Tom Barnes’ guide to Manchester

Cumbrian-born chef Tom Barnes is best known for his work at Simon Rogan's L'Enclume, where he was Head Chef, helping the Lake District restaurant to win the second of three eventual Michelin stars. After winning the Roux Scholarship in 2014, Barnes chose Hof Van Cleve in Kruishoutem, Belgium as his prize stage, before joining chef Rasmus Kofoed at Geranium in Copenhagen. He then returned to the Lake District and Rogan, heading up Rogan & Co. in Cartmel, close to L’Enclume, which also won a star.

So, all eyes are on Barnes and his new solo Manchester restaurant, Skof, which opened earlier this year. Located in the city’s NOMA neighbourhood, the restaurant promises Barnes’ assured modern British cooking in a relaxed environment, perfect for a city where white tablecloth experiences are very much not the vibe. Skof is the latest addition to Manchester’s head-turning restaurant scene and looks set to be an essential stop on any foodie tour of England’s northwest.

Here then is where Barnes likes to eat in Manchester when he's not putting all that stellar experience into practise on the pass at Skof.

Mr Hong Beef Noodles

“A Szechuan restaurant in the middle of Manchester’s Chinatown. I go for the cumin fried lamb and the garlic chili ribs, so delicious, my absolute favorite place and I recommend it to everyone who will listen.”

“A really lovely bistro run by really lovely people. The team have worked in some incredible restaurants and settled in Manchester where they’ve also got a wine bar, Flawd, and a market garden, Cinderwood—we get some of our veg from them for Skof.”

“My friend Niall (Keating) opened Tender at the Stock Exchange Hotel recently and he’s doing a really good Sunday roast. We’ve been back a couple of times already—love it.”

“Nico is an Italian guy, from Rome, who has this incredible deli/restaurant/coffee shop near where I live in Prestwich, North Manchester. They make gnocchi with beef shin ragu—delicious.”

“Another one in Prestwich. Dani and Sofie come from a similar restaurant background to me and worked in Denmark too, I love their food. It’s clean and light and very fish led. It’s an incredible restaurant to have in a suburb. Prestwich is lucky to have them.”

“Nell’s is a Manchester meets NY pizza place where they do these 22-inch thin, crisp pizzas. The dough is great and they do the most brilliant dips. I get the Magic Number with ricotta salata and salsa verde, and then dip in extra vodka sauce.”

“My girlfriend Carla and I go to Pollen at the weekend for their special. It’s a cruffin (croissant baked like a muffin) which they do in seasonal flavors so you never know what’s coming up. We have a brew and wander about the marina or the garden depending on which one we go to.”

“I adore their chili chicken. I order it with a cheese naan and could easily eat the whole thing twice.”