Acclaimed local chef Mary-Ellen McTague has revealed details of the first restaurant at the huge new Treehouse Hotel.
She will open Pip, a restaurant that will celebrate seasonal, low-waste cooking, on the ground floor of the landmark new hotel.
This is the first of three restaurant concepts to be announced at Treehouse Hotel, which is taking shape on the site of the former long-standing Deansgate hotel the Renaissance.
When it’s completed later this summer, Treehouse Hotel will have 224 guest rooms, multiple event spaces, an expansive screening room, a gymnasium, and three unique restaurant and bar spaces – including the newly-announced Pip.
This first restaurant will be headed up by Manchester’s very own Mary-Ellen McTague, who’ll be doing what she does best – seasonal produce that celebrates the finest produce from around the North West, as sustainably as possible.
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Over her 20 years in the hospitality industry, Mary-Ellen has worked alongside Heston Blumenthal at his esteemed Michelin-starred restaurants, The Fat Duck and The Hinds Head, as well as founding EatWellMCR.
At Pip, diners can expect dishes that reimagine the potential of each ingredient served through from breakfast, lunch, and dinner, as well as a convenient grab-and-go option.
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Treehouse Hotel has confirmed details of its first restaurant, and a summer opening date. Credit: Supplied
She’ll be sourcing ingredients – sometimes unconventional ones – from local farms, and suppliers like Littlewoods Butchers, Cinderwood Market Garden, Organic North, Courtyard Dairy, and Platt Fields Market Garden.
Dish highlights include Carlingford oysters with fennel kimchi liquor; home-smoked mackerel with pickled beets, mustard cream, and rye; Lancashire hotpot with pickled red cabbage and oyster ketchup; and Rhubarb fool with olive oil biscuits.
Commenting on her new restaurant opening, Mary-Ellen McTague said: “I’m thrilled to bring Pip to life at Treehouse Hotel Manchester.
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“This restaurant is a celebration of everything I am passionate about – seasonal, low-waste cooking, and the incredible produce we have here in the North West.
Brilliant Manchester chef Mary-Ellen McTague will be behind the first restaurant at Treehouse Hotel. Credit: Jody Hartley
“The menu is designed to showcase the best of our local culinary heritage, using modern techniques that make the most of every single ingredient. I cannot wait to share our vision for Pip with the Manchester community and beyond.”
Treehouse Hotel Manchester itself will be the second property under the same brand, which says it takes its playful inspiration through the lens of childhood.
Commenting on the first restaurant to open at the hotel, Tim Reynolds, general manager of Treehouse Hotel Manchester, said: “We are incredibly excited to welcome Pip to Treehouse Hotel Manchester.
“Mary-Ellen’s innovative approach to low-waste cooking and her dedication to using locally sourced ingredients align perfectly with our values. We look forward to offering our guests an extraordinary dining experience that reflects the vibrant spirit of Manchester.”
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Pip will welcome guests in late summer, alongside the opening of Treehouse Hotel Manchester.
Inside Voyeur, a mysterious new post-punk 80s-inspired cocktail bar
Daisy Jackson
A brand new cocktail bar is set to open in Manchester this week, with dark and mysterious interiors, 80s inspiration, and a raunchy theme.
Voyeur is opening in the heart of the Northern Quarter, and here it’s all about modern drinks in a post-punk 80s setting.
The walls are decorated with beautiful voyeurism photography from the 80s, including artists like David Hockney, Nick Taggart, and Malerie Marder.
Even the menus celebrate the artistic side of voyeurism, with drinks presented within a book of photography.
Those drinks include creative twists on drinks dating back more than a century, from the Kaleidescope of Lies (a two-in one cocktail inspired by a pina colada, with a strawberry daiquiri foam top) to The Voyeur (made with coriander-infused tequila for a savoury punch).
There’ll be monthly themed specials, kicking off with The Breakfast Club, where seasonal drinks take inspiration from Lucky Charms cereal, chai latte and an acai bowl.
Cocktails inspired by The Breakfast Club at VoyeurCocktails at Voyeur in the Northern QuarterInside Voyeur, a new Manchester cocktail barInside Voyeur, a new Manchester cocktail barVoyeur on Oldham StreetThe cocktail menu is presented as a photography book
The dark space is lit by marble table lamps and a glittering green disco ball (and not much else), perfect for an evening spent sipping cocktails into the early hours.
Between Thursdays and Sundays, Voyeur will have DJs spinning vinyls.
Voyeur is opening this week on Oldham Street and will be open from 5pm to 2am between Tuesday and Sunday.
A brand-new dessert, ice-cream and doughnut shop in a former Manc food spot
Thomas Melia
Sweet lovers and dessert connoisseurs alike, a brand-new dessert, ice-cream and doughnut shop is opening in Manchester city centre this month.
Titled ‘Baby Mayhem’, this sweet-filled shop has been teasing its arrival for the past month with videos showcasing everything from new instalments to their graffiti-style logo.
This brand-new opening will be located on Radium Street, not too far away from Chinese superstar Wing Yip and fellow sweet treat specialists, Flat Baker, right in the heart of Ancoats.
The interior has been given a very nice and bright facelift too, going from an all white four-walled site to a bold and distinctive baby pink-covered site.
Manchester seems to have quite the sweet tooth at the moment, as it was only last month that our Northern Quarter was christened by cake gods, Get Baked.
As for this new dessert shop, they’re starting from scratch, with a temporary wooden window frame with their branding spray-painted onto it fitted ahead of their soft launch later this week.
Baby Mayhem is taking up residence in the much-loved Lazy Tony’s Lasagneria shop, and it really is out with the old, in with the new, as the familiar neon ‘No Lasagne’ sign has been traded for a sweeter read of ‘Fresh Donuts’.
It may be Yank spelling, but this still feels Manc through and through.
Case and point: all their signage, stamps and stencils have been done by local laser cutting service and neighbours, Drawn By The Light – also on Radium Street.
Enough salt, let’s have a serious amount of sugar. (Credit: Baby Mayhem via Instagram)
Baby Mayhem are taking sweet treats to the complete extreme, serving up everyone’s beloved combo of coffees and cakes, while also creating our soon-to-be-favourite indulgence: doughnut sandwiches. 10/10, no notes – genius.
There really are no complaints here; what’s not to love?
Baby Mayhem is taking up residence in the former Lazy Tony’s site, 23 Radium Street in Ancoats, and will be serving up their sweet treats for all to try from this Saturday, 26 April.
Daisy Jackson -
23rd May 2024 
