WELL, well, 2015 is certainly out of the blocks.
The arrival of London's Hawksmoor next door is enough to put the wind up the knickers of the most battle-hardened restaurant owner.
Room's gone, Aumbry's gone, Solita 3.0 is in, Iberica are halfway up the M6, Hawksmoor are just past Slough, Burger & Lobster are out buying neons, El Gato Negro have shut up shop in Yorkshire and are packing the car, Scene are spiffing-out Spinningfields Strada, there's twelve operators clawing at the doors of the all-new Corn Exchange and some Filthy Cow has squeezed her way into Lounge Ten.
What else? Well... Asha's, Spinningfields Kitchens, Bird & Beast, Ply, David Gale, Koffee Pot, burgers over here, burgers over there, weird cereal cafs and at least seventeen new Northern Quarter bars we know of but haven't yet had the time to dip our quills and tell you about. Blimey.
Now for the bad news. The long-running will they/won't they involving Steve Pilling's all-new Roast Restaurant & Oyster Bar on Deansgate seems to have been decided. The lease for 184-186 Deansgate (owned by Henry Boot Developments) looks to be back on the market - see here.
Courthouse, Deansgate
We all got terribly excited back in summer 2011. Mr Pilling, the Manchester greengrocer-turned-restaurateur who made successes of *breathe in*: The Midland, Sam's Chop House, Mr Thomas's Chop House, Damson Heaton Moor, Damson MediaCity, Dockyard MediaCity, Stockport's Red Lion Inn, Liquorice bar in the city centre and most recently, new Northern Quarter bar-cum-cave Guilty By Association, was to open a whopping great new restaurant in the Grade II Courthouse buildings on Deansgate with celebrated chef Simon Stanley.
The 6,000 sq ft, 150-cover Mr Pilling's Roast Restaurant & Oyster Bar was supposed to open in 2012 serving up 'classic British roasts, cuts of meat, pies, puddings, a large fish section including whole roast Dover soles, an iced fish counter with oysters alongside smoked and cured fish'.
Great. Problem being, nowt happened. Landlords, contractors, administrative bollocks and the ten plagues all conspired to make sure not one little oyster was shucked.
"I can't say too much at the moment," Pilling told Confidential over the phone. "For one we're in the middle of serving Nick Clegg, but we're also currently weighing up our options with the site.
"Once Hawksmoor were announced we obviously had to change our original plans, but this doesn't necessarily mean we're abandoning the site, we're currently mulling over a few different ideas for the space.
"Sorry I'll have to go, Clegg's fallen off his chair... again."
(Confidential may or may not have made up that last bit)
Steve Pilling
This is a shame. Pilling is a charming bloke and a proven restaurateur with passion for good wine and quality food carried over from his days as a greengrocer. Still, the arrival of London's Hawksmoor next door (frequently hailed as 'the best steakhouse in the UK') is enough to put the wind up the knickers of the most battle-hardened restaurant owner.
Fingers crossed Pilling and pals come up with another winner and don't forgo the site - if bloody Pizza Express or Zizzi move in we're moving to Liechtenstein and turing the lights off...
...the Dockyard Spinningfields opens in March 2015, you say? Ok, we'll hang around for a bit.
Follow @David8Blake on twitter.
