THE FRENCH will close at The Midland hotel this summer... but only for an upgrade.
The restaurant refurb will sit alongside a hefty £1.5m investment by QHotels in establishing a new premium spa at The Midland
The fine-dine restaurant (reviewed here) - relaunched by Michelin-starred chef Simon Rogan in 2013 - has bagged an abundance of awards and accolades in the past two years, including: four AA Rosettes, the 'Best Restaurant Outside of London' by Food & Travel Readers, and a spot in the Waitrose Good Food Guide's Top 15 restaurants in the country.
Only this week it made The Guardian's 40 best restaurants in Britain.
Still, that slippery little Michelin star (awarded to The French back in 1974) still eludes Rogan in Manchester; though he has two from L'Enclume and one from Fera at Claridge's to keep him warm at night.
The upgrade taking place at the French this August will include:
- Extending the restaurant to increase capacity by 15 covers.
- A new lounge area for pre and post-prandial drinks.
- A central banquette for the restaurant.
- A new restaurant entrance in the foyer of the hotel.
- 'Private facilities' for ladies and gentlemen (we guess this means lavs) connected to the restaurant.
The Midland Hotel, Peter Street"When we first looked at this venture many thought that it would never work - that Manchester wasn’t ready," says Mike Magrane, General Manager at The Midland, "This announcement just proves how wrong those doubters were. The French has surpassed all expectations in such a short period of trading and this next stage of its evolution is testament to this.
"Demand is still very high on key days and continues to increase; we need more tables to support this demand and want to enhance the experience with the creation of the private restrooms and the pre and post-dining drinks area."
The restaurant upgrade will sit alongside a wider room refurb and a hefty £1.5m investment by QHotels in establishing a new premium spa at The Midland to include a giant Rasul mud bath and hi-tech 'sleep cocoons' - read here.
"The Midland is continually investing throughout the hotel with a number of significant projects," Magrane added. "The new spa at the Midland will open in June alongside a bedroom refurbishment commencing over the next couple of months. The main function room, the Alexander Suite, has just undergone a complete refurbishment too, I could go on. The Midland is continuing to move forward at a rate of knots."
Chef Simon Rogan added : "This is a very exciting development for the restaurant's future growth and the comfort of its customers. It is also a clear indication of our commitment and desire to make the French in Manchester an even greater success."
Having previously appeared in the BBC's Restaurant Wars in 2014, the Grade II-listed Midland will also appear in a four-part Channel 5 documentary later this year.
