PIER Eight is the official address of The Lowry at Salford Quays, conjuring up memories of a bustling Manchester Ship Canal past when a stevedore’s sustenance was unlikely to have been sweet potato and chestnut cake, salsify, white beans and celeriac, artichoke puree and shallot cream.
In these gentrified dockland days that’s a vegetarian main on the menu at the majorly revamped Lowry restaurant now named (you guessed it) Pier Eight, which opens to the public on Friday, November 27.
An extra 370 sqm of dining and event space has been created as part of a new £3m extension, incorporating two shipping containers, providing views over the Ship Canal across to the Imperial War Museum and MUFC.
That’s a breathtaking plus in its own right, but the interior has been splendidly transformed, too, as our sneak preview pictures show. It seats 300 covers, serving two modern British menus including a casual dining bar menu and a more formal menu within the restaurant.
There’s also a bar, terrace area, event space with a second private terrace, as well as the Pier Eight’s extended kitchen, whoch features a chef’s table, seating up to eight guests.
The Lowry’s executive head chef Oliver Thomas – formerly with the Lowry Hotel, great source of confusion for cab drivers once upon a day – says of his new menus: “My ethos on cooking has always been about sourcing the best local and seasonal ingredients from the great suppliers on our doorstep across Lancashire and Cheshire. The menu will focus on simple dishes and flavour pairings, using ingredients and produce that will shine in their own right.”
Then bar menu is simple with the likes of fish and chips, ploughman’s club sandwiches and salads, but the restaurant menu is an attractive contemporary British offering featuring (pictured below) a starter of roast onion and pomegranate salad, parsnip crisps, savoury granola, balsamic and rosemary dressing (£5), scallops with cauliflower puree, bacon and lentils (£9), Cheshire beef fillet, braised blade, bubble and squeak and buttered spinach (£21), dark chocolate torte with raspberry sorbet (£7), lemon posset with salted walnut praline (£5).
Pier Eight, The Lowry, Salford Quays, M50 3AZ. Follow them on Twitter: @Pier_Eight