Top chef Tom Barnes reveals opening date for highly anticipated Manchester restaurant

Acclaimed chef Tom Barnes has revealed when his hotly anticipated Manchester restaurant will open its doors. The Roux Scholar hailing from Barrow-in-Furness is preparing to open his first solo venture having spent years honing his craft alongside some of the world's best chefs.

Skof, a 36-cover eatery is located in the NOMA district of Manchester city centre and will be situated within the Hanover building, built by the Co-operative Wholesale Society as a drapery warehouse in 1904. Tom says the restaurant will be underpinned by a vision to create an 'unpretentious yet ambitious' dining experience in the North of England.

The Cumbrian-born chef has spent the last 12 years with renowned chef Simon Rogan's UMBEL Restaurants, notably as head chef at Rogan & Co when it received a Michelin star, and executive chef at L’Enclume when it gained its coveted third star.

READ MORE: Chef from 'world's best' prepares to open 'unpretentious' Manchester restaurant

His debut restaurant will officially open its doors on Wednesday, May 29 and booking will be released at 10am this morning (23 April). Though bookings are available up until Saturday, September 14, they're expected to go fast as people rush to dine at the talented chef's first venue.

Menus will be seasonal and feature local ingredients, and as part of this new venture, the chef will continue to work closely with the team of growers at Our Farm, Simon Rogan's regenerative farm in the Cartmel Valley, as well as Cinderwood Market Garden in Nantwich and Lake District Farmers.

Dishes on the first set of menus include Roasted Sladesdown duck, peach leaf, Ibis celeriac, wholemeal bread” and Berkswell cheese sable biscuit, crushed broad beans, whipped roe, bronze fennel. Skof will also be producing its own miso, used to flavour a lightly set custard, and served with Hen-of-the-Woods mushrooms, truffle, mushroom dashi, as well as Amasake sorbet, flavoured with milk Oolong tea.

At both lunch (Thursday to Saturday) and dinner (Wednesday to Saturday), he will serve two variations of his tasting menu, one 12-course and one 15-course which will be priced at £120 and £165 respectively. At lunch, Skof will also serve a four-course offering, priced at £50 per head.

Drinks wise, Tom, alongside his restaurant manager Sean Oakford and assistant restaurant manager Max Lawrence (both ex-L’Enclume), have created a range of options to include alcohol-free or mixed-alcohol pairings, or matching wines to go with the menu. It features a 'small but well-rounded' wine list spotlighting small-scale producers, plus a beer made in collaboration with Manchester-based brewery Track.

Tom Barnes commented: “It’s been a long time coming, so I’m excited to be able to finally release our reservations. I can’t wait to share what we’ve been working on and to return some of the incredible hospitality I’ve received from the people of Manchester.

"With Skof, my purpose is to create an incredible experience that focuses on great quality ingredients but above all, puts a smile on peoples faces.”

Designed by London-based studio Blacksheep, the interiors of Skof will reference both Tom’s upbringing in the Lakes versus his new home in Manchester whilst also reflecting the building’s character versus the city's industrial history. The restaurant will be bathed in natural light, which combines carefully restored original features with a refined, modern edge.

Tom Barnes has worked in a number of Michelin-starred kitchens for the majority of his career, but it is Simon L'Enclume where he has made his mark. He joined the restaurant in 2011 and quickly climbed the ranks from chef de partie to head chef in 2013 - the year in which the restaurant won its second Michelin star.

Skof is located at 3 Hanover St, Federation St, Manchester M4 4BF. Reservations up to September 14 are open now.