The Cut & Craft Manchester

Following successful ventures in Leeds and York, The Cut & Craft has arrived in Manchester, bringing its Yorkshire-tinged brand of steak and seafood to one of the city’s most awe-inspiring venues.

It’s the former Manchester and Salford Bank at 38 Mosley Street, a Grade II*-listed building designed by Edward Walters in 1862. £3.5 million has been invested, transforming one of Manchester’s lost gems into a high-end luxury dining room with a dramatic central bar made of Brazilian blue labradorite marble. Now, I’m no marble aficionado, but I know what I like, and I sure like Brazilian blue labradorite marble.

There’s one word for this interior: Grand, with the emphasis on ‘G’. Prepare to be wowed by 27-foot ceilings, ornate cornicing, and floor-to-ceiling windows. It’s all about luxury and swished-up glamour.

The menu focuses on premium, locally sourced steaks and sustainable seafood. But whatever dish you choose, the presentation is always dazzling. For example, the starter of seared king scallops comes with a little sprinkle of black caviar, and a pour of a unique yuzu sauce that’s both rich and tongue-tinglingly spicy.

The British pork belly is another winner from the starters section, and more delicate than you’d expect from good old hog. It’s a carefully put-together combination of Bury black pudding, crackling, chorizo and smoked cannellini bean puree, all about crunchy-meets-soft textures and big salty flavours.

The signature 10 oz flat iron steak is butchered in-house and has that all-important farm-fed richness to the flavour. It’s neatly laid out on a big no-nonsense knife and a steal at just £16 for seven or eight slices (or 230g if you want to get all facts and figures about it).

The lamb rump dish is ideal for spring, cleverly boosted by the bright, fresh pea and mint puréee on the side, but the Shepherd’s pie croquette deserves a special mention. It’s not something I’ve ever come across before, and it is what it says – basically a Shepherd’s pie inside a croquette. What’s not to love?

The quality of drinks is sky-high and worth a visit in their own right. Highlights include the zingy ‘Peppermelon’ – a spicy watermelon margarita – and the must-try ‘Paradise In Yorkshire’ – a fruity, vodka-based creation, that was the team’s first ever cocktail concoction, back in York, and remains the best-seller to this day. Top marks!

If you’re more of an oenophile (wine-lover, do keep up), then the wine list features some pleasingly rare selections, including Moët & Chandon Grand Vintage and Château d’Esclans Les Clans Rosé.

Manchester is a city with a whole lot of steak and seafood options right now, but few occupy a space quite as impressive as The Cut & Craft. The atmosphere is booming and judging by the busy numbers on our visit, it seems to have hit quite a chord with the city’s dressed-up-to-dine-out movers and shakers. Cracking stuff.