REMEMBER the old acting adage? – ‘Never work with children or animals. With restaurant and bars it applies to living foliage as a decorative backdrop. Better synthetic than wilting. So Kai, the new Turkish restaurant on Deansgate we’ve just previewed features a colourful canopy of artificial flowers (on a service contract).
In contrast The Counter House, latest addition to the blossoming Ancoats scene, has boldly gone for a wall of growing greenery. Somehow it ties in the with the health-led ethos of Joe ‘Panacea’ Akka’s latest project, which opens its doors on Cutting Room Square on Friday, January 25. This handsome 62-cover space, inspired by Australian cafe culture, is a £750,000 investment from Manchester’s Behind The Counter, headed up by Joe.
Serving food all day, every day, the menu will feature dishes such as plant-based acai bowls (main picture), eggs royale with white tea smoked salmon and baked avocado wedges, feta and charred baby gem salad, with pickled watermelon and a chilli mango dressing and bone both beef ramen plus desserts such as ricotta pancakes with a berry compote and toasted almonds.
Dishes will include baked almond chicken katsu with wild rice and coconut curry sauce; spiced dahl with cauliflower rice, pickled daikon, coconut yoghurt and flat bread; and beef brisket ramen with spinach and egg. On the dinner menu add on grill items such as a chilli beef burger, rib-eye steak, and sea bream.
All this from an open kitchen overseen by head chef Jan Cron, who trained in the Michelin starred Alcron restaurant in Prague before working as a private chef and nutritional adviser across the UK.
The bar menu offers a variety of smoothies, wellness shots and cold pressed juices, including ‘The Allotment’ – apple, carrot, cucumber, spinach, kale, tomato, celery, parsley, beetroot, lemon and ginger. The Counter House will also be serving cocktails such as ‘It’s Complicated’ with vodka, Grand Marnier, carrot juice, blood orange juice and honey.
The interior design pays similar homage to mother nature with an organic approach including reclaimed oak floors and that plant wall (we’re not quite so sure about the pretend leather orange bar with a pink marble bar top).
Joe says: “We are all becoming much more aware of our general well-being and the importance nutrition plays in our state of health. It really is the perfect time for us to bring The Counter House to Manchester’s newest and most exciting neighbourhood, which has taken great strides in establishing itself as a vibrant and diverse food hotspot.
“We also wanted to show our support for the ecological challenges our planet is facing in our design and have, where possible, incorporated reclaimed and recycled materials, in what we hope will feel like an earthy and organic space.”
The Counter House, 35 Blossom Street, Cutting Room Square, Ancoats, Manchester. 0161 833 0000. Images from their Facebook site.