in Manchester in the coming days. Known for its all-day dining offer and Antipodean speciality coffee, the huge new site, just across the way from Spinningfields' main hub, features a expansive dining space, wraparound cocktail bar, private dining space and even its own coffee roastery.

"We decided to set ourselves a challenge in Manchester too. With Aviva Studios around the corner, Soho House opening, and the creative industries here it just feels like a really