Taste of Portugal coming to Ancoats
CHEF REVEALS PLANS FOR NEW RESTAURANT AFTER EL GATO NEGRO SUCCESS
THE chef behind Manchester’s acclaimed El Gato Negro has revealed plans for a new Portuguese restaurant in Ancoats.
Canto, meaning ‘corner’ in Portuguese, will open inside the Fairbairn Building on Henry Street later this year, inspired by Simon Shaw’s travels to Lisbon.
“I first visited Lisbon about 20 years ago and thought it a really cool place, raw but great,” he said.
“Seven years later I returned and there was a real movement taking place, a city with edge. When I returned in March it was like, wow, this is now a serious European city.
“The Portuguese food movement is in its infancy in the UK but it’s happening, with some really great restaurants emerging in London in the last few years.
“It would be easy for me to open another Spanish restaurant but I wanted a fresh challenge and to take people on a journey.”
The restaurant will be headed up by Porto-born Carlos Gomes, who is currently head chef at El Gato Negro on King Street, and has previous experience at London restaurants including Japanese udon house Koya and the Michelin-starred Spanish restaurant Barrafina.
“It’s always been on my radar to open a modern Portuguese restaurant and when Carlos joined the team with the same long-term vision, everything fell into place,” said Simon. “It was like we were in the right place, with the right people, at the right time.
“We’re ahead of the game. A year from now we’ll all either be geniuses or have got it wrong. But we feel Manchester is ready for this, and Ancoats is the perfect location.”
Set to open this autumn, the new restaurant promises a social dining experience in a relaxed, neighbourhood setting.
“Canto will be adventurous, simple and exciting,” said Carlos.
“I’m looking forward to introducing Manchester to authentic Portuguese cuisine with a modern touch.”
El Gato Negro has earned a reputation as one of Manchester’s best restaurants since relocating from Ripponden, West Yorkshire, in 2015.
Since then it has won accolades including a Michelin Bib Gourmand two years running as well as taking home the best restaurant prize in the Manchester Food and Drink Festival Awards and CityLife Awards.
Simon and his team are also understood to be eyeing a third Manchester site as part of the expansion plans first reported by the M.E.N. in January.
El Gato Negro has already expanded its dining capacity to cope with the huge demand, adding more covers in its top floor Black Cat cocktail bar as well as catering to walk-in diners in the downstairs bar.
Shaw has also previously revealed plans to expand the brand to other cities.
The new Ancoats restaurant will join a flourishing foodie scene in the neighbourhood, alongside the likes of Rudy’s Neapolitan Pizza and Squid Ink.