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CRIKEY that was quick.
In a matter of months Thomas Worthington’s fabulous Memorial Hall from 1866 in Albert Square, has been completely rebuilt internally to create the Albert Square Chop House.
There was also a delicious parkin that we all got so excited about, our guest photography, food obssessive Deanna Thomas, forgot to photograph.
This is the latest dining pub from the British food restaurant group behind Sam’s and Mr Thomas’s Chop Houses.
The work brings to life a redundant beauty, animates Albert Square, and provides all the comfort and charms of a classic pub with good food too. The project will complete in early 2013 when six bedrooms are added on the top floors to create a bijou boutique hotel.
The lower ground floor is the main restaurant area, the upper ground floor the pub, with above the wonderfully light and airy function rooms. Worthington's delighful Venetian Gothic design has been fully exploited.
Here's a gallery of pictures including the food lovelies on offer.
Chef Paul Faulkner, and group executive chef Ian Leadbetter, have come up with some superb dishes.
The pick on our sampling was the steak tartare (complete with an egg yolk smoked using hay ash - yep, we have no idea why hay ash either), the scallops and belly pork, the venison with its charming faggot, the lamb, the souffle and a delicious parkin that we all got so excited about, our guest photography, food obssessive Deanna Thomas, forgot to photograph.
There'll be a full, scored review in a couple of weeks.
Albert Square Chop House is open now.
Follow Jonathan Schofield here @JonathSchofield
Opening hours: Bar; Mon-Thurs 11am-11pm, Fri-Sat 11-Midnight, Sun noon-10.30pm. Restaurant; Mon-Sat noon-9.45pm, Sun noon– 8.30pm.
The Albert Square Chop House, The Memorial Hall, Albert Square, City. M2 5PF. www.albertsquarechophouse.com
See the articles below if you’d like to read reviews of The Albert Square Chop House
Deanna Thomas looks nervous as she's about to take over the Confidential photography, because she 'likes to get involved'. She loves food - as this site shows. Brian Cox has a massive face.
Ian Leadbetter, Chop Houses exec chef, who created the menu wiith Paul Faulkner, chef at Albert Square Chop House
The boss, Roger Ward, on the right, and the foreman, Terry Anderson, for the building works on the left
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28 comments so far, continue the conversation, write a comment.
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So, that's basically The Modern's menu resurrected (no surprise as that's where Paul was before). Excellent, and in a rather more appropriate environment too. Looking forward to it. Not sure about decor though
Never saw that rather excellent mutton chop and shoulder at the Modern....
God I'm hungry.
Damn you food porn.
Brian Cox!!!!!
Scientist porn!
It looks nice, but more like modern art than food. I'd feel guilty eating it!
Sunday Midnight to 8:30? Ambitious opening hours!
Thanks, changed now Bryan
Gorgeous building, one of Manchester's finest.
The food (and decor) looks a bit...anaemic.
Poster, poster, poster; does anything make you happy you miserable old fart?
You appear to have some personal issues. With opinion, which differs from your own...
I think the place is amazing and am delighted that its been so well restored. However, sorry but really don't like that kind of food, way too heavy.
It's great that they have done it and I'm sure the food will be superb.
From your pictures and glimpses through the windows, the interior fit-out is a disaster. The building is a masterpiece and deserves far better than the heavy handed, totally inappropriate, misunderstood psuedo industrial and done to death language that has been used. Floating rafts of plasterboard with barely hidden galvanised steel ducts could not be further from the
subtle neo gothic of the building. This needed a light touch with hidden services and Carlo Scarpa elegance to the detailing.
Oh god it's one of the architectural wannabees
Interesting that they have done the function rooms totally differently. They might be a bit bland but they look a lot classier and won't date so quickly.
Kevin? Kevin McCloud? Is that you?
I wonder if the dance floor is still on the top floor, it used to be Bob Dales dance studio
I was looking forward to this place opening. However, the food pictured doesn't excite me. It seems ultra pretentious, but to the point of not really being pleasing to the eye.
It looks a bit boring (the food) place looks re ally nice though. Just te kind of pace to go after you've taken your water taxi down the Irwell and then stood round staring at buildings with bees and lions on them
Excuse spelling mistakes in last rant
Went for dinner last night, for a restaurant that's just opened I have to commend them. Once they take on board the continued feedback and iron out a few issues (staff knowledge, temperature) this will be a fantastic place. Food was not pretentious, not over filling, perfectly balanced and no need to order add ons. Service was much higher than expected, more attuned to a hotel than a pub/restaurant - very old school, but pleasurable. Hope they change the menu regularly as I would love to go back!
Temperature of food or dining area?
very very very nice,
i will be trying it out in December look forward to it......i shall report back on here!
I think the decor is really staid and unappealing, like they have tried so hard to be cool and modern, but it just leaves me cold. There's no real warmth or charm or wow factor. A big fail and couldn't see myself wanting to be there.
Name and shame the interior designer(s).
Heath have you actually been in there?