At the tail end of last year, we told you about Disorder, a new bar for the Northern Quarter which will be serving Asian inspired street food. Now owners, James Stewart and Sam Koropisz have revealed some more details about what guests can expect from this two-storey drinking and casual dining den when it opens on 17th Feb 2023.
Disorder’s food concept takes inspiration from Japanese izakaya bars, which are small, family run venues offering drinks alongside a small menu of delicious dishes designed to match. Izakaya literally translates as ‘stay drink place’, so this is a relaxed and sociable style of eating where guests can go at their own pace.
The young and talented kitchen team will be headed up by 30-year-old Bryan Barber, from Stockport who’ll be assuming his first executive chef role. His career has taken in classic French training, British cuisine, BBQ smokehouse and sushi, so he’ll be bringing this variety of experience, along with his passion for Asian cuisine, to Disorder.
All dishes will be fusing Mancunian classics with Asian flavours and cooking styles. For example, ‘Manc-hi’ is based on a Japanese Menchi sando, with added black pudding as a nod to the north west. The KFPB is a fried chicken sandwich with lemongrass peanut satay sauce and a spiced berry jam – resulting in a delicious, savoury peanut butter and jelly sandwich.
Small dishes with global influences and Asian flavours include Mexican style tostadas, Katsu curry chicken and Asian slaw, and delicious loaded Buldak fries inspired by the popular Korean fire chicken instant noodles topped with home-made fire sauce, oyster mushrooms, crispy noodles and nori seaweed.
Bryan will be cooking many of the dishes on a konro grill, a traditional Japanese grill where food is cooked on a ceramic pot over charcoal. He will also be making a signature range of gyoza by hand incorporating British flavour combinations such as mustard, sage and apple with five spice pork.
“I am passionate about creativity and cooking with no borders or restrictions,” says Bryan. “The menu works so well as it offers a broad range of flavours and references, but they all work in a cohesive way. It’s not being inventive for the sake of it. At Disorder, we’re introducing unknown pleasures on my menu.”
Two thirds of Disorder’s menu will be vegan or vegetarian and there will be plant-based options for any of the meat dishes. Bryan much prefers not to use meat substitutes when fresh vegetables can make a great alternative. He has even perfected a way of cooking watermelon so it reduces to a salmon like texture, when combined with cream cheese and subtle Asian flavours it creates a unique take on a salmon and cream cheese bagel, but served as a Mexican tostada.
Meat will be sourced from Littlewoods butchers in Heaton Chapel which supplies many highly esteemed restaurants and can trace its meat back to an individual farm and animal. This focus on high quality ingredients will also help create a real point of difference for Disorder to ensure its place on the Manchester foodie’s map.
James Stewart, co-owner of Disorder, added: “I have worked with Bryan on a previous launch and was always blown away by his passionate and inventiveness. Our menu is not super serious, but the quality of the ingredients we have chosen and the level of testing and detail that has gone into our menu certainly are.”
Bryan is creating his recipes from scratch and working from flavours and ideas rather than what’s gone before. Other stand out items include humous made from Edamame beans and a smoked lamb sausage skewer, which will be smoked on site and served with tzatziki for a high end lamb kebab.
Bryan will be leading a young kitchen team which includes demi chef Zuzanna Krawczynsca, age 17 from Tameside, Charlie Gibbs, age 22 from Norwich as chef de partie, and Holly Leech, age 20 from Gorton, as sous chef.
The ground floor is the restaurant and the lower floor will be a speakeasy, dive bar, playing host to live music from bands, DJs, rap artists and more.
Across both floors, the bar will offer a variety of international beers and delicious, bespoke cocktails, as well as the classics.
Follow Disorder on Instagram @disordermcr
Disorder will open at 78 – 88 High Street in Manchester’s Northern Quarter on 17th February.
