IN what was once an Avalanche there was briefly a s**tstorm over plans by newcomers 1761 and Lily’s on Booth Street to feature stingrays in a giant fish tank. Social media uproar soon put a stop to that, so after a VIP soft launch (with freshwater fish still in the pipeline to occupy the vacant 18,000 litres of water) the bar/restaurant is set to open to the public on Wednesday, November 22.
Once the original Lime bar before becoming trad Italian Avalanche, the venue has had upwards of a million quid lavished on it by Bell Vue-raised Glossop entrepreneur Phil Healey. The aspiration a ‘classic‘ interior; hence chandeliers, chesterfields and the kind of wallpaper you either find decadent or dull.
Lily’s is the basement bar with tank, nearing completion. Its name comes from Mme Bollinger who restored the Champagne house to former glories in the aftermath of World War II.
Expect fizz in all its forms and oddball cocktails such as the Camphore Cure (£11), inspired by an early form of penicillin discovered by Alexander Fleming in 1928, and made with Woodford Reserve, Domain de Canton, lemon and served with a pear and ginger syringe. Yes, there’s lots of history book inspiration here.
1761, the ground floor restaurant bit, is in recognition of the year the Industrial Revolution took shape in the city; hence huge door handles representing those ubiquitous, industrious bees. The aim of the menu, apparently, is serve quintessentially modern British food and drink inspired by that past (though whether the weavers’ scran encompassed lamb shank with polenta and lime pesto, below, we have our doubts).
The ToM jury’s out on the food. We’ve not tried it yet, passing up the launch party invitation because of a previous promise to review Alston Bar & Beef. There has been much online enthusiasm, though, about 1761’s corned beef hash and Three Rivers gin battered haddock (both pictured below).
Such dishes are treading into Chop House territory, while King Street Townhouse just along the road offers a quirkier traditional interior design as a backdrop to its menu takes on ‘British classics’. But no fish tank.
1761 and Lily’s, 2 Booth Street, Manchester, M2 4AT. 0161 714 0414.
