GARY Usher’s KALA will open in February 2019 on King Street, it has been confirmed. The eagerly anticipated sixth restaurant in the Elite Bistros group will serve breakfast, lunch and dinner in a 55-cover restaurant. A 15-cover bar space will offer dishes from the a la carte and a British take on bar snacks – think pig’s head sausage roll and pickled eggs.
Headed by Zhelyazko Zhelyazkov, or ‘Jiji’, who has previously worked at the two Michelin Star Moor Hall and Raby Hunt, the KALA menu will feature bistro style dishes, such as burrata, beef tartare, braised featherblade, a monkfish, spinach and tomato fondue, apple tart and crème caramel, as well as bread baked on-site and
Expect from the all-day menu at the bar and Elite Bistros’ famed truffle and parmesan chips.
ToM loves those chips. We just hope they can replicate too the amazing custard tart at Hispi in Didsbury, also part of the Elite stable that also includes across the north west Sticky Walnut, Burnt Truffle, Wreckfish and Pinion.
Managed by Katy Mills, formerly Assistant Manager at Wreckfish in Liverpool, the restaurant will feature a more contemporary interiors than Usher’s other bistros, with an onyx-coloured pillar takes centre-stage, with the shade echoed throughout space, and polished concrete flooring.
As well as the separate bar, which will feature plush bar stools to encourage comfortable dining in ‘your own space’, the bistro will have an open kitchen and ‘pastry pass’, where guests will be able to watch the signature tarts being made.
Gary Usher told ToM “When I worked at Room on King Street 15 years ago, I never would have imagined that I would be opening a restaurant here myself. It has always been a dream to have a bistro in Manchester but the money has just never been there, so when this opportunity for Kala came along, I just couldn’t pass it up.
“KALA will retain our core values – great food, a lovely atmosphere and brilliant customer service, but I think guests will have a little bit of a different experience here than at the other bistros. The interiors will be a little bit more modern than the other restaurants but still have that really lovely, comfortable vibe. I’m really excited for guests to see the bar space. We’ve put our heart and soul into making it a place where you really want to spend some time – whether you’re dining alone or with friends and family.”
Elite Bistros recently opened its fifth restaurant, Pinion, in Prescot, Merseyside, following a hugely successful crowdfunding campaign, which saw £50,000 raised in less than an hour. Drawn to Prescot through recent efforts by the community and Knowsley Council initiatives to raise the profile of the town and regenerate the high street, Pinion can be found on Eccleston Street in the town centre.
Win a five course dinner for 10 at KALA
KALA is currently running a competition to win a five-course dinner for 10. To enter, simply take a photograph of yourself and nine friends in front of the KALA hoarding on King Street and upload to Twitter, tagging @Kala_Manchester. The winner will be announced on Christmas Eve.
