Green light for new Wigan bar and eatery opened by team including F1 chefs

The new venue, which opened on Monday, is the brainchild of Martin Quinlan and Paul Gray - who both cooked for the Marussia Formula 1 team and the Sky Sports employees responsible for bringing the high-octane action to fans’ screens - and Jimmy Winnard.

Drawing inspiration from their globe-trotting adventures involved in one of the world’s most glamorous sports, Paul and Martin hope Asylum’s quirky feel will be like nothing else on the borough’s eating and drinking scene.

Paul, who still works in F1, said: “This is completely different and unique for Wigan. Places like Asylum don’t exist in places like Standish, but Standish is ready for it.

“We went to some fantastic places around the world and we’ve taken snippets of our favourite bars for Asylum.

“We want a city centre sort of vibe where the decor is quirky, the food is good but casual and it’s like a relaxed cafe in the daytime.

“Some people might think it’s a bit mad but hopefully my generation and younger people will think it’s pretty cool. I think it’s the way bars are heading.”

The menu at the Market Street venue consists largely of tapas-style sharing dishes from around the world and will also be open for breakfast in the mornings.

At night the place will take on a livelier vibe, with the music being cranked up and cocktails being mixed.

Although Paul said one of his and Martin’s favourite stops on the F1 tour is Monaco with its glamorous parties the biggest influence from the racing circuit on Asylum has been Austin, the city in Texas known for its live music scene and bar culture.

Supervisor Rebecca Sadler, who has also contributed to the venue’s design, said: “This has been coming along for about a year and a half, and when they found this place in Standish they knew it was perfect.”

Asylum is not the first local venture Paul has been involved with as he was head chef at the Dicconson Arms in Appley Bridge for a number of years.

Standish resident Martin has swapped the racetrack for the kitchen as Asylum’s head chef while Paul’s brother Michael takes the manager role.