When I think of my ideal self, she goes to pilates before the day has really started and she nourishes her body, independent from the grip of potato smileys and beans. I am yet to wake up and have suddenly achieved this with little effort, but visiting The Green Lab in the Northern Quarter fulfilled my dream.
The Green Lab is home to a health studio that offers influencer vibe reformer pilates and a café prioritising a healthy gut and a healthy mind: it’s no wonder it describes itself as a lifestyle destination.
Springtime brings new beginnings to mind, especially when it comes to wellness. In keeping with the newness of gardens, The Green Lab has a new spring menu. The menu has exquisite vegan and veggie options (including NOtella chocolate spread) with meat options including chicken sausages and turkey rashers, providing that meat fix with your gut health in mind.
With my activewear set popping, I got my yummy mummy vibes on to nourish my body on a shockingly lovely Sunday morning. FYI: achieving anything before 12pm on a Sunday will make you feel like you’re better than literally everyone else so be prepared for your ego to double.
Their juices are freshly made in-house, in reused glass bottles – healthy and sustainable? Huge slay. The Incredible Bulk offered all the blended goodness containing mint, apple, celery, spinach, ginger, and broccoli. I hadn’t yet had a coffee that morning and this juice perked me up without the fear of a caffeine crash in the back of my mind. Bring the Beet In has beetroot as its core ingredient, it’s quite earthy but beetroot fans will adore this antioxidant-packed juice.
Enticed by the name, I ordered the Golden Turkish Eggs. It was a sunrise in my mouth. The gold yoghurt, chilli oil, and orange dressing made for amazing poached eggs, truly unlike any other brunch I’ve tried. The turmeric pitta made for a pleasant accompaniment to the eggs, and rounded off the freshness of the dish.
Mumsy ordered the Green Shakshuka: a baked egg with feta, coriander, and spiced chickpeas. The dish was seasoned perfectly and was really well-rounded in its flavours. When I go back, I’m definitely ordering this. With the green vegetables that are added to this dish, it reminds me of a cheese and leek gratin in France which is quite a boujee statement, but being a pilates health girly is a boujee lifestyle.
The atmosphere in The Green Lab is so positive and the huge windows make this corner of NQ full of light. Plants have claimed seats across the space and the ceiling, bringing green into The Green Lab. Being able to see a vast corner of NQ from my table, I really didn’t want to leave. Finishing the trip with an oat milk cortado and five minutes of people-watching, I left The Green Lab feeling refreshed and excited for the week ahead.
This lifestyle destination is the perfect place to have a bite or a drink whilst resetting for the days ahead. Despite the hustle and bustle of town, The Green Lab feels like a refuge where you can focus on what you need to thrive. For me, that was incredible eggs and cold-pressed juice whilst stepping away from the ever-growing to-do list in my head.
The Green Lab NQ is open 8am-6pm on Monday to Friday, and 9am-5pm on Saturday and Sunday at 32-24 Dale Street, Manchester M1 1FY.
