I eat a lot of dinners in and around Manchester, it’s a (brilliant) perk of the job. Still, I have never, ever licked my plate whilst out in public before. My mother would kill me.
After one visit to Our Place though, the supper club that goes out of its way to help local people in need despite being homeless itself, that all went out of the window. Sometimes, rules just have to be broken – especially when the food is this good.
Founded by top Manchester chef Iain Thomas and his business partner David O’Connor, the pop-up dinner series is best described as a ‘roaming’ kitchen with events held at different locations around the city.
Managing to be both exceedingly unpretentious and lip-smackingly moreish at once, as well as gaining serious kudos for the work it does with homeless people in the city through its partnership with local charity Only A Pavement Away, there’s a lot to praise here.
Serving up local, seasonal, and sustainable food, much of it grown and harvested by Hattersley-born chef Iain on his Stockport allotment, when I visit Our Place their supper club is being hosted in a working brewery behind Manchester Piccadilly train station.
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Sureshot, I’m told, stepped in last minute and ‘saved the day’ after their original host was forced to pull out. After one glance at the beer menu, which features some of the silliest beer names I’ve ever come across (‘Small Man’s Wetsuit’, ‘Hot Fudge Carward’, and ’18 Free Personalised Fridge Magnets’ anyone?), I’m grateful, both for the laughs and the hospitality.
The brewery’s long tables are perfect for encouraging the sort of friendly communal dining that Our Place champions, and as the courses start to fly out – warm bread rolls with whey fat butter inspired by after-school teas growing up, followed by corn-fed confit chicken with onion tops and Iain’s SK14 allotment chutney – a relaxed buzz spreads through the room.
David, formerly head of Sales and Marketing at Jay Rayner favourite The Alan, is on serving duties and explains each dish as it lands on the table in front of us.
His warm, unpretentious manner sets the tone for the night, with jokes about growing up with busy parents – one a bin man, one a nurse – who he insists would regularly dish up warm bread and butter under the guise of ‘cooking’.
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The dinner itself is a feat of hearty nostalgia, centered around great produce and topped up with little homely tidbits such as these.
Masterminded by Iain, a chef with an intimidating CV (you’ve likely tried his food at Ancoats’ gastro pub reborn the Edinburgh Castle, The Alan, or maybe back in the day at The Establishment on King Street, now home to Rosso), each plate is more delicious than the last.
For mains, we dig into Littlewoods Butchers beef rump with boulangerie potatoes, onion tops from Iain’s allotment, and a wild garlic and purple sprouting puree. An ox tongue beef sauce, rich and comforting, is the final temptation for my loss of table manners – and, honestly, I’ve no regrets.
Finishing things off with a warming bowl of ‘Nana Betty’s’ rhubarb and custard and a poetry reading from Manchester’s own Chubby Northerner, aka ‘the pub poet’, aka Tom Stocks, it’s one of the most enjoyable evenings I’ve had out in a while, made even better knowing that £5 from each ticket goes to support local people in need.
Having been homeless since its inception, for the next three months Our Place will be hosting events on selected Friday nights inside Manchester Art Gallery as part of a new partnership.
The date for their first dinner at the gallery will be Friday 26 May, with tickets priced at £45 and vegetarian and vegan options available for non-meat eaters. To find out more, visit Our Place on Instagram here.
Featured image – The Manc Eats
Eats
One of Manchester’s best restaurants is opening a ‘bread kitchen’ in Exhibition food hall
Daisy Jackson
A Michelin guide restaurant in Manchester is branching out with a new project, and this time it’s all about bread.
The team behind Another Hand will be taking over one of the kitchens in food hall Exhibition, launching Jaan, which will specialise in Persian cooking.
The new bread kitchen will focus on Wildfarmed House Flatbreads, which will come with an array of seasonal toppings.
And a lot of the produce heading to the Jaan kitchen at Exhibition will be taken from what’s not used at Another Hand around the corner.
For example, a whole sirloin that’s used for Another Hand’s ex-dairy sirloin dish will provide meat trimmings that will be turned into Jaan’s beef tartare.
The tail and trim from Another Hand’s seared trout will head to Jaan to be used in a fire-roasted sea trout fatoush salad.
And the two restaurants will share other bits of produce too, like a squash that will go into both a Winter Squash small plate at the main restaurant and a scorched summer squash dish at the food hall.
Another Hand’s famous flatbreads will be the staple on the menu at Jaan, which is moving into the beautiful kitchen on Peter Street hot on the heels of the departure of Rigatoni’s.
Since it launched in 2022, the restaurant’s become known as one of Manchester’s best, even earning a place in the Michelin guide.
It’s famed for its sharing plates, as well as the team’s efforts to drive sustainable practices, sourcing produce from across the north west.
Most ingredients used in the restaurant have travelled no more than 40 miles, and the bread comes from Holy Grain while the chocolate comes from Dormouse, both right next door.
Jaan will be moving in to the Exhibition food hall in Manchester
They hope that Jaan will help their sustainable credentials even more, allowing them to use up almost every scrap of produce.
Small plates will all be served with house flatbreads, and toppings will include smoked aubergine, whipper butterbean, black garlic cheese bread, ex-dairy beef tartare, and ras el hanout spiced lamb.
And larger plates will include slow-cooked lamb shank with ancient grains, grilled octopus and nduja, and chermoula chicken rice.
Chef patrons Max Yorke and Julian Pizer said: “We feel extremely privileged to be offered the opportunity to cook alongside Osma and Baratxuri at Exhibition Manchester.
“Over the last few years our small 24 cover restaurant has generated a large waitlist and we are excited to showcase our new concept to a wider audience.
“Most importantly, as we make more steps to improve our environmental standards, our food waste systems showed an obvious area in which we could develop.
“By opening a second kitchen in such a fast paced venue we can take unused produce from Another Hand and even further reduce, and hopefully eradicate, our wastage.”
Jaan Persian Bread Kitchen will open within Exhibition on 8 May, joining Osma and Baratxuri on the venue’s restaurant floor.
Gary Neville lines up Michelin star chef for his Stock Exchange Hotel restaurant
Daisy Jackson
Gary Neville has announced a new restaurant within his five-star Stock Exchange Hotel, which will open almost a year after the previous eatery announced its shock closure.
The magnificent dining room at the heart of the hotel was previously home to Tom Kerridge’s The Bull & Bear, which closed at the end of 2022.
It was then replaced by Stock Market Grill, a restaurant by the award-winning Schofield brothers (who operate officially the best bar in the UK) – but that was open for only a matter of months.
Thankfully, the Manchester United legend and property mogul now has grand plans for the Stock Exchange’s restaurant offering, roping in two-time Michelin star chef Niall Keating.
Niall will be launching Tender this summer, a luxury dining experience ‘named after the tender care put into crafting each dish’.
There’ll be gourmet food for everyday dining within the hotel’s historic dining room, which will undergo a renovation before Tender’s launch.
Its menu will offer weekday brasserie lunches, a la carte dinners, afternoon teas, Sunday roasts, a chef’s table and a special tasting menu.
The Stock Exchange Hotel is home to one of Manchester’s most beautiful restaurant spaces. Credit: The Manc GroupThe Stock Exchange Hotel is home to one of Manchester’s most beautiful restaurant spaces. Credit: The Manc Group
Niall Keating at just 33 years old has already earned two Michelin stars, making him one of the youngest two-time Michelin star chefs in the UK.
His CV has included stints in kitchens at the best restaurants in the world, including Restaurant Sat Bains and Benu in San Francisco (a three Michelin-star spot).
He then headed to The Dining Room at Whatley Manor Hotel, where he earned his first star in 2017 and a second in 2019, as well as a prestigious Green Star in 2021 which recognises sustainability practices.
Speaking about today’s announcement, Gary Neville, owner of Stock Exchange Hotel, said: “We couldn’t be happier to be partnering with Niall Keating for Tender and bringing his culinary expertise to the hotel.
“His vision to create versatile and accessible dining options is exactly what we’ve been looking for, to allow everyone visiting Tender to find the right experience for them.”
Niall Keating added: “From when I first walked through the doors of the hotel into the dining room, I knew this was the place for me and that we could create something really special.
“I immediately felt connected to both Gary and General Manager, Tracy Harrison, and I knew what I wanted to create at the hotel and restaurant. I want a space that feels vibrant, warm and energetic, that brings to life the history of the stock exchange roots of the hotel, while providing an upscale and comfortable brasserie dining experience.
“In addition to the main dining room, we will also be opening ‘The Bank’, which is a beautiful private space for up to 12 guests, where we will be providing a truly exceptional dining experience.”
Gary added: “We will also shortly be announcing a series of events and live music experiences, including a weekly music plan, within Tender, that will really bring the venue to life, making it the heart of Stock Exchange Hotel.”
Tender restaurant at the Stock Exchange Hotel will officially open on 5 June.
Its opening hours will be Wednesday to Saturday, midday to 10pm, and Sundays midday to 7.30pm.