Raising a glass to Toast
NEW concept restaurant alert.
Toast is the latest restaurant set to open in Altrincham, where everything will be served on – you guessed it – toast. Even the desserts. But with a kitchen headed up by Ed Carr – a chef with experience in the likes of Aumbry, The Fat Duck and Eleven Madison Park – it’s not going to be your average slice.
Together with manager Justin Orange, and his brother and Sale Sharks owner, Simon Orange, the trio hope to give the humble dish a makeover in their Stamford New Road eatery. “Who doesn’t like something on toast? And its just expanding on that idea, and making it a little bit more quirky than you’d expect,” says Ed.
Justin explains: “There’s a place in New York which does something very similar, and we just kind of got an idea from that and we thought why not let’s just try it.
“We know a family of bakers – Trove in Levenshulme – we just had a few chats.
“We thought it’d be a nice idea to do four or five different types of freshly baked bread each day, plus a gluten-free option.
“It’s something different. Everything will be on toast.”
Dishes are made with ingredients from local producers including Trove in Levenshulme and the Easy Fish Co. Priced between £5 to £9.50, toast dishes range from eggs benedict, royale, florentine and eggs your way, to lime, crab and corriander; sesame prawns, tomato and chilli jam; and baked egg with cheese and truffle; and a poached egg, chorizo jam and slices of fried chorizo.
Drinks on offer will also include smoothies, made with adventurous ingredients like Maca, dandelion shoots and sunflower shoots. Coffee is supplied by local roaster Heart and Graft, while co-owner Simon will provide a special roast from his new coffee company Couch Grind Coffee. The characterful corner site – which will offer discounts to NHS staff – is currently undergoing a full renovation, and the team hopes to restore the original features of the former Barclays Bank. Justin continues: “Once people walk in – it will be table service – I think once people walk in and see the chairs and the booths and the music playing in the background, I think they’ll want to stay.
“Once they’ve tasted the coffee and the smoothies and the prosecco, they will stay and they’ll come back.”
After a run of soft openings, Toast will open with a discretionary payment day on September 8 – where all proceeds go to the Children’s Adventure Farm Trust.
In the run-up to its official launch on September 9, the team is also on the lookout for toast enthusiasts, and encourage anyone looking for a front of house or chef role to email them at info@toastaltrincham.com.