Ignacio Perez-Barreiro, who is better known as Nacho, says he will eschew tapas in favour of dishes served family-style at Tinto, which he has opened in partnership with his wife Natalia Esquerdo-Girbes.
Ignacio trained and qualified as a chef in Spain before moving to the UK. As executive chef at La Tasca’s first restaurant on Manchester’s Deansgate he helped establish the concept and rollout the casual dining brand - which is now operated by Casual Dining Group - across the UK and US.
In May last year Perez-Barreiro and Esquerdo-Girbes launched Tapeo & Wine on Deansgate but left the business in December.
Much of Tinto’s menu is cooked in a charcoal oven. Specialities include Menorcan milk-fed lamb shoulder, 45-day-aged Galician Blonde beef and paella. In addition there will be cured meats and cheeses with wine imported directly from small family run vineyards in Spain. Much of the produce will be supplied by Lola Espana, the Spanish food wholesaler set-up by the pair in 2001.
“As we live in the area we spotted the Chalk and Grill had closed and believed it was the perfect place to open our own restaurant. It is a great location in the heart of Didsbury village, which has an excellent community and family feel,” says Esquerdo-Girbes. “We believe Spanish food, cooked in a simple and authentic way to bring out the high quality ingredients, will be a big attraction in the area.”
SME funder Reward Finance helped the pair purchase the site. Picture caption (l-r): Ignacio Perez-Barreiro, Natalia Esquerdo-Girbes and Reward Finance's Paula Jones