The food critic Jay Rayner was spotted hanging about in Manchester last week, eating his way about town as he often likes to do.
This time on his visit TheGuardianreviewer popped into Climat – a new sky-high restaurant on Blackfriars boasting panoramic views of the city.
Having landed in our midst just before Christmas, its sister restaurant‘s Michelin pedigree, top-notch wine list and regularly changing sharing plates quickly got locals excited. In fact, such has been the hype that, in less than a month, the team is already pulling in national critics.
According to Rayner’s (mostly) glowing review, it’s hard not to fall in love with the food here. Or rather, fall in ‘adult love’, which we assume refers to something much grander.
Hailing small plates like ‘hash browns topped with whorls of taramasalata” and ‘a vol-au-vent filled with lamb keema’ as the source of said love, his ebullient review praises the puff pastry on the 70’s classic and even goes so far as to advise fighting ‘over the last lamb-fat-glazed crumbs’.
Image: Climat
Image: Climat
Working his way down to the large plates, he hails the chef’s preference for ‘grown-up touches of bitterness’ – raving about smoky aubergine that’s been ‘roasted until it has surrendered and slumped’ and a ‘purée of lime pickle, which clings to the edge of a plate of spiced gurnard’.
However, it’s not a complete rave. He does note that ‘not everything works’, commenting that a ‘risotto is so desperately sludgy, I find myself wondering whether it came from the same kitchen.’
Still, even this critique comes with a caveat as he adds that ‘there is at least a toffeed chewiness to the roasted Jerusalem artichokes with which it is topped’ before admitting it was pushed ‘to one side.’
He’s also got a lot to say about the entrance to Climat, which is somewhat hidden at the top of a shiny Blackfriars office block.
Opening with the brutal assertion that ‘no one will ever write romantic poetry about the entrance to Climat in Manchester’ he calls it both ‘blunt’ and ‘austere’, which seems a little harsh. Surely Jay should know by now that we Mancunians have got a lot of time for the blunt and austere. Especially when it conceals such a shining jewel.
And as for the price? He concedes that ‘the bill for all this is not small, but it feels justified’ before adding you can ‘just come and sit at the counter, have a couple of plates and a good glass of wine, admire the view and leave with a less than ravaged bank account.’
We’ll probably be sticking with the latter, for now at least, as we’re still feeling a bit skint after Christmas. If you’ve got money to burn though, Jay Rayner is right – you could do worse things than spend it here.
Feature image – Climat
News
Castlefield Viaduct ‘sky park’ receives £2.75m funding towards major extension
Emily Sergeant
The National Trust has today announced an exciting development in the transformation of Manchester’s Castlefield Viaduct.
The New York-inspired elevated urban park on the giant Grade II-listed Victorian viaduct in the heart of the city centre officially opened to the public back in July 2022, and has been an escape from the hustle and bustle of city life ever since… but now, it’s time for the next phase of the journey, and a significant proportion of the funding needed for this project has been secured.
National Highway’s Historical Railways Estate Team, working in partnership with the National Trust has committed £2.4 million to fund a significant part of the structural and foundation work for ‘Phase 2’ of the project.
The funding will go towards increasing the scale of the current ‘sky park’ experience and turning it into a nature-rich through route, including the addition of The WaterAid Garden – a gold medal-winning garden from last year’s RHS Chelsea Flower Show.
Other supporters and funders are now being urged to donate to cover the remaining amount needed to ‘green up’ the extension.
As it stands, current visitors to the viaduct can walk through a series of spaces and gardens before coming to an untouched and overgrown section of the structure beyond a glass wall, and it’s this untouched section where the Phase 2 transformation will take place to extend the viaduct experience for visitors from 150-metres to more than 350-metres.
The current state of the site at Castlefield Viaduct that’s set to be transformed as part of Phase 2 / Credit: Paul Harris (via National Trust)
Plans include winding paths through planted areas to encourage people to take time out from the busy city below and connect with nature.
A second entry and exit point will also be added to the west side of Mancunian Way via a lift and stairway, turning it into a through route for the very-first time, and making it more accessible for people with limited mobility.
A longer-term masterplan could see the viaduct join up to other areas of the city, increasing access towards Salford and Trafford, and taking the benefits way beyond the physical structure of the viaduct in Castlefield.
The CGIs of how the space on the viaduct will look once it has been transformed / Credit: Twelve Architects (via National Trust)
“This funding is brilliant news for Castlefield – a hugely inspiring project to bring nature and green space to communities across Manchester,” commented Hilary McGrady, who is the Director-General of the National Trust.
“Its popularity over the past few years demonstrates how residents and visitors to the city value access to the outdoors and experiencing nature up-close in an innovative industrial heritage setting.
“This is something we want to continue and do more and more of in the years to come, and that is why this funding is so important.
“Our aim over the next 10 years is to ensure more people have access to nature particularly in our towns and cities, and to bring nature to people’s doorsteps wherever they live.”
Featured Image – Paul Harris (via National Trust)
News
‘Eyesore’ Northern Quarter car park to be redeveloped as ambitious new neighbourhood
Emily Sergeant
An underused multi-storey car park in the heart of the city centre is set to be sold and redeveloped as an ‘ambitious’ new neighbourhood.
The ‘eyesore’ car park situated in Manchester’s iconic Northern Quarter will be transformed into what Manchester City Council is hoping will become a green and sustainable neighbourhood set to complement the ‘unique and independent’ ethos of the area.
It comes after developers CBRE were appointed by the Council last year to market the Church Street site for disposal, ahead of seeking formal planning permission.
The new scheme will deliver more than 300 new homes – including 60 affordable homes – alongside new commercial opportunities and high-quality public spaces.
A before and proposed after of Church Street Car Park / Credit: Manchester City Council
It’s expected that the development will respect the heritage and architecture of the historic city centre neighbourhood and help to enhance the wider area, all while improving a car park site that has long fallen out of favour.
The new neighbourhood will also feature four new public squares and green spaces, along with opportunities for pedestrianising the surrounding streets as part of the public realm.
As mentioned, commercial space is also part of the plans, as the ground floor of the building will offer a mix of smaller, more affordable units to ensure local independent businesses can access the neighbourhood, alongside units for food and beverage outlets.
“For too long, the Church Street car park has been an eyesore and a barrier to the ongoing success of the Northern Quarter,” commented Cllr Bev Craig, who is the Leader of Manchester City Council.
“We want to bring forward a world-class development that has the potential to completely transform this part of the neighbourhood, together with the newest city centre public squares and green spaces.”
The final legal negotiations will conclude over the summer, and it’s expected that a public consultation will then take place to inform a future planning application.
Georgina Pellant -
23rd January 2023 
