Simon Shaw, the chef and restaurateur behind highly-acclaimed El Gato Negro and Canto has revealed the opening date for his much-anticipated third restaurant, Habas. The doors to the upcoming Middle Eastern bar and restaurant will open on June 3rd 2021, ready to welcome the venue’s first guest. Reservations will open soon.
All construction work on the Brown St restaurant is now complete, with heritage features inside the beautiful Grade II listed building having been lovingly restored. Habas will have four distinct spaces: The main restaurant, featuring a vast open kitchen; The bar, where guests can enjoy a collection of signature Habas cocktails, premium wines, spirits, and beers; A relaxed lounge featuring live music until late; a private dining room, accommodating parties of up to 16.
Like its sibling restaurants - multi-award-winning El Gato Negro, and Canto, which recently received a Plate MICHELIN - the menu will offer a few small plates, as well as larger dishes and feasting platters.
“I don’t want to give too much away, but what I can promise you is that it all tastes bloody great,” said Shaw speaking about the new menu. “It’s phenomenal just how much people’s appetites have evolved over recent years. Times have changed and there’s a whole new wave of Middle Eastern and Mediterranean cuisine coming through.
“It’s an amazing style of food, simplistic but with a real depth of flavour that blows you away. It’s what excited me about it as a chef and I think it will have really broad appeal.”
Shaw’s new menu ranges from the simple done well to more bold and adventurous dishes. Guests can graze on the likes of homemade garlic and herb flatbread with hummus and zhug; Middle Eastern raw slaw with pomegranate molasses and Bata harra - spicy fried potatoes with dill sour cream. You’ll also find vibrant pink bowls of beetroot hummus with Greek yoghurt and dill; crispy feta cheese, spinach and Sunblush tomato filo cigars, and spiced lamb ‘jackets’served with mint yoghurt.
“Middle Eastern cuisine has many influences and Habas is a fusion of all,” added Shaw. “It’s about ingredients. There are lots of connections to Spanish food, the Syrian lentils, lamb meatballs and spiced aubergine dishes enjoyed at El Gato Negro all lean towards the style of cuisine. I suppose part of my mind was already on it.
“I’m really looking forward to unveiling the full menu, it’s been a real labour of love. There’s something for everyone, whether you’re dining as a table of two, six or twenty. It’s a really inclusive style of dining.”
To be among the first to hear further news and developments, sign up to the restaurant’s newsletter at habas.co.uk or follow Habas on @habasmcr. For private hire and large booking enquiries, email [email protected].
You’ll find the modern Middle Eastern restaurant and bar located at 43a Brown St, in the former wine cellar of the historic Manchester Club building.
----Read more: SIMON SHAW TO OPEN NEW MIDDLE EASTERN RESTAURANT THIS SPRING