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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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“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.”
Simon Wood announces gutting closure of Manchester restaurant after seven years
Danny Jones
Celebrity chef and Manchester local Simon Wood has announced that his self-titled WOOD Restaurant has sadly closed its doors.
The Oldham-born chef-owner who won MasterChef back in 2015, revealed the unfortunate news on Wednesday, 2 October, confirming that the First Street site will be closing immediately. Truly gutting.
Wood has remained one of Greater Manchester’s most-renowned chefs for the past decade, not to mention a huge advocate for supporting the hospitality industry, especially post-Covid and during the ongoing cost of living crisis.
Sharing an emotional post on Instagram, he wrote: “It is with much regret that I have to inform you that I must close the doors here at WOOD for good, with immediate effect.”
“We have had 7 years as part of the Manchester city dining scene and I’m very proud of what the team and I have achieved”, the 48-year-old continued.
“Sadly with COVID rent arrears now being demanded by our landlord and an increasingly difficult marketplace, energy increases, ingredient costs and soon-to-be spiralling business rates we just cannot make this work.”
“I’d like to thank everyone for your support and patronage over the years. Thank you, Simon.”
It was only at the start of the week that Wood shared a frustrated post about a group of no-show customers over the weekend that failed to even pre-warn that they would no longer be attending one of his most exclusive and costly experiences.
We’re starting to lose count of how many local businesses are unfortunately struggling in the face of the rising business rates and energy bills that all independents are facing at the minute.
It was only last month that we saw Almous Famous had to call it a day with their Withington location and beloved sandwich spot Micky’s sadly suffer the same fate. Even cult favourite Cafe Marhaba looks to have gone up for sale. So tough to swallow.
We’re genuinely gutted for everyone involved with the brand. All the best, Si – we know you’ll be back stronger than ever one of these days.
Featured Images — The Manc Group
News
No trams to run through major Manchester city centre station this weekend
Emily Sergeant
Arguably Manchester city centre’s most important tram stop is set to be out of action this weekend, with no services running through it.
In what is another part of Transport for Greater Manchester‘s (TfGM) ongoing programme of works intended to “maintain and improve” the Metrolink system and ensure tram journeys in Greater Manchester remain “safe, reliable, and accessible”, it’s been confirmed that no trams will run through Cornbrook this weekend.
Due to this, there will be a change to operating patterns across the majority of the Metrolink network on both Saturday 5 and Sunday 6 October.
As is often the case in instances like these, disruption to passengers is expected.
On Saturday and Sunday [5 and 6 October], no trams will operate through Cornbrook.
There will be a change to operating patterns and replacement bus services will be in operation.
On Saturday (5 October), the tram service pattern will change to Altrincham – Old Trafford, Bury – Ashton-under-Lyne, East Didsbury – Firswood, Etihad Campus – Bury (peak time only) / Victoria (after peak only), Manchester Airport – Firswood, Rochdale Town Centre – Deansgate-Castlefield (via Exchange Square), and The Trafford Centre – Wharfside.
Similarly, on Sunday (6 October), the only difference to the above service pattern is that the Etihad Campus tram will only run to Victoria, not Bury.
Services will operate every 12 minutes, except for on the Eccles line, where no trams will run at all.
TfGM is also warning that there may be changes to the first and last tram times during these works, but, in bid to help people still get to their destinations, three bus replacement services will operate from Firswood to Victoria, Old Trafford to Piccadilly, and Eccles to Piccadilly.
No trams will run through major Manchester city centre station Cornbrook this weekend / Credit: TfGM
The Old Trafford to Piccadilly bus service will run through Wharfside, while the Eccles to Piccadilly will travel via MediaCity.
“These works are a vitally important part of maintaining a safe and reliable network for all our customers,” explained
Ian Davies, who is TfGM’s Interim Network Director for Metrolink, said these works are “a vitally important part” of maintaining the Metrolink, and that work has been scheduled by TfGM to “minimise disruption to passengers and residents as much as possible”.
Georgina Pellant -
12th April 2022 
