There's been a whole load of buzz surrounding Stow which has just opened on Bridge Street this week.
Behind the incredible minds of Matt Nellany and Jamie Pickles, owners of much-loved, long-standing, Northern Quarter staple, Trof, Stow triumphs a beautifully simple concept: good drinks, good tunes and some proper good food cooked entirely over a live fire.
Centring around the 'simplicity of great ingredients cooked over an open fire with very little faff', we were keen to head over to Stow and see what all the hype was about.
You need take only one step into Stow to be transported from the bustling Spinningfields main road to an effortlessly cool chic oasis - the cocktail bar.
The drinks menu features an exclusively French wine selection and local beers alongside a carefully-curated list of cocktails including a Cremant Cocktail, a variation on the classic where demerara and bitters meet the increasingly popular 'other French fizz'.
Walk round the corner and you're met with a beautifully intimate layout of seating areas with two-seaters lit up with flickering candlelight alongside booths tucked away in a little cubby hole-style arrangement.
Complete with low lighting, bar seats and carafes to really nail the cosy feel, Stow's aesthetic and overall vibe is easily a 10/10.
So, we were unsurprisingly raring to try out the menu which celebrates food made to share. The current menu, which embraces the 'natural charm and change of seasonal ingredients' starts off with a delicate milk bread served alongside a healthy offering of burnt onion butter (£5) which we could have personally eaten a bucket of - it was that good.
Diners can also try out the roasted red peppers with sherry vinegar (£5) as well as a pork and fennel sausage served with creme fraiche and salsa rossa (£8).
If you're a fan of fish, you've got to try out the citrus-cured mackerel served with fresh green apple and cucumber (£10) which tastes like it's come straight out of some Mediterranean taverna.
Championing the humble beetroot, diners can also try out the overnight-coal beets with ricotta and smoked honey (£9).
And, if you're after a meatier plate, go for the lamb belly skewer served with green sauce and yoghurt (£12).
But, hands down, one of the tastiest and freshest dishes we tried were the Borlotti beans simply served with a pool of extra virgin olive oil, sage and copious amounts of lemon (£8) which paired beautifully with the Americano cocktail which was brought to our table as an 'aperitif' before the food even came out.
Getting into the bigger dishes now. The ex-dairy rib eye with roasted garlic (£48) was super tender but the table's clear favourite was definitely the brined chicken with a tarragon jus (£20) which was expertly cooked and seasoned - that jus was ridiculously moreish.
My personal favourite was the whole monkfish tail served with a very generous amount of trout roe, beurre blanc, and dill (£35). The burst of roe paired with the flaky fish and the dill-infused sauce is a pairing I'll definitely be coming back for.
There are also a few sides to choose from; the le ratte potatoes served with garlic, parsley and corra linn cheese (£7) as well as the citrus-dressed vegetables (£7) and the roasted crown prince with brown butter (£7).
And for something sweet?
Well, we were too stuffed to try out the dark chocolate cremeux with spiced date and nutmeg (£8) but were seduced to give the smoked cream tart with rum plum (£9) and the quince ice cream served with a grating of corra linn cheese on top (£7).
Expertly blending the savoury with sweet, these two offerings were unlike something I've ever had and I guess all I can do is simply praise the chefs for their outside-the-box creativity when coming up with these two desserts.
Matter of fact, that goes for the entire menu.Stow is definitely one to add to your list - you will not be disappointed.
Find out more here.