THE perils of Googling a new restaurant. Quill on King Street is still in the pending tray, but there are already reviews on TripAdvisor. How does that get through? Well, there happens to be a restaurant with the same name in Manchester, New Hampshire. Doh.
We’re sure they don’t have a chef with the same pedigree as newly appointed Curtis Stewart, who has swapped the mellow Cotswold stone cosseting of five-star Foxhill Manor, Broadway for the challenge of turning the faded retail pastures of our own Manchester’s King Street into a gourmet destination. With El Gato Negro also pencilled in this autumn, the fine dining card might just work like it has in Spinningfields.
£1 million quid is being lavished on Quill – due to open at the end of October – by the folk who run Chalk in Didsbury. The aim is high. Co-owner Chris Longmate has promised to bring "highest quality British cuisine and an impressive drinks offering in a sumptuous and relaxed bar environment."
That will be created in the former Duo unit in 20/22 King Street (no I never frequented it either). Expect a 60 cover restaurant with private dining area, a la carte and an eight course tasting menu, all served in an unstuffy way.
We couldn’t resist perusing the menu Curtis – educated at Wigan and Leigh College – left behind at Foxhill with a cast list of Atlantis (we think they mean Atlantic) Lobster Thermidor, Chateaubriand and truffled treats (see main pic). Bring on the Stewart reign!