It's almost exactly a year since we last visited James Martin Manchester. We recall being impressed by the dining room, the slick service, and the food was very decent too. A few shortcomings including below par chips stuck in our minds ever since. This is a crime in Manchester afterall. I'm sure that the same can be said over the Pennines in Leeds; Mr Martin's homeland, aswell. It's a real shame that when you eat out, you tend to remember the bad parts of a meal more than the good ones. I guess that's because you expect the good parts, hence they are normal. The bad ones however, you are strangely surprised by.
Anyway, when the new menu appeared a week ago, we were keen to head down and check things out. James Martin has rightly forged himself a stellar reputation as one of the nation's finest celebrity chef's, with actual cooking credentials to back up this reputation, so you expect a certain level of quality. We headed over to see how things had gone since last year and were pleased to find that the dining room was, as per our last visit, spotless. The decor was sharp, the table settings premium quality, and it was very easy to forget that you were dining in a casino. I still don’t understand the chicken statues, but hey, chicken tastes nice so why not. I wasn't very impressed at having to hand over my manbag at the casino's main reception area before entering the restaurant itself either, especially since the lady in our team was allowed to carry hers without problem, but nevermind. I'm probably too attached to that thing anyway in hindsight.
Once in the dining room itself, from the off, service was top end. Attentive and slick, without being pretentious or formal. It was right up Manchester's street, and we felt right at home. We were greeted by a cheeky little amuse of Smoked Eel Wanton, which came in a lovely deep consomme which could perhaps have been a little cleaner, but the flavours were all there, with lovely texture from the wan ton itself. A great little surprise to start the evening.... [click here to read the full review]
Wahaca, celebrated for its fresh, social, Mexican market food, is confirmed to open in September at The Corn Exchange, Manchester.
Wahaca was born in 2007, inspired by co-founder Thomasina Miers’ travels to Mexico, time spent running bars there and falling in love with the country and cuisine. After winning Masterchef in 2005 and cooking in a Michelin-starred restaurant, she teamed up with fellow Mexico enthusiast Mark Selby to open a UK restaurant that would reflect the vibrant colours, flavours and buzz of the country’s markets.
The vision was to overturn the prevailing ‘Tex-Mex’ stereotype of tequila girls and greasy tortilla chips, and instead serve freshly prepared seasonal dishes, designed for sharing. The result went down a storm and almost immediately Londoners were queuing up for guacamole with lime juice, coriander and ripe Hass avocadoes; signature pork pibil tacos made with outdoor-reared British pork and corn tortillas; and MSC certified fish tacos - not to mention the range of 100% agave tequila.
For Wahaca, as important as delicious food is a commitment to sustainability, and all ingredients are sourced as locally as possible to home, or transported with care for the environment. Fish is of the highest sustainability accreditation and all meat is British, sourced from producers with high welfare standards. Where specialist ingredients have to be delivered from Mexico, the approach is to buy direct from local co-operatives that support local farming communities.
Wahaca Manchester will seat 165 covers and additionally feature a deli, serving takeaway tacos and burritos to eat at home or ‘al-desko’.
Thomasina comments, “We are thrilled that our next adventure is Manchester. The city has always been creative and a good time place, and right now the scene seems to be all about food. We’ve received a constant stream of tweets asking when Wahaca will be arriving with proper tacos and tequila – and the answer is very soon! It’s a privilege to feel welcomed to the party.” .
Since the inaugural Covent Garden site, Wahaca has won numerous awards for quality, sustainability and design; including the Observer Food Monthly Award for Best Cheap Eat in the UK, Sustainable Restaurant Group of the Year 2012 and 2013, The SRA Innovation award for championing the sustainability of Entomophagy in 2015, Best Pop-up from the Restaurant Bar and Design Awards, and the title of one of the ‘UK’s coolest brands’.
As National Lobster Day on June 15th approaches – Manchester is being tempted with a series of treats from popular restaurant Steak & Lobster at the Free Trade Hall
In addition to the restaurant’s existing great value deal of £18 for steamed or grilled lobster with unlimited fries and salad, diners during the week of 15th to the 19th June can enter to win a return meal for two with wine as well learn how to crack lobsters with daily expert demonstrations.
To coincide with the culinary national day, the restaurant is also launching a new cocktail promotion on three of its most loved drinks – the classic mojito, the juicy Very Berry and the tangy Thinking of Summer. Each cocktail will be available at £5 between 12pm until 11pm.
In addition as Britain’s obsession with lobster shows no sign of waning, the celebrated restaurant has launched a tempting lunchtime menu, with prices starting from just £6.50
The new menu boasts dishes including a lobster and brandy bisque with warm bread and Normandy butter, and a steak and caramelised onion focaccia with freshly cut chips. The warm surf and turf salad and steak and pie also feature on the varied menu served from 12 noon to 5pm.
For a final indulgence treat yourself to one of Steak & Lobster’s retro desserts with favourites including Knickerbocker Glory and Banana Split.
Almost a year ago, Mark Andrew Developments (MAD Ltd) rebranded the quintessentially British Rosylee Tearooms into Rosylee, via a £100k refurbishment, taking the Northern Quarter on a food led journey with Manchester inspired dishes along with twists on the classics. Since then, they have said a fond farewell to Chef Robert Owen Brown, and this week introduced us to the group’s new Executive Head Chef; Chris Byron.
Before coming to Rosylee award winning Chef Chris has held several positions, in a career spanning over 25 years. Roles including Senior Sous Chef at The Belfry, and Executive Chef at Thwaites Judges’ Lodge, not forgetting his 10 years at the Living Room, reflect Chef's calibre. So when we got invited to the VIP menu launch on Wednesday June 10th, we jumped at the chance to sample the new menu's delights.
Well they say a change is a good as rest and this adage couldn’t be more true when it comes to the revamped menu. Although the menu has been given a new twist and focuses more on the Inka charcoal oven, which is one of only 3 in the city, the restaurants philosophy on sourcing ingredients has remained the same, with Chris saying -
“We have stayed faithful to sourcing and using only the best of British ingredients from throughout the North West, but we have made the menu more accessible and have focussed many of the new dishes around the Inka over.” [click here to read more]
Turtle Bay’s second Manchester restaurant is now officially open. The restaurant celebrated their new Northern Quarter site opening in style with a huge VIP party on Thursday 4th June.
The Northern Quarter neighbourhood turned out in force, alongside local faces such as Salford Singer Ren Harvieu, I Am Kloot’s Pete Jobson and Absolute Radio’s Pete Mitchell. Revellers enjoyed rum, reggae and jerk in abundance, partying the night away, Caribbean style, to the live sounds of reggae legends Troy Ellis and Hail Jamaica. The restaurant officially threw open it’s doors on Oldham Street on Friday 5th.
Turtle Bay has been bringing rum, reggae, jerk and good times to the city since last May and Manchester is the first location in the UK to have 2 Turtle Bay restaurants. The Northern Quarter branch however has been designed with its independent surroundings in mind, to create a different environment to that of its Oxford Street big sister. The Turtle Bay team worked with local graffiti artist and illustrator Tasha Whittle to create murals throughout the restaurant creating a completely unique interior for this site. Tasha, amongst many other things is one of the artists behind the Out House project in the Northern Quarter.
The team was also careful to ensure that the original features of the building were kept in tact, doing very little to the structure and with the site’s original ceilings and beams being preserved and restored. And of course the famous Frank Sidebottom illustration on the wall outside the restaurant remains. Turtle Bay worked with local illustrator Stanley Chow to create the VIP party invitations – he created a bespoke illustration that will also be displayed in the restaurant.
The 120-cover restaurant is now from 11.30am – 11pm Sun – Wed, and is open till midnight on Thursdays and 1am on Fridays and Saturdays.
Hard Rock Cafe is ready to party like it’s 1971! On June 14, 1971, Isaac Tigrett and Peter Morton opened the first-ever Hard Rock Cafe in London and an iconic brand was born. To honor the brand’s founders and celebrate its birthday on Sunday, June 14, 2015, Hard Rock Cafe Manchester will turn back the clock and give away Burgers for just 71 pence.*
Just like the artists whose memorabilia lines the walls at Hard Rock locations worldwide, the burgers that Hard Rock Cafe serves are nothing short of “Legendary.” Each cafe has its own unique Local Legendary Burger, created and prepared by the local cafe chef, incorporating market-specific flavor and flair into the recipe. All Legendary Burgers feature the highest quality meats, fresh ingredients, savory sauces and rich, melted cheeses. On Hard Rock’s birthday, all Legendary Burgers will be made available for the discounted price of 71 pence.
Two music-loving Americans founded the first Hard Rock Cafe in an old Rolls Royce showroom in London. After Eric Clapton asked to hang his guitar in that location, Tigrett and Morton had a vision to combine music, memorabilia and food for a one-of-a-kind guest experience. More than four decades later, Hard Rock celebrates its birthday by taking guests back in time for a day. Guests are encouraged to join in on the fun and dress in their best ’70s garb as they stop by their local Hard Rock and enjoy a 71 pence Legendary Burger.
*While supplies last / Not including World Burger Tour Burgers.
The Lawn Club was 2014’s independent success story. Set in the heart of Spinningfields, the unique ‘indoor/outdoor’ bar provided an ‘English garden oasis’ in the city, offering an acclaimed food menu, as well as serving up first class cocktails, wines and spirits.
In January The Lawn Club closed its doors to make way for redevelopments in Hardman Square, Spinningfields. As one of the neighbourhood’s favourite independent bars it has been sorely missed. Now a brand new Lawn Club has arrived, featuring a private lawn, completely redesigned structure and interior, alongside an enhanced food, drink and events offering.
The newly rebuilt structure nestles around the bar’s own elegant private lawn, and boasts 4 perfectly balanced spaces leading from interior to exterior, all designed to capture the best of the British seasons. Perfectly manicured grass, parasols, BBQs, wood burning stoves, blankets, lawn games, candle-lit evenings, first class dining, take away lunches, gourmet picnic hampers, a membership scheme and complete private hire options are all on the menu in this exciting new development for one of Manchester’s favourite independent bars.
The Lawn Club is now comprised of 4 areas. The main bar which also houses the open kitchen, the restaurant area known as the Orangery, the brand new decking area offering al fresco dining and table service, and of course the private lawn. All unique and adaptable spaces, which will also be available for private hire. The completely redesigned interior is a sleeker, more elegant version of previous incarnations, but still with the rustic, natural theme that has been the inspiration for the bar from the off.
The 60 cover, full table service Organgery is a light-hearted place to enjoy a serious lunch, dinner or Sunday roast. The Lawn Club’s menu by highly acclaimed chef, David Gale has eturned for 2015. Following their well-received collaboration in 2014, The Lawn Club’s new kitchen sets the stage for a much fuller showcase of Chef Gale’s well-known and individual approach to food. The menu is a laid back, but expertly executed, collection of beautiful, easy-going dishes, all created with seriously sourced, fine, local ingredients at their heart.
For casual dining, picnic hampers will be packed up with gourmet goodies, and available for a first class lunch on the lawn! The Lawn Club’s tremendous BBQ pit will of course be stoked up for all seasons too with gourmet burgers, sizzling sausages and hot halloumi all set to be on the griddle.
The all-new expertly devised drinks menu features a comprehensive craft beer list, a serious wine and Champagne selection alongside a lovingly created, seasonal cocktail menu, capturing the quintessentially British ambience. Gin will be a particular feature of the drinks menu with some of the best, small batch distillations the world has to offer.
There’ll be a full programme of events too – from lawn games such as croquet and Kubb, to cocktail masterclasses; food pairing evenings with guest chefs, to DJs and live music. Plus the venue will be available to hire, offering some of the most extraordinary private party options in the city. The concept has been developed by Fluid Bars in partnership with Spinningfields developer, Allied London, who continue to work together to realise The Lawn Club vision.
James Wrigley, Director of Fluid Bars said: “This new incarnation is a natural progression for The Lawn Club. We enjoyed huge success last year, and worked hard to develop the food and drink offerings, events and indoor/outdoor space design to create something that wasn’t ‘just another bar’. Now, in partnership with Allied London, we’ve commissioned a new vision of The Lawn Club and we’re really excited to showcase the results”
Vapiano, the international fast-casual Italian restaurant group has selected Manchester for its fourth opening, which will be the company’s only UK restaurant outside London. The £2m Vapiano Manchester will employ 90 local staff for its 400-cover restaurant - which will be the biggest Vapiano restaurant in the UK.
Vapiano, which boasts 152 restaurants across 29 countries, including three in London, will join the Cosy Club, Pho and Wahaca at the newly redeveloped £30m Corn Exchange later this summer. Designed by Felix Fingernagle Ross, the designer behind Vapiano’s Soho venue, the restaurant will sit over two floors with an indoor terrace in the heart of the iconic Grade II listed building plus an outside seating area looking out on to Exchange Square. Also it will feature a 100 year old olive tree and fresh live herbs on the tables.
The concept of Vapiano is self-service using a smart-card payment system, with guests experiencing face-to-face interactions with chefs. Diners order pasta, pizzas, antipasti and salads directly from the chefs at individual food stations by ‘tapping’ their smart cards on a machine at each station within the restaurant and paying at the front desk when leaving.
Vapiano makes its own fresh dough and pasta on-site and they use the highest quality ingredients including buffalo mozzarella, meats and cheeses which are made into pizza, pasta dishes and salads while-you-wait. Plus all dishes are prepared in front of the customer (taking as little as three minutes from scratch) so that they can be customised and refined to suit individual tastes and specific dietary requirements.
Phil Sermon, Vapiano UK Managing director, said: “We have had many guests who have visited our restaurants in other parts of the world particularly in countries such as Sweden contact us requesting that we open in Manchester,this makes it even more exciting to be launching in one of our absolute favourite cities and in such a fantastic, historical development as the Corn Exchange.”
Click here to read more about what to expect when Vapiano comes to town.
The Chinatown branch of Red Chilli, the Chinese Szechuan specialist, has closed its doors with the group who runs it going into administration. Long established and recognised as one of the best and most authentic places to eat in Chinatown, Red Chilli's closure will come as a great loss to the area. For now, the branch on Oxford Rd is still open for business, so fingers cross that this continues to be the case. _ May 2015
