Stow

Stow on Bridge Street specialises in live fire cooking, cocktails and wine. It feels like the sophisticated cousin of the owner’s longstanding Northern Quarter bar Trof. Think cool but also cosy and intimate with two distinct spaces; the chic monochrome cocktail bar, and the earthier, softer restaurant with an open kitchen dominated by live flame grills.

The seasonal menu is brief with just a few starters, mains, sides and desserts – a good sign. (It’s those epic menus you have to worry about; behind every additional page lurks the ping of a microwave.)

Typical dishes include overnight coal beets, ricotta and smoked honey to start, followed by a whopper of an ex-dairy rib-eye with roasted garlic to share. A pudding of smoked cream tart with rum plum keeps the flavours of fire running throughout.