First look inside Manchester's 'affordable' steakhouse featuring beef dripping popcorn and bone marrow mash

To give you an indication of the level of dedication from the team behind one of Manchester’s newest steakhouses, it took them a 128 different incarnations to get their chips - which are fried in beef dripping - just right.

Flat Iron, which will open its doors on Wednesday (July 3), has taken over the Grade II-listed building once owned by the Royal London Friendly Society and most recently the home to outdoor clothing shop Blacks on the corner of Deansgate. Founded by Charlie Carroll, the steak restaurant delivers an accessible menu that never skimps on good quality meat.

With 13 restaurants already in places like Leeds and in London’s Covent Garden, it’s an approach that comes with a proven track record. Besides a varying offer of specials, the menu essentially consists of one type of steak - a featherblade cut - that’s available for £14. You can then load it up with additional salads and sides, like those now-perfected chips and the show-stopping crispy bone marrow garlic mash that range from £3.50 to £5.50.

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The elegant two-floor venue features a basement dining area as well as an open-plan space with a centrepiece bar selling a range of curated cocktails, alongside wines, beers and ‘house fizzes’.

But, as you would expect from any steakhouse, it’s the meat that is the real selling factor here - and it comes down to Fred Smith, who has the brilliantly-titled job role of Head of Beef, to ensure the steaks are the very best of the best.

Speaking about the role, Fred told the Manchester Evening News: “We buy from lots of different places from Scotland to south Cornwall and everything in between and beyond, so the