Ask anyone who lives in Prestwich and they’ll agree there’s been a lot of interest in the new restaurant that’s just opened its doors on Bury New Road. What was once a computer shop has been transformed into a stylish neighbourhood spot with a distinct Parisian vibe - but once seated though, you’ll find the cooking is distinctly British in its roots.
The Pearl, which is named after an arty cafe found in Paris’ trendy Le Marais district in the fourth arrondissement, has been brought to life by Sam Taylor, who after losing his job in the pandemic, moved into a career in hospitality. After successfully launching a sandwich delivery service in 2020 he turned his attention to establishing a restaurant that would be right at home within Prestwich’s thriving food scene.
With a little help from a crowdfunding campaign earlier this summer and having brought onboard one of Manchester’s best chefs, Iain Thomas, The Pearl has come a long way in a short space of time. Now, rather than an empty shop unit, visitors will find a well-appointed dining room with 24 covers and a refined menu serving classic European dishes made with the best produce from across the British isles.
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“It kind of snowballed quite quickly,” reflects Sam, who is busy prepping for service. “We took on the lease and at first we were going to turn it into a breakfast place because we’re morning people on account of having kids but some chef friends talked us out of it and made us realise brunch isn’t that interesting and it made us realise we wanted to build a dinner spot instead.
“When I did SanSan MCR my sandwich concept, I was really interested in providence and uncomplicated food, so there’s a bit of a crossover in ethos between that and The Pearl. With the crowdfunder, during the first few weeks we didn’t think we would hit the target but then Mel worked her magic on social media and pushed it so it meant a lot to us to hit the target.
“It was important financially as it helped us to do the things to the space that we wanted to do, but it also felt great to have the support of the village behind us - it was a massive confidence boost that this is what people want.”
Even by nightfall you can’t miss The Pearl on Bury New Road thanks to its bold blue exterior and large windows, but once inside it’s much more intimate in feel with bistro-style table and chairs, a mixture of glowing candles and pendant lights, and some artworks handpicked by Sam and his wife Mel. The bar features antique beer taps and a miniature ice bucket, and just beyond the bar back the eagle-eyed will spot a tiny hatch, through which wine and coffees can be served.
Bringing the culinary vision to life is Head Chef Iain Thomas, who has previously headed up the kitchen at The Edinburgh Castle, which was crowned Pub of the Year at the 2021 Manchester Food and Drink Awards under his culinary direction. Similarly, his menu at The Alan earned glowing praise from renowned food critic Jay Rayner, when it opened a few years ago.
Iain is also the co-founder of Our Place, a supper club with purpose. Our Place is a restaurant without a permanent home, dedicated to supporting the homeless and serving local, seasonal, and sustainable food with love in a welcoming atmosphere. Much of that ethos is carried over into The Pearl and some of the chef’s favourite dishes have made an appearance or been slightly adapted.
“It’s a similar ethos to Our Place but Sam has given me a home where I can cook all the time. There’s a lot of classic cooking, so for example, nowhere does a layered mosaic terrine anymore, but we do and it’s a chicken liver terrine with parfait and homemade brioche, plus chutney from my allotment.
“Similarly, nowhere is really doing a layered potato dish," said Iain jokingly. "So we’ve got a dish I did at The Alan which we’ve called The Pearl Chips with ox cheek, dill pickle and French mustard. Then we’ve worked with the amazing guys at Polyspore to create a mushroom dish with tea and BBQ yeast - if you don’t source from those guys then you're crazy and we’ve created a no carbon-emission dish.
Elsewhere on the menu, there’s some seriously delicious snacks like the soft bread rolls (£5.50) made with produce from a local regenerative farmer and served with melt-in-the-mouth butter, plus deep fried anchovies (£5.50) and beetroot on toast (£6.50). Main courses span classics like venison tartare with pickles from Iain’s allotment (£12) and Omelette Arnold Bennett (£10) with smoked haddock, Yorkshire pecorino and chives.
While desserts the chocolate tart (£9) are made with the world’s best chocolate and mulled pear, the drinks selection has also been designed to complement Iain’s cooking and features cocktails, beers, house wines and digestifs.
“We have a French 75 twist where we’re using a really nice English sparkling wine from a supplier in Kent, instead of Champagne,” explains Sam. We’ve also make a Calvados cocktail which uses apples so it’s very seasonal and we make use of rhubarb syrup which Iain sources from his allotment which we can use for a British twist on a margarita.
“We’ve also got one named after Stanley Tucci based on the TV series he did where has a coffee with an Amalfi lemon and others have familiar names to make it feel very homely and intimate.”
By the time we leave the light has faded and the first customers of the evening are coming in from the cold and being shown to the table. The windows have fogged up so you can barely see outside and there’s a pleasant hum in the space as the soundtrack featuring the likes of The National and Sharon Van Etten fills the space. Iain is ready and waiting in the kitchen and there’s a palpable sense that something quite special has arrived in Prestwich.
