If you’ve ever found yourself crawling bumper-to-bumper along Great Ancoats Street you might have spotted Soul & Surf, a small restaurant with tables and chairs pitched up outside, selling soul food and cocktails.
Peak inside and the first thing you’ll spot is a black and white mural featuring iconic singers Whitney Houston and Aretha Franklin, local legends Bugzy Malone and Aitch, and sports stars Raheem Sterling and Anthony Joshua, amongst others. For founder Benjamin Onalaja this mural isn’t about just aesthetics, it’s about inspiration.
“I fell in love with business about five years ago - and the idea of wanting to make something good for myself and my family,” Ben tells me, as we sit down inside the restaurant one Wednesday morning. "I wanted to be able to give my family something to be proud of because of my past, so during lockdown I said to myself I was going to get all of my ideas together and bring them to life and that’s where the journey began.”
