THIS first venue for chef/owner Anthony Barnes has been a self-funded, self-built, low budget labour of love with almost painstaking attention to detail given to everything, at every stage, from designing the logo to developing the menu and choosing the crockery.
Anthony has an established allotment and has access to vegetables from his father-in-law’s garden and apiary for honey
Squid Ink is a much anticipated new addition to Ancoats’ burgeoning scene, alongside the likes of Rudy’s Pizza, The Cutting Room, Vivid Lounge, a craft beer bar from Salford microbrewery Seven Brothers and the soon to open Goose Fat and Wild Garlic. This new restaurant, bar and art gallery is in the Nuovo Building on Great Ancoats Street, squeezed in between urban corner shop Ancoat’s General Store and Kettlebell Kitchen.
The light and airy restaurant has room for up to 30 covers, but they are keen to grow slowly, limiting dining bookings to sixteen for the time being (with further space being devoted to the bar) in order to make sure diners have the kitchen’s full attention. They don’t want to rush into anything by packing bookings back to back, but want to encourage customers to enjoy their meals in a relaxed atmosphere. At the moment, there is not even a table turnaround time – once you’ve booked in, you’re welcome to stay as long as you need to.
We popped in for a quick chat with Ancoats-born Anthony before the doors opened for their soft launch and in among the last minute coats of paint, he told me a little more about the menu. It’ll be really small with three of each starters, mains and desserts every evening. He spent ages developing it, working on over 400 dishes which he’ll be rotating throughout the year.
Squid Ink pork cheeks - a work in progress“We have the whole world to play with,” he told us, “we make everything ourselves in-house. You can come on a Wednesday and have one dish and come back and try something entirely new the following Friday, it’s the same with our wine list. I don’t think there is anywhere quite like us who offer such a wide and varied range of different cuisines at such a high quality.”
Expect dishes such as Pork Cheek Tonkatsu with Apple and Szechuan Pepper Puree and Apple Napa Cabbage Salad, or their take on Thai Green Curry with fresh herbs and spices, pine nuts and corn fed chicken breast. One day you might find a slow-cooked spicy Sri Lankan Lamb Mas Curry followed by a fresh and zingy Lemon Curd Cheesecake. Part of Anthony’s family is Jamaican so he’s taken the best of their Jerk chicken and curry goat recipes and adapted them (such as cooking the fillet separately via sous vide) to get maximum flavour. “We’re not a meat, vegetarian or seafood restaurant,” says Anthony, “we just want to cook good world food at reasonable prices.”
Their corresponding and competitively priced wine and speciality beer offering also changes every week to match the dishes.
Anthony has been very choosy about his suppliers and is keen to be an independent that supports other independents. Super high quality fish will be supplied by Out of The Blue in Chorlton, while free range organic meat comes from The Butcher’s Quarter nearby. Anthony has an established allotment and has access to vegetables from his father-in-law’s garden and apiary for honey. He is keen to develop a relationship with local suppliers, producers and a good local network of growers so other seasonal fruit and vegetables will come from Manchester Veg People. He is also keen to be sustainable; candle stubs will be used as firelighters for their Big Green Egg BBQ and coffee grounds will be used to grow mushrooms, for example.
Squid Ink, Great Ancoats Street“I want other independent companies to support me and I want to do my bit to support them,” says Anthony, “I want to pick more interesting vegetables and herbs like purslane and cucumber flowers when they’re at their best. Working with local growers means that I can suggest things to be grown. We’re all independent, we all have good ideas and we’re not scared of trying them.”
But doesn’t that come with a premium? “We’re not cheap. When people come in and see the food, how it’s made, the environment you’re in and the crockery, the cutlery we use, the glassware we have, we want people to walk out feeling they’ve had good value for money. We’re aiming to try and keep mains around the £15 mark.” So they’re keen not to be regarded as just a special occasion place, but somewhere the locals are keen to eat regularly.
“We’re super collaborative,” adds Anthony, “you can ask us for things. If you’ve been inspired by a dish on holiday, come and tell us about it and we’ll do our best to recreate it, with our take on it. We want to be social and interactive. We’re a neighbourhood restaurant working within our community.”
So what about the art gallery bit? “I love art,” Anthony told us, “I think it’s because it’s similar to food in the way that everyone has their own opinion of what’s good. I didn’t want to go to IKEA or get movie posters, so we’re working with local gallery Art By None. All the art is for sale, at reasonable prices. Customers can walk around, read the inscriptions and if you want to buy a piece, we’ll make sure a donation is given to a local charity.”
Squid Ink will open Tuesday to Saturday evenings as well as Sunday lunch. It’s closed on Sunday evenings and Mondays. The restaurant will host special events and is available for private hire with a specially designed menu for guests.
@SquidInkMCR 4 Nuovo, 65 Great Ancoats Street, Manchester, M4 5AB
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