Manchester’s Oxford road is gearing up to welcome a brand new addition to its thriving food and drink scene, following a string of new foodie concepts opening over the last six months. This time, it’s the turn of Tahi - a first-of-its-kind restaurant bringing the flavours of New Zealand to the city.
Located within Manchester’s vibrant new neighbourhood, Circle Square, on Oxford Road, it’s been brought to life by one of the founders behind the hugely successful Tamper Coffee in Sheffield. Established by New Zealand native, Jonathan Perry, a distinct Kiwi identity and accent runs through the design and food at the 102-cover restaurant, which counts the recently opened, late-night food and entertainment venue Canvas, and food hall Hello Oriental, as neighbours.
Jonathan Perry, founder of Tahi says: "I am a New Zealander with a passion for awesome coffee and amazing food (like most New Zealanders!). Ten years ago I created Tamper Coffee Company in Sheffield which started as a coffee shop and expanded into the cafe it is today.
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"From there I founded and created the Depot Bakery and food hall, Kommune. When this exciting opportunity was presented to me through Bruntwood SciTech, I saw the potential to create Tahi as the epitome of the Kiwi concept of a social spaces that New Zealand is known for. I have always dreamed of delivering this offering and we are excited to share a little piece of our home to Manchester.
“The vision for Tahi is to create a place for people to come together from locals living nearby to office workers and newcomers to the city. Whether they are on the hunt for an exceptional brew, a yum yum the size of their head or the best eggs benedict, we want them to look no further than Tahi."
Aiming to be the place where people come together from morning to night, the warm and welcoming spaces embrace the Maori way of hospitality and will offer a casual yet intimate atmosphere, as well as exceptional service, when it opens this weekend. Open daily from 9am, the fast-paced open kitchen will serve throughout the day from brunch to dinner and drinks in-between.
"The space is a homage to the art, culture and design of New Zealand, designed around elements of the country’s landscape and its diversity. The rich green native forest of New Zealand typically with rich green ferns, dark brown trees and grey dry mud have been carefully replicated inside Tahi from the columns to the furniture.
"The wine bar at the top of the restaurant has been decorated with green tiles, to represent the Maori Pounamu greenstone, whilst the orange touches are reminiscent of the peachy sulphur in the bubbling thermal pool of Rotorua."
All food here is made fresh daily, with 90 percent of the menu produced in-house by the kitchen team and on-site bakery. A New Zealand inspired breakfast and brunch menu starts off the day, while a casual sharing menu takes guests into the evening - all delivered by Kiwi head chef Andrew Tranter and his brigade.
Tranter, who achieved the Royal Academy of Culinary Arts Award of Excellence in 2018 and secured his position as a finalist in the San Pellegrino Young Chef 2019/2020 competition, has gone on to achieved acclaim as head chef at Pescatore in New Zealand, as well as senior chef de partie as Trinity Restaurant in London - which has one Michelin Star - and senior chef de partie at Restaurant Story - holder of two stars.
The in-house bakery team here will be serving up Kiwi and Australian-inspired classics, as well as Viennoiserie and Tahi Twists. They've also teamed up with Ozone Coffee and Stafford-based Hasbean, to bring a variety of specialty coffees to the offer. Guests can also order Lalani & Co craft tea, as well as house-made sodas, juices and smoothies.
Food wise, diners can tuck into a carefully curated menu of seasonal takes on Kiwi favourites. Expect Tahi Mince on Toast with braised beef cheek, mushrooms, spinach and poached eggs; Tahi Fried Chicken with charred corn fritters and smoked bacon and vegan dishes like slow cooked butternut pumpkin with pickled root vegetables, fried kale and puffed buckwheat.
"I think the Tahi Mince on Toast will go down well with customers. It is an elevated version of an iconic Kiwi dish with braised beef cheek, mushrooms, spinach and poached eggs. Also throughout the menu, there are specific dishes with our classic Manuka smoked tomato from the Vegan Avocado on Toast to the Sweet Corn Fritters."
The diverse food selection will naturally be accompanied by a wine list showcasing New Zealand wines - 90 percent of the menu in fact is from the country. The beer selection also showcases the breadth of New Zealand beers with a nod to the country’s hops.
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