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Skof

Greater Manchester, Manchester - Modern British - Restaurant - ££££

Tom Barnes flies high at his first stand-alone restaurant

Overall Rating: Exceptional

Uniqueness:Does the establishment stand out in the context of the local area? Exceptional

Deliciousness:How delicious is the food? Exceptional

Warmth:How warm is the service and the hospitality in general? Exceptional

Strength of recommendation:How enthusiastically and widely would you recommend the establishment? Exceptional

Despite the odd spelling, Skof implies a lip-licking, tummy-rubbing sense of enjoyment and a cheerful lack of pretension. Although the mood may be low-key, the food here is anything but casual. Housed in one corner of a Grade II-listed former warehouse, the restaurant combines exposed industrial brickwork, Victorian tiles and polished wooden floors with Japanese zen aesthetics. Having worked closely with Simon Rogan at L'Enclume, Tom Barnes has generated a city-wide buzz with his first stand-alone venture, which has been booked solid since day one.  The format is tasting menus: four courses at lunch; 12-15 courses in the evening. Either way, be grateful for comfortable seating on leather banquettes or curved wooden chairs. Along one side are stools where diners are offered a ringside view of the cheffy action – a detail much appreciated by readers. The impeccable choreography behind the pass and out front is seamless. Staff are precisely drilled and well-informed, showing s...

Despite the odd spelling, Skof implies a lip-licking, tummy-rubbing sense of enjoyment and a cheerful lack of pretension. Although the mood may be low-key, the food here is anything but casual. Housed in one corner of a Grade II-listed former warehouse, the restaurant combines exposed industrial brickwork, Victorian tiles and polished wooden floors with Japanese zen aesthetics. Having worked closely with Simon Rogan at L'Enclume, Tom Barnes has generated a city-wide buzz with his first stand-alone venture, which has been booked solid since day one. 

The format is tasting menus: four courses at lunch; 12-15 courses in the evening. Either way, be grateful for comfortable seating on leather banquettes or curved wooden chairs. Along one side are stools where diners are offered a ringside view of the cheffy action – a detail much appreciated by readers. The impeccable choreography behind the pass and out front is seamless. Staff are precisely drilled and well-informed, showing sensitivity to the needs of each diner with infectious enthusiasm. Barrow-born Barnes leavens a certain nostalgia for his Cumbrian home turf with big-city slickness and the (now inevitable) references to east Asian cuisine. His food is complex and intelligent, indulgent but restrained, displaying a confidence to explore textures and tastes with a light touch.

The opening salvos (starters, snacks, canapés – call them what you will) arrive in rapid succession but the down-in-one mouthfuls are stellar– Dexter beef bavette with black pepper and Delica pumpkin, for example. Among the larger courses, steamed West Coast cod with whey, tangles of Roscoff onion, slippery pieces of smoked eel and buttermilk seduced with its alabaster presence. The sauce was sharp and tangy enough to counter the smoothness of the fish and other components. Among the desserts, the prettiest that we sampled was apple poached in cranberry, woodruff cream, rose geranium and almond – as fragile as Minton porcelain. But pride of place should go to the super-delicious ‘Barney’s tiramisu’ – the chef's homage to his father’s recipe. He serves it at the table while telling the story himself. You want to hug him.

Barnes doesn't drink wine, so his sequence of fruit- and vegetable-based drinks to match each course is a genius idea. A libation of beetroot, blackcurrant, lapsang souchong and cocoa nibs was an extraordinary replica of a powerful red wine to complement a fine piece of roast Sladesdown duck breast, while a blend of fermented gooseberry, tarragon and hops gave a sherbet/yeasty dimension to a dish of caramelised King Edward potato (with Isle of Mull Cheddar, grilled leek and pickled walnuts). There's a conventional wine flight too, culled from a smart list.

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B Steiner

9 February 2025

High hopes, but it lived up to expectations! Superb food and very well-balanced. I was able to enjoy the final (of 15) courses as much as the first. No ‘editing’ is needed here, not always the case at high-end restaurants, imho.

m harris

3 February 2025

This was my 2nd visit to Skof. The food was exceptional, better than I have experienced in a Michelin-star restaurant in Manchester. There is a warmth and friendliness from the staff whilst remaining professional. On my first visit, I had a tasting menu. My second visit was for a family lunch. At both times the standard of service and good was world class

D Rimbault

12 January 2025

Truly stunning in every way, Tom’s food is technically superb, with layer upon layer of flavour combined with a lightness of touch and understanding of texture that elevates the food to world-class heights.
Truly stunning in every way, Tom’s food is technically superb, with layer upon layer of flavour combined with a lightness of touch and understanding of texture that elevates the food to world-class heights.

Standout dishes included the Dexter beef and the BBQ lobster - both bitesize starters but packing huge flavour and a remarkable transparency with big flavours of lobster and lardo, especially complimenting each other perfectly. The standout for me, however, was the cod with ...
Truly stunning in every way, Tom’s food is technically superb, with layer upon layer of flavour combined with a lightness of touch and understanding of texture that elevates the food to world-class heights.

Standout dishes included the Dexter beef and the BBQ lobster - both bitesize starters but packing huge flavour and a remarkable transparency with big flavours of lobster and lardo, especially complimenting each other perfectly. The standout for me, however, was the cod with onions, smoked eel and buttermilk. It was understated, refined and technically superb, but I only thought that afterwards as the experience of eating it was just so much fun.

The service was the best I’ve experienced, and the food was more enjoyable than L’enclume. The lightness and aforementioned transparency, compared to the richness and heaviness I often found in Cartmel, made the whole eating experience more pleasurable and I felt technically superior.
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VENUE DETAILS

3 Federation Street
Manchester
Greater Manchester
M4 4BFGB

0161 669 1961

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OTHER INFORMATION

Wheelchair access, Deposit required

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