Pip at Treehouse Hotel

One thing is for sure - the Treehouse team certainly know how to design a restaurant. Staunchly glued to the theme, every inch of the space is overflowing with treehouse charm, with foliage cascading from the ceiling, and little nooks everywhere for private catch-ups. Moody lighting and a carefully curated mish-mash of furniture and glassware makes Pip feel a world away from Deansgate outside, as though you’ve tumbled down a rabbit hole into a little Carrollian wonderland.

It’s a lovely, soothing all-day space, with just the right amount of youthful exuberance. This is the canvas for Mary-Ellen McTague’s return to Manchester dining; at Pip she further explores thoroughly British ingredients and flavours, albeit whilst applying some inventive twists. Snacks start with extreme promise, thanks to plump Old Winchester cheese gougeres and chunky split pea chips with a punchy mushroom ketchup. The latter are somewhat akin to polenta chips, but with more lightness and crunch - a worthy upgrade in our minds.

Some later courses, admittedly, come out looking a bit higgledy-piggledy. We’re invited to stir a plate of smoked chalk stream trout with mustard cream and rhubarb ketchup together, and when we do, hesitantly, it looks like a bit of a mess, though the flavours come together nicely. The same is true of a roasted herb-fed chicken, which is nicely cooked but a little heavy on salt and not as elegant as it could be. By far one of the best dishes of the evening is one of the most traditional - a Lancashire hot pot of baked, crisp potato and beautiful braised hogget filling. It comes with an oyster’s worth of oyster ketchup - a nice idea in principle but the hot pot needs little elevating.

Desserts follow a similar theme, with a smart Eton Mess of poached rhubarb, rosewater and black pepper meringue, which offsets the sweetness with nice florality. All in all, there’s some really interesting cooking going on across Pip’s menus, and when the menu sticks to real classic comfort cooking, the results are excellent.

Situated inside the botanically-themed Treehouse Hotel, Pip is a beautiful restaurant led by chef Mary-Ellen McTague, who uses local and unconventional ingredients to create her sustainable menus. The all-day spot serves everything from breakfast and brunch through to lunch, dinner and a Sunday roast, with approachable kids' menus to boot. 

Pip is currently the only restaurant at the hotel on Deansgate, serving a menu that champions low waste cooking and seasonal ingredients. McTague has worked alongside Heston Blumenthal and launched three restaurants in the Manchester area – Aumbry, 4244 and The Creameries, as well as pandemic-era nonprofit Eat Well MCR.

The interiors champion a collection of natural materials and textures, from soft woods to leafy foliage and exposed brick walls. High ceilings create a space that feels bright and breezy, while textured lamps and coloured glassware inject the room with character. 

Lunch and dinner menus offer a range of small and large plates designed for sharing, from tasty snacks like cheese gougeres to hearty mains such as a crab and lobster thermidor pie with lemon hollandaise, grilled gem lettuce and chips. Further highlights include Carlingford oysters, home-smoked mackerel with mustard cream, and rib eye steak with bone marrow sauce. Desserts are just as seasonal, with the likes of a blackberry and apple trifle with lemon thyme syllabub. 

Pip also serves a Saturday brunch menu where you can tuck into the likes of smoked salmon on sourdough, all the way through to a Ploughman's lunch.

Wine pairings are designed to reflect the very best of small, boutique-produced and environmentally conscious and sustainable wines. As well as using local suppliers throughout the menu, McTague is also committed to working with regenerative farmers, which reduces carbon footprint and maximises the flavour of her ingredients. Another interesting element of Pip’s sustainability practices can be found on the cocktail list, where spent produce is repurposed into a range of creative tipples.