Manchester's landmark Midland Hotel has unveiled a major transformation at one of its restaurants.
Mount Street Dining Room opens next week, replacing the former Mr Cooper's restaurant and bar.
The grand room has had a complete revamp, with new dark wood panelling, marble-topped tables and an antique-style clock replacing the more modern stylings of its previous incarnation.
Vintage prints of the old Midland Railway, which the grade II* listed hotel - opposite the old Manchester Central station - was built to serve and is named after, adorn the walls.
The traditional new look is matched by a menu that celebrates the best of British produce including Yorkshire Limousin beef butchered in house and salmon smoked on site.
Starters include lobster crumpets (£14) with sesame and Hollandaise, Yorkshire Limousin steak tartare (£12), and cauliflower soup with wholegrain mustard cobbler and lovage (£6.50), while mains include homemade pies (from £15), Chorlton ale-braised beef featherblade (£15.50) and a beef wellington to share (£80).
There's also a selection of grill dishes, including steaks (from £27), spatchcock Goosenargh chicken (£18) and a three-bone rack of lamb (£26), as well as desserts such as Eccles cake and Lancashire cheese (£7), Bakewell tart with Earl Grey ice cream (£6) and blackberry and mascarpone curd with Bramley apple-filled doughnuts (£7.50).
It's a departure from the Asian-influenced leanings of Mr Cooper's menu, and one that executive chef Brian Spark feels is a better fit for the surroundings.
"It's quite traditional but modern in its own way," he said.
"We've gone back to things like smoking our own salmon, making our own pies, and we've got our own in-house butcher. It's very much that traditional British fare.
"If you stand at the front of the hotel and look at it, you've almost got a picture of what the food should be like - that's what's really driven it."
The new restaurant forms part of a £14m refurbishment of the Peter Street landmark. Work is ongoing to transform the foyer into a striking new lobby bar, which is due to be completed in October.
Mount Street Dining Room opens on Tuesday September 1, initially for dinner only, with a lunch menu to be introduced in October. It was originally due to open in April before lockdown hit.
Tables have been spaced to allow for social distancing and the restaurant and bar will operate a track and trace system for bookings and walk-in guests, venue director Emily Norvaisaite said.
Brian said trade had been encouraging since the hotel reopened, particularly for afternoon tea, which is currently being served in the Mount Street space until the tearoom reopens.
"It has been tough for the whole industry," he admitted.
"It's really been quite a difficult time. The hotel was closed but it's allowed us to focus on the refurbishment. The restaurant has been finished first and the rest is coming in the next couple of months.
"Everyone has felt the challenges but we just hope we can get back to normality some time soon. I think that's what we're all praying for."
The transformation comes after The Midland was acquired in 2018 by Swedish hotel investment company Pandox and Fattal Hotels Group, which now operates it under its Leonardo Hotels brand.
No changes have been announced to the hotel's flagship restaurant, Adam Reid at The French, as part of the refurbishment.
