A Hackney restaurant that's sold out 35 cities on a world tour is making a stop in Stalybridge

Whyte’s Restaurant became one of London’s most sought-after tables pretty quickly. Within 15 months of opening their 30-cover open kitchen in Hackney, Whyte Rushen and his partner Livi Akers had a Michelin Guide mention, sold-out bookings, and a reputation that had been a long time coming. What made it land the way it did was the combination of two things that rarely meet: Michelin-level technique – Whyte had come through BRAT, Scully St James, and Kerridge’s – and a cultural instinct that was entirely his own. His pop-ups before the restaurant opened had become cult events that blurred the line between food and music – underground nights as much as dinners, where the crowd was as likely to include Skream on the decks as oysters and Monster Munch on the pass. By the time Whyte’s Restaurant had a permanent address, the Guardian, GQ, Hypebeast and Esquire had all taken notice. The food press followed shortly after.

After 15 months, rather than expanding (which would have been the obvious next move), the pair made the decision to close the Hackney doors temporarily and take the whole thing on the road. They announced they were taking Whyte’s on a world tour – a rolling series of residencies across 35 cities in 12 months, collaborating with spaces in each location and putting their own stamp on the local cuisine. Tokyo, Bangkok, Bali, Shanghai, Seoul, New York, Mexico City, Lisbon, Athens, Rotterdam, Philadelphia – the list goes on. Every stop sold out. Now they’re back in Britain for a regional leg before the whole thing wraps up in Melbourne, Australia, and Manchester is one of their final stops.

We’ve teamed up with Café Continental to make it happen. Manchester’s Finest and Café Continental are bringing Whyte’s to Stalybridge for a one-night-only collaboration on Monday 13th April from 6pm.

Café Continental is a natural home for this. The Stalybridge spot has built a serious reputation for generous, carefully considered cooking – a thoughtful wine list, a relaxed room, and a kitchen that doesn’t cut corners. The menu for the evening reflects what both places do best: nostalgic, crowd-pleasing dishes with a refined, ingredient-led approach. Comforting and distinctive in equal measure.

The evening opens with grilled soda bread and whipped onion butter, before moving into a raw scallop cocktail – thousand island dressing, apple, trout roe caviar and dill – a retro classic handled with real confidence. Vegetable dishes include coal-roasted beetroot with smoked yogurt, pistachio pesto and Comté; wood-fired flatbread topped with smoked mackerel pâté, pickled cucumber and horseradish cream; and BBQ hispi cabbage with anchovy Caesar, croutons and lime.

The larger plates are half devilled roast chicken with classic roast potatoes, and slow-braised oxtail with stewed white beans, confit garlic and thyme – rich, unhurried cooking that sits at the heart of what this collaboration is about. To finish, forced rhubarb crumble with stem ginger and rosemary custard.