IT’S all change at Grafene, the only restaurant ToM knows that is inspired by the world's first 2D material Graphene, first isolated at Manchester University.
The front of house and administrative team has been significantly overhauled with the arrival of David Bowman-Powell, Restaurant Manager, who joins from Nutters; Bar Manager Asa Cann, formerly of Quill; Assistant GM Aldona Jablonska, formerly of Amba; and Business Development Manager Rebecca Walker, formerly of Australasia and The Alchemist.
But the most significant change has been the appointment of a new head chef, Stephen Moore, who makes the 100m move down King Street from Hotel Gotham. He brings a wealth of experience to Paul Roden’s relaxed fine dining establishmnent and bar. His impressive CV includes 3 AA-rosette stints at Church Green in Lymm under Aiden Byrne, and at Thornton Hall Hotel on the Wirral under Matt Worswick.
Owner Roden tells us: “Stephen is working with the current menu but will be varying and adding new dishes as he proceeds. He has really impressed since day one, and Grafene has definitely moved up a notch. You can taste it in the quality of food, and I witness it every day in Stephen’s drive and determination.”
Current favourite dishes (pictured below) include roasted cod with smoked mussels, kohlrabi, seaweed sauce and sea herbs; rump of beef with roast cauliflower, sage and feta dauphinoise; and toffee parfait with yoghurt sorbet, honeycomb and granola.
Grafene, 55 King Street, Manchester, M2 4LQ. 0161 696 9700 or email [email protected]. Open 8am-11pm, Fri 8am-1am, Sat 9am-1am, Sun 10am-11pm.
