National food critic says she'll think of Manchester restaurant on her 'deathbed'

Its doors have been open for only a few months, but a Greater Manchester restaurant has elicited some very strong feelings from a national food critic in their latest review.

Stow, on Bridge Street in Manchester city centre, was opened in late November and serves up food cooked over fire, along with excellent wines and a classic cocktail selection. It was launched by the team behind Northern Quarter favourite, Trof.

In her weekly column, The Sunday Times restaurant critic Charlotte Ivers recalled her recent visit to Stow, and even admitted that she will think of one of the restaurant's dishes on her 'deathbed'. She added that 'if food is theatre, this Manchester restaurant gives a scorching performance'.

Stow was opened in November by Matt Nellany and Jamie Pickles, who are behind much-loved Northern Quarter venue Trof. At the time of opening, the open-fire dining concept was described by its owners centring on the 'simplicity of great ingredients cooked over open fire with very little faff'.

Diners can drop in for quick lunches, group nights out and intimate diners at the new establishment on Bridge Street, with dishes using local produce and cooked over a custom-built grill from Firemade in Somerset. A small, regularly changing menu revolves around a selection of meat and fish together with a list of veg-centric sides and snacks.

Clearly enamoured with the concept, Charlotte kicked off her review by comparing Stow to the best restaurants of New York, Beijing and Jerusalem - describing it as a place that can 'make you feel as if you are at the centre of the world when you walk in'. She also credited the staff who would 'make you enthusiastic even if they were serving dry bread and coal'.

Describing the intimate, almost