Local celebs tribal dance at the £500,000 Walrus & Tusk re-launch

Coronation Street stars Catherine Tyldesley, Tina O’Brien and Bruno Langley joined a host of Manchester’s glitterati to celebrate the half a million pound re-launch of two of the Northern Quarter’s favourite bars.

Walrus and Tusk, next door to each other on High Street and are both owned MAD LTD and opened their doors on Thursday night to unveil their stunning new look as well as showcase new food and drinks menus for the party revellers.

“It’s great
to see Walrus
and Tusk look
the best they
ever have.”

They were served pizza and sliders from the new menu, washed down with a selection of drinks including a special fruity cocktail. Entertainment included fire-eaters, a Beatles band in homage to Walrus, which is named after the classic psychedelic track ‘I Am the Walrus’, African musicians and tunes from legendary DJ Gareth Brooks.

The new food menu, which has been developed by the group’s award winning executive head chef, Chris Byron, focuses on good quality and affordability.

He said; “We’re well known for our excellent burgers and we wanted to keep the menu casual and relaxed in fitting with the bar’s atmosphere, so we’ve introduced lots of new dishes that are great for sharing. Customers can build their own boards or choose sliders, which is a selection of smaller sized burgers that are great for those who just can’t choose.”

A new pizza oven has also been introduced, and with 10 pizzas on the menu there’s no shortage of choice along with the option to create your own with a selection of extra toppings.

Build Your Own Boards are three for £9 or five for £15 and dishes include Roast Red Pepper Houmous, Honey & Mustard Glazed Chipolatas, Homemade Meatballs and Deep Fried Jalapeño Poppers.

Sliders are three for £7.95 or five for £12.95 and are all served in a Brioche bun. There’s a choice of six burgers including the Falafel with mint and garlic yogurt, Beef Burger with Monterey Jack, burger sauce and dill pickles and Hot Chicken, marinated in a homemade Peri Peri sauce. Add fries from just £1.00.

The Falafel (£7.95), Chicken (£9.95) and Beefburger (£8.95) are all available as main plates along with the Pulled Pork Burger (£9.25) and Fish & Fries (£10.25).

The drinks menus have been completely redesigned, with a brand new range of cocktails available in each venue. There’s also an increased back bar with over 50 premium spirits along with beers, ciders, ales, premium wines, prosecco and champagne.

Walrus has a great new range of classic mix-ups and fresh creations to complement the traditional tasters and house favourites. These include The Bohemian Mojito (£7.50) made with spiced rum and ginger, the Solero (£7.50) packed with vodka, passionfruit, vanilla and mango. Or try a Breakfast Martini (£8.00) – a bartender’s dream and made with gin, orange, lemon and zesty marmalade.

Tusk has an impressive range of animal-inspired concoctions straight from the Serengeti, made with their famous homemade infusions. The Leopard is a fiery mix of chilli infused rum, coconut and guava, The Black Rhino (£8.00) combines spiced honey and fig infused whiskey and The Albatross (£8.00) is a killer mix of salted caramel, orange and premium rum.

And it’s not just the new food and drinks menus that are impressive, there’s no expense spared with the new interiors, designed by Manchester based No Chintz.

Walrus has a sophisticated new look with a luxurious copper and wood theme running throughout. New leather booths, a spectacular back bar and fun, trippy branding inspired by the 60’s Beatles song ‘I am the Walrus’ completes the makeover.

Tusk has gone back to its African roots with natural woods, leathers and skins to create the atmosphere of a true African hunting lodge. It has funky new tribal graphics, which incorporate a stylish charcoal grey with copper, and graffiti art that runs through the basement area and up to Walrus, to connect both bars.

Operations Director Jonathan Hawkins says; ‘We have really gone to town on the new interiors for both Walrus and Tusk – taking them back to their roots, and ensuring the quality and finish is very high.

“Both Walrus and Tusk look amazing, we’re thrilled with the works and we hope that our customers will love the bars’ new looks as much as we do and will come and enjoy all our great drinks in these new, fabulous surroundings.”

Managing Director, Mark Andrew, adds; “We’ve got big plans for the group over the next 12 months, with two new sites in the Northern Quarter and more in other parts of the city. Walrus and Tusk are two of our first in the area, so it’s great to see them look the best they ever have.”

To be kept up to date with all the re-launch details see www.walrusmanchester.com or the Walrus Facebook Page.