A new rooftop restaurant is set to open at the top of Gary Neville’s St Michael’s development, bringing one of the world’s most upmarket eateries to Manchester.
Called Chotto Matte, it will bring upscale Peruvian and Japanese cuisine to the heart of the city centre, opening its first UK restaurant in the north on the developments’ 20,000sq ft rooftop space just a stone’s throw from Albert Square.
Part of a global chain, currently Chotto Matte currently only has one UK site in Soho, West London, as well as global sites in locations like Miami and Toronto.
However, that is all set to change when it opens its doors up here following the development’s completion – bringing its famous sushi doughnuts, octopus tentacles and lychee ceviche along with it.
Image: Chotto Matte
The restaurant will feature open sushi counters, Robata and Hibachi grills, and sushi torched right at your table.
Design-wise, it will incorporate inspiration from lava stones and graffiti through its artwork, with live entertainment promised in the evenings too.
Specialising in Nikkei cuisine, must-tries on the menu at Chotto Matte include delicate ceviche, spicy tuna rolls and salmon tataki tartare.
Elsewhere, you’ll find BBQ edamame, tostada chips with guacamole, Japanese wagyu sirloin (flamed at your table, no less), plus spring rolls and various meat and plant based gyoza.
The famous Nikkei sushi doughnut, available at Chotto Matte. / Image: Chotto Matte
The restaurant’s menus also span a large range of sashimi, tempura and sushi, as well as tempura dishes and premium meat and fish cooked on its Robata grill.
From the grill, think marinated and smoked lamb chop with coriander, and Peruvian chilli miso, tentáculos de pulpo (baby octopus with yuzu and purple potato), and black cod in a chilli miso marinade with yuzu and chives.
Alternatively, if you really want to go all out, there’s also an option to have tuna belly and top-tier wagyu cooked at your table on a special Hibachi grill.
Image: Chotto Matte
As for sides, choose from the likes of steamed or fried rice, cassava wedges and truffled purple potato mash. This is the place to go all out.
Sharing a mock up of the new restaurant to the brand’s Instagram today, the Chotto Matte team wrote: “We are thrilled to announce that Chotto Matte will occupy the spectacular 20,000sq ft rooftop at the upcoming St Michael’s development, brought by the Relentless Developments group and @gneville2.”
The £200m St Michael’s development, located at the old Bootle Street police station site, will also feature a nine-storey office block and a new public square.]
Image: Chotto Matte
Image: Chotto Matte
Image: Chotto Matte
Work began on the St Michael’s development earlier this year, with the first phase scheduled to be ready by 2024.
Founder and owner of Chotto Matte, Kurt Zdesar, said: “We are delighted to continue our expansion plans and allow more people to experience the very best of authentic innovative Nikkei cuisine across the UK.
“I am personally very excited to bring Chotto Matte to such an ambitious place. I have been monitoring the city’s growth for years but never found the right opportunity until now.
Image: Chotto Matte
“It is only when meeting with Gary Neville and understanding his vision, with Relentless, for this first of a kind development that I felt a great synergy with our brand.
“The city is growing at an exciting pace and timing couldn’t be better for Chotto Matte to bring diversity to the local landscape. I see this new opening as an important part of our international expansion plan.”
Lord Mayor of Manchester opens crucial new community kitchen in Blackley
Danny Jones
The Lord Mayor of Manchester, Councillor Carbine Grimshaw, has opened an upgraded community kitchen in the heart of Blackley.
Recently refurbished and officially unveiled last week, the uplifting new space, based out of the GM ward’s Higher Blackley Community Centre (HBCC), aims to be a key outlet and amenity for the area.
The ribbon-cutting ceremony, which took place on Thursday, 17 July, was attended by local councillors, centre staff, as well as local community members and volunteers.
Christened with a commemorative plaque celebrating the completion of the important renovation, the work has been carried out by North West-based perimeter physical security specialists, ATG Access.
A wholesome moment with the Lord Mayor.
Having sat virtually untouched since the 1960s, the kitchen space was long overdue for some TLC, and now it has been reopened as a modern, purpose-built and community-driven facility.
Speaking at the event, the Lord Mayor said: “The work that has been done here is fantastic, especially the social value aspect of it. It’s clear to see it’s far more than just a community centre; it’s the hub of the community. The support it provides to so many people is remarkable.
“I’ve had the pleasure of meeting some of the unsung heroes behind it all, from centre manager Kate and her dedicated team, to the board of trustees and all the volunteers. It’s a shining example of what community spirit can achieve, and I’d love to see it replicated right across Manchester.”
The kitchen itself is now kitted out with entirely new units, fresh flooring and splashback surfaces, as well as large appliances including a big range cooker, American-style fridge freezer and commercial dishwasher – all donated by ATG and its supply chain partners, Van Leeuwen and Welding Engineering.
But it isn’t just a place to cook; the sizeable room will host workshops, events, meet-ups and various other activities, from toddler groups to adult learning programmes, as well as offering services to various classes and groups.
BeforeAfter
In just its first week of being put to use, the kitchen has already helped provide meals for 11 families who would otherwise have gone without – nothing short of brilliant news for the district.
As for ATG, Managing Director, Richard Ellis, went on to say: “From our first visit, it was clear this was a place where we could make a real impact. The building was well-used and worn, but the people and the work being done there were inspiring.
“We felt a responsibility to help and were delighted to do so, getting ‘hands on’ through our volunteering programme.”
Finally, HBCC Manager Kate Shannon added: “It’s been a huge lift for the community. The new kitchen means we can do more, support more people, and take pride in our space again. It’s been a real team effort, and we’re so grateful to ATG.”
Well done to everyone involved in bringing the Higher Blackley Community Centre Kitchen to life.
Well done to everyone involved in bringing the Higher Blackley Community Centre Kitchen to life.
Man found guilty of ‘praying on’ and raping drunk people in Manchester city centre
Emily Sergeant
A local man has been found guilty of ‘praying on’ and raping several drunk people in Manchester city centre.
Sid Ali Djelid – also known under the alias of Mourad Malki – appeared at Manchester Crown Court this week and was found guilty following a five-week trail, where the court heard how the series of rapes took place between February and July 2024, and how the 39-year-old would ‘pray on’ and attack intoxicated victims in the city centre.
Greater Manchester Police (GMP) explained that the first of the three attacks occurred in the early hours of the morning on Sunday 18 February 2024.
CCTV footage shows Djelid – who is believed to be an Algerian nation, according to GMP – leading his female victim down a secluded back street near China Town, before raping her and stealing her mobile phone and making off.
His second crime was committed on Wednesday 12 June 2024 with a victim who was visiting Manchester with work.
Today (Thursday 24 July 2025) Sid Ali Djelid (09/01/86) of Smedley Road has been convicted on five counts of rape.
— Greater Manchester Police (@gmpolice) July 24, 2025
Djelid approached the victim outside a bar on Canal Street, and after chatting, walked him to a remote location close to Richmond Street and raped him.
Djelid’s final attack was on 18 July 2024, where he approached his male victim – again, who was visiting Manchester – and offered to assist him back to his hotel as he was lost, but while Djelid may have appeared as a concerned good Samaritan at first, he then led the victim to a secluded area of the canal at Jutland Street and raped him.
Similar to first incident, on the second two incidents, Djelid took the victims’ phones and wallets, and then pushed them to the ground before making his escape.
Police arrested Djelid three days later on Sunday 21 July 2024.
Mourad Malki, 48, also known as Sid Ali Djelid, has been found guilty of a series of rapes in the area known as Manchester's gay village.
“Sid Ali Djelid is a serial sex offender who posed serious danger to both men and women – carrying out his horrifying crimes in one of the most celebrated and historic nightlife hotspots in the country,” commented Rebekah Tomlinson, who is the District Crown Prosecutor for CPS North West.
“The way he targeted lone individuals who he believed would be vulnerable was both calculating and insidious.
“Canal Street holds a special place in the heritage of Manchester and the LGBTQ+ community, and those on a night out have the right to enjoy themselves free from the fear of abuse and attack.
“Djelid’s crimes will doubtless leave a lasting impact on the victims, and my deepest thanks goes to them for supporting this prosecution, as without their evidence, this dangerous man would still be in our community.”
Georgina Pellant -
12th April 2022 
