Rooftop views and wine make for the perfect evening and luckily for Manchester it has been blessed with this dreamy combination in the form of ‘wine-led’ rooftop restaurant, Climat. From the team behind Chester’s Michelin Guide restaurant, Covino, Climat has the become the go-to wine hotspot in the city and is situated at Manchester’s Blackfriars House.
Born out of a desire to pair incredible foods with incredible wines with a format that allows guests to dictate their own pace, Climat (named after the term for a specific vineyard site in Burgundy) is a 100-cover restaurant featuring a ‘contemporary Parisian-style’ aesthetic. The restaurant features over 250 wines from across the world, complimented by an ever-changing daily menu described simply as ‘food you want to eat’.
With the eighth floor of Blackfriars House primarily being constructed of metal and glass, the team wanted to soften these contemporary materials with a more natural and earthy feel. As Burgundy is famously situated atop of clay and limestone soils, Climat features as much of these two materials as possible with textural, clay plaster walls and limestone floor, tables and counter tops dispersed throughout the space.
Owner of Climat, Christopher Laidler, was keen to keep the space as minimalist as possible to ensure the panoramic views across Manchester’s city centre are the main visual attraction. The restaurant features four seating options to dine at – the window, the kitchen counter, the outdoor roof terrace and a glass fronted private dining room offering a bespoke set menu. Alongside the kitchen, the glass fronted wine cellar acts as the engine room of the restaurant, housing over 2,500 bottles of wine, adding another visual element for diners.
The outdoor terrace at Climat is home to a diverse range of ‘bee-friendly’ plants to feed the bees housed in the four hives that will feature on the rooftop. Not only will the bees provide honey that will feature on the menu as soon as the hives are established, but they’ll provide something a little different to watch during a lunch or dinner for guests.
After trialling feasting sized dishes in Covino, aimed at tables of three or more to share, these are a prominent feature on the Climat menu. Think whole turbot or slow cooked lamb shoulder. Covino’s widely known small-plates offering inspires the more encompassing menu format of Climat, with a small selection of snacks alongside a selection of larger plates, shifting dependent on the best produce available that day.
From Middle White pork loin and mutton kofta to ex-dairy cuts on-the-bone for the table to share, the formatting of Climat’s menu allows guests to create a totally bespoke dining experience, creating a more casual, less restrictive and ultimately more enjoyable atmosphere. Resurrecting a cult classic, vol-au-vents have also become a staple to the ever-changing menu as well as their gorgeous gougères (savoury choux buns mixed with cheese) which have a generously helping of parmesan rained over the top of them. You’ll also find a fancy take on hash browns that are unbelievably moreish.
From the daily bar snack menu, guests can expect fresh malted loaves, seasonal oysters, fried swede and charcuterie’s to be enjoyed alongside a comprehensive wine cellar. As the name ‘Climat’ suggests, the restaurant, leans towards Burgundian wines and styles. Of the restaurant’s 250-300 wines, about 40% is allocated to Burgundy. However, the focus is not just on the region’s more famous varieties of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, but it shines the spotlight on the white grape variety Aligoté as well as the purple-coloured grape variety Gamay, typically of the Beaujolais and Loire Valley regions, too.
Book a table at Climat here.
Climat, Blackfriars House St Marys, Parsonage, M3 2JA