New restaurant and bar destination, the Store Street Exchange and Store Street Craft Bar officially opened its doors on Friday 29th September.
Piccadilly Station, opposite the restaurant and bar, was originally named Store Street when it opened in 1842, before it become London Road Station, and finally Manchester Piccadilly. Now the story of Store Street is to be reborn, as Store Street Exchange and Store Street Craft Bar will celebrate and showcase the heritage of its location, the city’s travel connection links, and the fabulous personality of its city.
Situated on the ground floor of the DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel at Piccadilly, it’s a ‘breakfast through to dinner’ restaurant with a focus on outstanding, uncomplicated food and drink. The menu centres around the rotisserie and grill, from which the best regionally sourced chicken and steaks will be served.
The focus is on regional suppliers, expertly sourced ingredients and simple, hearty and magnificent meals, with grills and rotisserie taking centre stage.
Guests will be able to order a ‘whole bird’ with all the trimmings, steak cooked to perfection, simple salads, fresh breads, quick bites and fine puddings.
Corn-fed Goosnargh chickens, courtesy of the iconic, Lancashire-based Johnson and Swarbrick is cooked on the rotisserie all day, every day and available as full and half birds. Known for producing some of the best poultry in the UK, Johnson and Swarbrick believe a ‘happy bird is a tasty bird’, so diners can expect the very best from the finest producer the region has to offer.
Steak comes courtesy of premium butchers, Aubrey Allen. Scrupulous in their sourcing they are devoted to supplying the very best meat from the most natural areas of outstanding beauty in the UK – this alongside the consistent approach and purchasing of the entire animal means their beef is placed in the top 1% in the world and has been called the ‘holy grail of beef’.
The Store Street grill will serve up rump fillet, rib-eye, sirloin, Barnsley Chop and a Store Street Beef Burger. A beef rump and a Moroccan shoulder of lamb will also be roasted on the rotisserie.
An extensive range of splendid side dishes will be served up to complement the grill and rotisserie menu including herb crusted Portobello mushroom fries (served with Harrogate Blue Dip); rotisserie potatoes cooked with bone marrow; tiger fries; creamy mash and roast garlic gravy and charred corn on the cob with lime and paprika butter.
Vegetarians and pescetarians will be catered for too with potato gnocchi and wild mushrooms, Moroccan roasted cauliflower, mussels in local cider and responsibly sourced, seasonal fish dishes from Neve Seafood all make an appearance on the Store Street Exchange menu.
The interior is a stunning combination of dining areas utilising wood, tiles and metal with plush furnishings inspired by Manchester’s industrial background. The rotisseries are to be the star of the show with a prominent position so all diners can enjoy the view. The private dining area is the perfect spot to enjoy a meal or a meeting in a space inspired by the exchange of ideas that Manchester is famous for. The restaurant will have its own entrance on Auburn Street and an outdoor terrace.
The Store Street Craft Bar is a beautiful stand-alone drinking den with a brand-new entrance on London Road. It also includes its own outdoor seating area and provides the perfect place to hang out with friends and enjoy a pint or cocktail. There will be a great choice of brews including plenty from Manchester’s own famous breweries and microbreweries including J W Lees, Brightside Brewery and an ever-changing variety from Manchester’s indie brewers too. The list of ales includes Manchester Pale Ale and for the sale of every pint Store Street Craft bar will donate 10p to local charity Forever Manchester.
The cocktails are pretty special too with the bar’s own signature ‘Teddy Wells’ and ‘The Spanking Roger’ named after two key ‘personalities’ in the history of the area - Roger Aytoun, after whom the street behind Store Street is named and whose nickname was ‘Spanking Roger’ and Teddy Wells, a celebrity dog who lived in a pub on London Road and impressed locals with his rat catching skills! In the 1890s Teddy Wells killed 30 rats in 26.5 seconds, which was declared a national record.
This is about special food, cracking drinks, simple pleasures and the creation of a laid-back haven in which to enjoy it all – whether that’s lunch, brunch, business dinners, long lazy catch ups, family gatherings or just a spot of coffee and cake. The city is about to get a brand new, foodie enclave and everyone’s invited.
For further info please visit www.storestreetmanchester.co.uk