At the top of King Street sits one of Manchester’s most well-known buildings. Dating back to the late 19th Century, the former Lancashire and Yorkshire Bank is renowned for its striking architecture and storied past. In one of its most recent guises though, it was perhaps better known as a pillar of the Manchester restaurant scene. From 2009 until late last year it was home to Rosso, a luxury Italian restaurant co-owned by footballing legend Rio Ferdinand . Many famous faces have been spotted heading into the Grade-II listed spot on Spring Gardens over the last 14 years, from Coronation Street stars to
Manchester United footballers enjoying a knees up at
Christmas time, and even global pop sensation Harry Styles. READ MORE: Celebrity chef Nisha Katona banks on old Barclays for latest Mowgli restaurant in historic market town Now, just over six months after Rosso served its final dishes and poured its final drinks , the historic site has been reimagined once again. Not long after it was closed, it was quickly revealed that the Italian firm Cibo - known for its celeb magnet restaurants in Hale and Wilmslow - would take on the vast site with a lavish £2m refurbishment plan. The former Lancashire and Yorkshire Bank is renowned for its striking architecture and storied past and was previously home to Rosso restaurant (Image: Sean Hansford | Manchester Evening News) Originally set to open its doors by the end of November , this weekend it will finally be unveiled. The results are rather impressive. Plans to strip back the building and showcase more of its historic details have been realised, all whilst translating Cibo’s chic and glamorous look and feel that has earned it a loyal following in Cheshire. It comes not long after the brand revealed its new Italian Gran Cafe to Grove Street in Wilmslow , with £1.5m interiors and extensive brunch and lunch menu, restaurant bosses created the new café after snapping up the shops opposite the existing Cibo restaurant already in the town. The vast and opulent space with its domed ceilings and marble pillars has been complemented by Cibo’s distinct interiors (Image: Sean Hansford | Manchester Evening News) At their new spot in the city centre, Cibo bosses have spent nearly £3m, to bring their vision to life. The vast and opulent space with its domed ceilings and marble pillars has been complemented by Cibo’s distinct interiors. Pass through the grand doors flanked by olive trees and new Cibo signage and you’re welcomed into a space that General Manager Matteo Trifiro says should feel as exclusive as a private jet or luxury yacht. “We’ve had a lot of work done,” he explains before showing us around the transformed space. “We had a team from Portugal to help restore the mosaics, which date back hundreds of years. We also had a man called Mario, he’s 80-years-old, who came all the way from Tuscany to restore and bring back the colour to the marble, which you can see on the walls around the restaurant.” Cibo bosses have spent nearly £3m on the makeover with design features including antique-style mirrors, bespoke chandeliers, plush velvet banquettes and marble tables (Image: Sean Hansford | Manchester Evening News) The fine Italian marble Matteo is talking about is quarried in Tuscany, and is notable for its prominent veining. Bold and striking it is no wonder so much time and effort has been devoted to restoring it to its prime. Similar care has been taken with the little details too. The carefully upholstered warm, brown leather chairs feature gold buttons and Cibo’s distinct logo carefully woven in, which Matteo says is to look like Bentley cars. As well as deep blue banquettes, a dotting of foliage, and a number of olive trees break up the large space that will seat 165 in the main restaurant and 25 downstairs in the private dining room. The Italian marble in the restaurant has been restored to complement the new design (Image: Sean Hansford | Manchester Evening News) Those dining below deck, will also feel like a luxury yacht, and will boast its own dedicated bar, featuring some of the world’s most exclusive spirits and wines For those who want to purchase a premium bottle of cognac, whiskey during their meal, there’s custom-made cabinets for their bottle of choice to be securely stored away for their next visit to Cibo. While the bar in the main restaurant is not the main focus in this food-led restaurant, it has been carefully reconfigured around the back wall of the dining space, with glossy wooden panelling, and hundreds of bottles of Masi Costasera Amarone Classico wine framing the bar back. The wider space also features antique-style mirrors, bespoke chandeliers, plush velvet banquettes and marble tables, carefully placed to complement the building’s existing features and grandeur. Cibo's roasted lamb loin in pistachio crumb, boulangere potato, baby onion and red current jus (Image: Sean Hansford | Manchester Evening News) The menu features an impressive selection of dishes inspired by Italian cuisine, with a range of antipasti, starters, salads, pasta and risottos. Tartare di Manzo (£18) with hand-diced prime beef fillet, shallots, caper berries and a focaccia crisp to start, sits alongside lobster ravioli (£20), asparagus risotto (£18) and house-smoked duck salad with crisp baby gem lettuce, quinoa, grilled balsamic peach and toasted almonds (£19). Dishes also span a series of meats, charcoal grilled and garnished with tomato and red onion salad. Expect huge sharing cuts too, like the Tomahawk (42oz) of prime beef rib too, served with sautéed mushrooms, wild rocket and parmesan salad, hand cut chips and a selection of sauces including peppercorn, red wine, mushroom cream sauce and Béarnaise. The Tomahawk (42oz) of prime beef rib, served with sautéed mushrooms, wild rocket and parmesan salad, hand cut chips and a selection of sauces (Image: Sean Hansford | Manchester Evening News) There’s also an ensemble of fresh fish dishes including Dover sole with lemon butter, new potatoes, asparagus and lemon aioli (£45) and turbot filled with garlic buttered asparagus and spring potatoes and saffron aioli (£28). Pizza lovers will also like the strong spread of options, from classics like Margarita (£14) and Diavola (£16), to the Rotolo pizza (£16), a rolled pizza with mozzarella cheese and sun blushed tomatoes, wild rocket and Parma ham. Drinks vary from Cibo’s other sites but focus on cocktails, wines and premium spirits. As Matteo explains: “Our bar manager is brilliant, he will be using a lot of mixology, so expect some infusions. There will be a slightly different cocktail list from Wilmslow and Hale, and there will be an exclusive wine list too, not just focusing on
Italy but wines from across the world.” Cibo's lobster ravioli is one of a number of pasta dishes served at the Manchester restaurant (Image: Sean Hansford | Manchester Evening News) While Cibo does offer a premium drinks selection, Matteo says that the focus is on food, so rather than people dropping by for a drink, the restaurant is designed for those booked in the restaurant to grab a drink before or after their meal. “Because of our clientele, we want to bring the best experience possible,” he explains. “It’s such an exciting time for us. We’ve been operating in Wilmslow for over eight years so it’s great to come to Manchester and open here. It’s a different style to Rosso, so we will definitely be trying to get our style of restaurant into the city, and I’m sure it will be very successful.” Cibo is located at 43 Spring Gardens, Manchester, M2 2BG. It will be open from Saturday, 6 April, with opening hours of 12-10pm every day.