As Aumbry is closing for refurbishment from 30 August, McTague is opening her first pop-up, 4244 Edge St, on 23 September.
The 50-cover restaurant will serve a five-course taster menu mixing British fine dining, traditional methods and historical cookery – Aumbry’s signature style.
“It’s going to be very similar to what we do at Aumbry in terms of the food and the style of service. The atmosphere is going to be very relaxed and informal. It’s the same team, but in a different location.
“Because we’re a pop-up, we’re operating out of a kitchen that is used for something else during the day, so we’ve only got the space in the evening.
“We’ve simplified what we’re doing slightly because we’re not in our usual space, so we’re only doing the five-course tasting menu, at least to begin with. If we find that the demand and the kitchen space allow us to do something more complicated we will consider it,” McTague told BigHospitality.
Aumbry atmosphere
Open for dinner from Tuesdays to Saturdays, the pop-up’s menu will include locally-sourced, dishes from slow-cooked Cumbrian beef to signature favourites grapefruit posset and sautéed mushrooms and snails.
“We’re really excited about it. The northern quarter in Manchester is a whole new audience for us, and it’s very exciting to do something different for a while. It will be great to get back to Aumbry but this is kind of like a holiday,” McTague added.
4244 Edge St is a joint venture between McTague and operators Sparklestreet, and should only last five weeks, although the chef is open to further collaboration.
“The plan for now is to do five weeks whilst we haven’t got a space to work in Aumbry,” she said.
All 4244 Edge St bookings will be taken via the pop-up’s website from 1 September.
Aumbry will close on 30 August for refurbishments and is due to re-open before Christmas.