By Neil Sowerby
SPANISH restaurants. Like buses, you wait ages for one to come along and then... early in New Year the city centre will boast two amazing Iberian contenders. Iberica is – latest venture from an acclaimed London chain – is already previewed on Taste of Manchester. Now it’s time to salivate in anticipation of the arrival of El Gato Negro.
Iberica comes from Nacho Manzano, who hold three Michelin stars at two restaurants in his native Spain. El Gato Negro (‘The Black Cat’) offers an altogether more homegrown take on tapas as it shifts from its current base in the Pennine village of Ripponden to the site once occupied by Brasserie Blanc, opposite Sam’s Chop House.
It has been five years since the Brasserie gave up the ghost. El Gato was opened by ex-Harvey Nichols chef Simon Shaw in 2005 and has gone on to receive awards and commendations from Michelin Bib Gourmand, the Good Food Guide and Harden’s. It also won acclaim through Gordon Ramsay’s F Word programme.
The lease of this converted pub is due to run out next year, so the shift is timely. The Ripponden restaurant will close at the end of 2014, the Manchester opening is scheduled for 2015.
With Iberica and another welcome arrival from London, Hawksmoor also due in town and the possibility of Prestwich’s Aumbry moving permanently into the city centre, 2015 looks wonderfully promising.
I was one of the first folk to review El Gato when Yorkshire-born Simon and then business partner Chris Williams moved up from London where they had worked at Harvey Nichols’ Fifth Floor in Knightsbridge and The Oxo Tower. El Gato Negro was a very different environment, a cramped, converted pub on the main road with a limited amount of covers. Still, it was given a smart makeover and the food was even smarter, in particular fabulous fish dishes and acorn-fed jamon shipped over from Catalonia. It was tapas subtly filtered through Modern British Cooking.
Simon says of the bold new move: “Bringing El Gato Negro to the heart of the city will allow us to grow; offering me the ability to showcase a broader selection of the dishes and wines I’m so passionate about, and it will give more people the chance to enjoy them.
“We will remain true to our roots, with the emphasis firmly on our acclaimed modern Spanish cooking, where we combine the very best ingredients- whether Spanish or local – to create bold and exciting dishes. We’ve seen more customers travel from Manchester to enjoy our take on modern Spanish cuisine, and have had a brilliant reception at pop-ups we’ve attended in the city.”
