Simon Shaw unveils plans for second Manchester restaurant

Chef Simon Shaw has revealed plans to open restaurant Canto in autumn, his second Manchester venture after Michelin Bib Gourmand El Gato Negro.

Canto will launch with Porto-born chef Carlos Gomes at the helm, serving a menu of modern Portuguese food and drink.

Currently head chef at Shaw's nearby Spanish restaurant El Gato Negro, Gomes has previously worked at Michelin-starred Barrafina in London.

Meaning ‘corner' in Portuguese, Canto will be located on the ground floor of the Fairbairn in the Ancoats area of the city.

Shaw's move away from Spanish cuisine to Portuguese for the new restaurant was inspired by the chef's travels to the country's capital Lisbon.

"I first visited Lisbon about 20 years ago and thought it a really cool place, raw but great. Seven years later I returned and there was a real movement taking place, a city with edge," he said.

"The Portuguese food movement is in its infancy in the UK but it's happening, with some really great restaurants emerging in London in the last few years.

"It would be easy for me to open another Spanish restaurant but I wanted a fresh challenge and to take people on a journey. It's always been on my radar to open a modern Portuguese restaurant and when Carlos joined the team with the same long-term vision, everything fell into place."

He added: "We feel Manchester is ready for this, and Ancoats is the perfect location."

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