Two Exciting New Additions to Hull’s Expanding Food Scene

Riverhouse Coffee Hull, Shoot The Bull, Trinity Market Hull – 

Two Exciting New Additions to Hull’s Expanding Food Scene

It’s hard to keep up with Chris Harrison of Hull’s renowned Shoot the Bull. After only 18 months of trading, they were recognised as ‘Street Food Trader of the Year’ at the Food Awards England and won the Northern Heats at the British Street Food Awards 2016. This success led Chris to take over The Old House pub following a year’s residency, wowing customers with their ‘restaurant style street food’. Fast forward to now and Chris and the Shoot the Bull team are already onto their next ventures, yes not one but two. The first, news of a permanent street food kitchen in Hull’s Trinity Market and the second, new neighbourhood coffee destination ‘The Riverhouse Coffee Co’.

We caught up with Chris to find out more about what’s in store for his new coffee shop concept and Hull Trinity Market kitchen.

RIVERHOUSE COFFEE CO

Where is the new coffee shop and when do you hope to open?
The new coffee shop is next door to The Old House in the heart of Hull’s Old Town. Although the building is newer it used to be a shoe shop back in the day, so there’s an original shop front feel to the place. We are aiming to open the second week in September.

What inspired you to open the Riverhouse Coffee Co?
The building has been empty for a while and I used to walk past it and think, what if it was a coffee shop, so one day I thought why don’t I just do it!
With the footfall in the Old Town increasing and The Old House not being known as an early morning/lunch destination, I wanted to cater for this market. There are no coffee shops within the Old Town and we would also be able to serve people who are walking by after visiting Hull’s Museum Quarter. 

There’s also a number of surrounding apartments and I want to create a welcoming neighbourhood coffee shop feel that’s open 7 days a week, where people can sit and do their emails in the morning before heading off for the day and also a ‘daytime hang out’ where we’ll close late afternoon/early evening.

Is coffee an area of knowledge for you?
I’m not a coffee buff yet, I just know what I like and I’m working with the experts at Hull’s Blending Room to create a bespoke coffee. We’ve ordered samples of raw beans from suppliers across the world, which James at The Blending Room will roast for us to taste test. Once we’ve chosen the right one for us we’ll then buy a whole production of the crop. It will be the Riverhouse Coffee Co’s own seasonal blend which will change twice a year. Offering a seasonal feel right down to the coffee served with local milk. Our staff are also going through Barista training so we’ll have some in-house coffee gurus!

What can guests expect from the food on offer?
To cater for the nearby officers and visitors passing by we’re going to offer grab and go sandwiches and homemade soups, but of course with a Shoot the Bull twist in terms of quality of ingredients. So, we’ll use bread from a local baker from Hull and use our own roasted ham from the Old House restaurant for instance. We’ve also got a fantastic Pastry Chef coming on board so there will be a fresh cake and patisserie offering.  But again, expect something different, not just a Victoria sponge but something extra and exciting behind it. We’ll also be serving breakfast and brunch, such as our perfectly soft eggs which have been slow cooked at 63 degrees. This will be a great addition to the Old Town which currently doesn’t have a brunch offering. Also, a great meeting space for nearby businesses.

Are you planning on selling any takeout products?
Yes, we almost want to create a little farm shop where we’ll sell our coffee, the bread we use and gifts, all to support local produce.  

Are there any plans for events or pop-ups?
It’s early days but I definitely have this in mind. With the coffee shop being next door to The Old House it is a perfect space for us to offer private dining. We’ve also thought about different evenings where people will bring their own alcohol, again in keeping with the neighbourhood coffee shop feel.

TRINTY MARKET HULL

Can you tell us more about the news of your permanent street food kitchen?
It’s still early days as we’re just agreeing on the lease, but our plan is to offer our daily changing award-winning street food menu which is what we offer for private and street food events. It will also be our central HQ kitchen for the produce we offer in the coffee shop and for our mobile street food and catering popups. With our food being well received at Hull’s Street Food Nights and within The Old House we hope this too will become a popular new space. There’s also talk of other Hull restaurants who might be joining me in Trinity Market, which would be fantastic. There needs to be not just one place but multiple places offering great food to keep people returning to Hull to discover what’s on offer.  

Find out more about The Old House a pub by Shoot The Bull 

Riverhouse Coffee Co, 4 Scale Lane, HU1 1LA, Hull
Opening mid-September – 7 days a week, morning till late afternoon. 

Riverhouse Coffee Hull, Shoot The Bull, Trinity Market Hull