There’s a brand new pub right in the heart of the Northern Quarter, as The Lamb of Tartary officially opens its doors.
The stunning space has completely transformed the former Cottonopolis site on Newton Street into a bright and airy restaurant.
The Lamb of Tartary comes from the same team behind the Edinburgh Castle pub in Ancoats, which was recently named one of the best gastropubs in the country. So yeah – safe hands.
Executive chef Shaun Moffat (also an award-winner after being named Chef of the Year at the MFDF Awards), will be in charge of the menu, where he’s created a mouth-watering list of seasonal British dishes.
And they’ll be celebrating their launch today by giving away free pints of Heineken to the first 100 people through the door after 5pm.
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The Grade II-listed building itself looks almost unrecognisable from its previous form.
It’s now filled with ornate panelling and leafy green plants, with a beautiful terracotta-painted ceiling, faux windows with linen curtains breaking up the huge space, and quartz-patterned booths.
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The Lamb of Tartary has taken its name from an old tale, where people believed that lambs grew on trees and came from cotton plants, and is a nod back to Manchester’s history with the cotton trade.
As for the food, there’ll be small plates including Atlantic prawn cocktail with melba toast, burrata with pumpkin and green sauce, Otterburn Farm pork available as bacon collar and loin chops, and Cornish lobster with hollandaise.
The Lamb of Tartary is also going to have a tempting brunch menu, with dishes including bacon chop with fried egg and chips, wild mushrooms and lake’s fried egg on toast, and English muffin topped with potato rosti, fried egg, cheese and tomato jam, available from 12pm until 3pm.
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The brand-new pub, restaurant and bar will have 24 different beers on tap, like local breweries Manchester Union Lager, Buxton Brewery, and Mobberley Brewhouse.
Drinks will include the pub’s take on classic cocktails, like a Gimlet, Old Fashioned, and Sidecar, plus fan favourites like an Espresso Martini with chocolate and orange, and a Paloma with grapefruit and rosemary soda.
A range of hot drinks, soft drinks and a lower-alcohol drinks will be perfect for brunch too, like a Bloody Mary, a Garibaldi, and The Lamb’s Spritz.
Director of The Lamb, Nick Muir commented: “We’re excited to finally be able to welcome the public into The Lamb of Tartary next week.
“The venue has had a complete makeover, transforming it into a light and airy space perfect for enjoying a pint with friends or a meal with loved ones.
“After seeing such success at Edinburgh Castle, we are looking forward to creating something more accessible and casual to those who visit whilst still championing local produce and suppliers we’ve spent the last year or so building up.
“If you are looking for your new local in the Northern Quarter, then The Lamb of Tartary is certainly it!”
The Lamb of Tartary officially opens its doors in Manchester’s Northern Quarter on Friday 1 March – you can book a table here.
Its kitchen and bar will be open from Wednesday to Sunday from 12pm, with the bar open from 3pm on Mondays and Tuesdays too.
Inside The Black Friar as Salford pub unveils incredible floral display
Daisy Jackson
Spring has really sprung in Salford – legendary pub The Black Friar has just revealed a sensational makeover, with gigantic flowers sprawled across its frontage and a new seasonal menu to go with it.
The historic pub is celebrating the changing of the seasons with both a striking floral installation and a menu that celebrates spring and Salford in equal measure.
Most Mancs will by now have spotted the 4,000 flower-strong installation that now adorns the front of The Black Friar, with bright pink, yellow and purple flowers spilling from a gigantic pink tap.
And all those florals continue inside, with the pub’s Tavern – previously a cosy winter hideaway – now filled with trailing blooms and woodland installations, just off their award-winning garden.
Cheshire-based artist Kelly Louise Chapman is the woman behind this sensational transformation of the much-loved gastropub.
As for the pub’s kitchen, they’ve crafted a new very seasonal and very British menu, with plenty of nods to Black Friar’s Salford roots.
There are dishes like a Boddingtons braised ox cheek (the pub still proudly displays its Boddingtons sign outside), aged beef tartare, butternut squash and ricotta tortellini, and pan-roasted cod fillet.
Spring small plates at The Black Friar pubDelicious spring drinksInside The Tavern at The Black Friar
A popular item from the Valentine’s Day menu – the Cornish crab vol-au-vent – will be sticking around on the spring menu, along with an enhanced grill section that includes a lamb Barnsley chop cooked over coals.
Then for desserts, you’ll be spoilt with a banoffee knickerbocker glory, and passionfruit panna cotta.
And for drinks (because this is a pub, after all), The Black Friar has put together a range of seasonal drinks like a rose sangria sharer, and non-alcoholic sodas like kaffir lime and coconut.
Ben Chaplin, head chef at The Black Friar, said: “This new menu is all about celebrating the best of spring produce.
“We’ve carefully crafted each dish to highlight fresh, seasonal ingredients and bold flavours, adding new depth to our offerings while still delivering the comfort that will always be associated with The Black Friar.
“My top recommendation and personal favourite dish is the Slow-Cooked Boddingtons Braised Ox Cheek.”
Neil Burke, owner of The Black Friar, commented: “We wanted to bring a taste of spring to The Black Friar, inside and out. This floral installation will transform the space and bring sunshine and smiles, whatever the weather!
“My top recommendation on the new menu is the Cumbrian Spiced Lamb Scotch Egg. It’s EXCEPTIONAL.”
To find out more about The Black Friar and to book a table, visit HERE.
Team behind award-winning Higher Ground to open new Bar Shrimp seafood bar in Manchester
Daisy Jackson
Higher Ground, one of Manchester’s very top restaurants, is to open a brand-new seafood bar later this year.
With Bar Shrimp, they’ll be bringing a brand-new offering to town, with cocktails, beers on tap, British seafood and snacks.
Bar Shrimp will come from Daniel Craig Martin, Joseph Otway and Richard Cossins, who at this point are a well-oiled operational machine.
They’re the team behind proudly British bistro Higher Ground, which grows much of its own produce at its Cinderwood Market Garden and earned a Michelin Bib Gourmand within a year of opening.
The same team are also behind Flawd, the beautiful waterside wine bar at Ancoats Marina.
And they’ve cemented themselves as one of Manchester’s most widely acclaimed hospitality teams – even Rick Stein says Higher Ground is one of the best places to eat in the entire country, which is high praise indeed.
Bar Shrimp, set to open in Manchester this winter, aims to be a ‘relaxed and focused bar with delicious food’.
They say: “Whether it’s a beer after work, some food with friends or after dinner drinks late into the night, Bar Shrimp will be a dynamic space where the music and energy evolves throughout the evening where everyone and anyone can come together for a memorable experience.”
They announced the news this morning on Cerys Matthews’ BBC 6Music Show.
British seafood with a side of cocktails? Sounds alright to us.
A location, opening date and more info on Bar Shrimp will follow – stay up to date with their latest HERE.
Daisy Jackson -
1st March 2024 
