Skof by Tom Barnes

Skof has been awarded a Michelin star, joining Mana in Manchester’s elite of world-class fine-dining restaurants. It’s the first restaurant from Cumbrian-born Tom Barnes and with impeccable timing, we visited during the final service before the big announcement. Hot off the press, here’s the most up-to-date coverage about the city’s newest, hottest dining destination. 

The place is all understated elegance: high ceilings, natural light and wide open. The staff are friendly, forthcoming and occasionally cheeky – all very Manchester. This means a more relaxed feel than Mana, which functions more as some kind of cultlike industrial beast (note: not a bad thing), but instead encourages the sense that you could nip in for lunch or drinks for some friends. Neighbourhood fine-dining, if that isn’t too oxymoronic. 

Today, however, it’s all about the big kahuna: Menu 2. Ignore the unassuming title, this is the full 16-course menu. Fear not, it’s expertly paced, meaning you leave feeling satisfied rather than about to explode (plus some courses are bigger than others, to misquote Steven Patrick Morrissey).

It’s currently priced at £165, which isn’t bad for a bleeding-edge city-centre restaurant, and compares very well with the majority of out-of-town, pastoral tasting menus. Best of all, alongside the expected wine pairing options, you’ll find a mixed drinks pairing – a combination of local beers, juices and wines. It’s a superb way to showcase nearby breweries, locally sourced fruits and the odd wildcard wine, thrown in by the never-not-engaging wine staff. 

The courses, as with the drinks, change constantly, according to what’s in stock, what’s in season, and what ideas are being thrown around that week. There might be some crossover but you’ll never eat the same meal twice. 

The opening snacks are a meticulously arranged assortment of witty ideas and delicate elements. The Spenwood cheese biscuit is a mini cheddar snack forced into its final form, encompassing Jerusalem artichoke, whipped roe, shiso and more, into a glorious bitesize morsel. 

Then there’s the spiced chalk stream trout, sourced from the River Test in Hampshire, naturally, the locus of all good trout. It might look simple – two slender strips of amber fish – but many dozens of spices have gone into the preparation. The result: a spectacular but subtle tingle as it melts on the tongue. 

And this is the case with practically everything on the menu. Nothing boring, nothing obvious, but nothing overtly wacky either. It’s the definition of refined dining. 

The glazed langoustine, aka Skof’s take on prawn toast, is the first truly head-spinning course. A chubby crustacean soaked in an emulsion made from its own shells and bones, resting on a slice of crisped bread, not forgetting fermented cabbage, brown butter, kimchi powder and aged pork fat. It’s the apex of seasonal small plates. 

From here, the hits keep coming and they don’t stop coming. Hen of the woods chawanmushi and truffle? Spectacular. Quail’s egg yolk in a ragout of English grains, stout and wild garlic? Exactly as nourishing and exciting as that sounds. 

The sourcing is second to none. The cylinder of cod flakes into big sleek slabs at the merest touch, while the pickled walnuts explode gloriously in the mouth. We’ll leave some courses as a surprise, but take our word for it, when it comes to quality the ingredients match the ideas. 

The crescendo peaks with the duck course – a spicy combination of rich gamey flavours and textures. Think mallard, wood pigeon, venison and bone marrow, peppered with some fiery little tapioca balls. 

The desserts provide a gentle, comfy landing, variously fashioned from classic British ingredients like rhubarb, rose, gingerbread, pear and honey, before finishing with a touching tribute to Tom’s late father, Barney’s Tiramisu. 

Now, the bad news. You probably won’t be able to get in for a long, long time – when we set it up, it was booked out for months, and that’s even before the tyre guys rolled into town. The good news: it isn’t simply as good as you’re expecting, it’s better. Much better.