El Gato Negro to open on February 22nd 2016 in Manchester
PRESS RELEASE
13 January 2016
AWARD-WINNING EL GATO NEGRO TAPAS TO OPEN ON 22ND FEBRUARY 2016
Acclaimed tapas restaurant, El Gato Negro, has confirmed that the doors to its Manchester home at 52 King Street will officially open on the 22nd of February 2016.
Set across three distinct floors, El Gato Negro will incorporate areas for al fresco all-season eating and drinking, as well as an open finishing kitchen where diners will experience the theatre and thrill of tapas in a Spanish style.
A casual drinking and dining space unfolds at street level with a relaxed bar area and charcuterie counter serving a thoughtfully selected range of Spain’s best cheese and cured meats.
The restaurant’s first floor provides the perfect environment for longer dining experiences. Here, a live charcoal Josper oven will command its own section of the menu, featuring some of Simon Shaw’s favourite dishes, such as onglet steak with patatas a lo pobre and whole rack of baby pork ribs with Pedro Ximénez glaze.
The Black Cat at El Gato Negro, a dedicated cocktail bar at the top of the building will provide a relaxed setting with a retractable roof, which opens to reveal the Manchester sky. Headed up by Garry Foy (formerly Elixir) the bar will serve a distinctive Spanish-inspired menu including some playful takes on classics. The drinks offering will feature both premium local produce and a select range of Spanish wines and sherry.
Chef Patron and founder Simon Shaw said of the restaurant’s offering, “Tapas is more than small plates; it’s a mode of dining that is both refined and relaxed, savouring produce and flavours we know and love, as well as unearthing new favourites. With El Gato Negro Manchester, we explore a menu of new and old Spanish flavours and techniques alongside some of the country’s best wines and a new bar offering in a heritage city venue.
“We’ve taken care to make this a venue that will appeal to those looking to drop by for half an hour over a selection of tapas and a glass of wine or sherry, as much as it will for those taking time to enjoy a bigger occasion. We’re very much looking forward to opening our doors.”
In advance of the official opening, the restaurant is offering a soft launch promotion on the 19th, 20th and 21st of February. Dining enthusiasts eager to be amongst the first to experience the new restaurant are invited to register interest by signing up to the newsletter via their website. Bookings will be taken on a first come first served basis and these days will be reservation only.
El Gato Negro is renowned for seasonally-inspired dishes reflecting a mix of modern and traditional Spanish flavours and techniques with influences from closer to home.
El Gato Negro Manchester is a partnership between Simon Shaw and Mills Hill Developments Ltd.
For photography and latest news from El Gato Negro Manchester, please visit www.elgatonegrotapas.com/media
Ends
For further information on the launch please contact Colette or Emily at Rule 5 on: firstname@rule-5.co.uk or 0161 686 5727.
Notes to Editors
About El Gato Negro
Since opening in Ripponden in 2005, Chef Simon Shaw’s El Gato Negro garnered both critical acclaim and a succession of accolades, including recognition from Hardens, Michelin, The Times and The Good Food Guide. In 2015 the restaurant was awarded a prestigious Michelin Guide Bib Gourmand for the second year running.
Chef Patron and Creative Director Simon brings El Gato Negro to Manchester in February 2016, when the restaurant opens at 52 King Street. Operating over three floors of a period building in this prestigious thoroughfare, El Gato Negro will incorporate areas for al fresco all-season eating and drinking, as well as an open finishing kitchen where diners will experience the theatre and thrill of tapas in a Spanish style.
Simon Shaw – Chef Patron / Creative Director
Simon is a highly experienced and respected restaurateur with over 35 years of experience, most notably as Executive Head Chef at Harvey Nichols and as Chef Patron of El Gato Negro.
Originally from Yorkshire, Simon rapidly worked his way through the ranks at some of the county’s finest establishments before becoming the first Head Chef at Harvey Nichols’ restaurant in Leeds. After a stellar stint there he was seconded to their London operations; first heading up the kitchens at Prism, the company’s prestigious City of London restaurant, before moving to the flagship Knightsbridge store as Executive Head Chef. During this time Simon visited Catalonia and the Basque Country, falling in love with the diversity and excitement of modern Spanish cuisine.
In 2005 Simon returned north to open El Gato Negro in the Pennine village of Ripponden. Its reputation grew, gaining awards and accolades galore: winning best local Spanish restaurant on Gordon Ramsay’s F Word; listed annually in the Good Food Guide; Hardens called it ‘best tapas in the north’; the Observer’s Jay Rayner feted it; The Times ranked it number one tapas bar in the country; and finally being awarded the prestigious Michelin Guide Bib Gourmand in both 2014 and 2015.
Simon is also known for promoting his style of modern Spanish cooking to a wider audience; as consultant chef to blue chip companies, cooking for celebrities at private functions, making media appearances and leading sell-out cookery masterclasses. He is truly driven by a passion for his craft.
Download this press release in .doc format
Launch Date Announcement, El Gato Negro
Chargrilled Onglet Steak with Patatas a lo Pobre
Chef Simon Shaw outside the former El Gato Negro restaurant in Ripponden, West Yorkshire
Garry Foy’s ‘Flipping Wonderful’ cocktail
El Gato Negro is a Simon Shaw restaurant. The award-winning tapas menu combines modern and traditional flavours and techniques, offering seasonally-influenced small plates using quality Spanish and locally-sourced ingredients.
