Pilling to open new Manchester restaurant

RESTAURATEUR Steve Pilling is making a return to Manchester city centre after taking 6,000 sq ft of ground floor space at Henry Boot’s The Courthouse development in Deansgate.

Mr Pilling and his chef partner Simon Stanley are to create a 450-capacity venue specialising in British food in the ground floor of the building, which is currently being refurbished. The new business will be called Mr Pilling’s Roast Restaurant and Oyster bar.

Mr Pilling is best known for building Mr Sam’s and Mr Thomas’s Chop Houses in Manchester before they were sold to former advertising guru Roger Ward. Mr Stanley has previously worked under a number of the country’s most famous chefs including Marco Pierre White and Raymond Blanc.

More recently, the pair opened Damson’s in Heaton Moor two years ago and converted the Red Lion at High Lane, Stockport, into a gastropub.

Adam Brady, head of Henry Boot Developments’ Manchester office, said: “We are extremely pleased that Steve chose The Courthouse to launch his new concept.

“Being 100% self-funded our organisation has the luxury of being able to work alongside an exciting new venture that sets the tone for the rest of the building.

“We have worked closely with Steve to secure his involvement in the scheme and by bringing in an anchor tenant such as Mr Pilling’s Roast Restaurant and Oyster Bar, the scene is now set for The Courthouse to become a first-class destination within the city.”

Steve Pilling said: “We’re really excited about the prospect of opening up again in Manchester and working with Henry Boot to build a high quality bar and restaurant in the city to develop a long-lasting legacy”.

The letting was agreed by Cheetham & Mortimer, which is joint agent for the retail and leisure element of the scheme with DMR Richtrend. Joint letting agents for the office space are DTZ and Matthews & Goodman.