What makes this place unique? Well we’ll tell you….
It’s all about the steak at Alston Bar and Beef. And the gin, we mustn’t forget about that of course. But Confidential wanted to know exactly what makes Manchester’s latest top end steak restaurant so special, so we went over to the Corn Exchange to ask.
Alston Bar & Beef Manchester is the groups’ second venue – and their first in England. Their famous flagship restaurant is in Glasgow where they have gained a solid reputation as the best place to go for high quality steaks.
Their unique Tweed Valley beef comes from accredited farms situated along the Scottish Borders, an area renowned all over the world for producing tender and full flavoured beef. Their East Lothian-based master butchers are John Gilmour & Co Ltd, an independent family run business established in 1946 that specialise in high quality meats. They ensure that all steaks destined for Alston’s high spec show kitchens are dry-hung for the optimum 35 days. The beef they supply is selected from the top 1% of the Scottish suckler herd and their butcher achieves this standard because his criteria are so refined. This very special beef isn’t available anywhere else.
Alston Bar & Beef, which opened in October, is the first speciality steak and gin restaurant in Manchester. The first thing you’ll notice is the bespoke stylish bar which showcases their extensive gin selection of over 60 different types - including fourteen of their very own cold compound gin infusions produced onsite.
The 160-cover venue has its own designated entrance on the Cathedral Street side of the Corn Exchange and from the minute you walk in and descend the feature staircase, you can feel that this is quite a special place.
The contemporary monochrome restaurant features a huge ten metre wide mural which was specially commissioned by Alston for Manchester-based street-artist Tank Petrol. Diners are served by a dedicated and highly trained waiting team, on-hand to talk them through the menu. All staff have been highly trained on the ins and outs of each dish in order to help guests to create their own perfect dining and drinking experience.
Our favourite starters included the strikingly presented octopus and chorizo with roasted bone marrow as well as the palate cleansing Arbroath smokie and crowdie roulade – a nod to their Glaswegian older sibling.
Alternatives to their speciality steaks (if you must) include Ayrshire pork chop with curried onion puree, roast aubergine and spiced chickpeas, or grilled bream with coconut rice, crispy biryani onions, dhal sauce.
It’s worth noting that all steaks are served with a choice of chips, mashed potatoes, vegetables or salad as well as a choice of butter or sauce, all included in the price, offering better value than some other premium steak restaurants.
We are pretty confident that this contemporary steak restaurant will be most welcome in Manchester where we love top quality food, in a sleek yet relaxed environment, run by people who offer great attention to detail.
