Inside the new rooftop bar and restaurant with Southeast Asian cooking and breathtaking views of Manchester

Sam Grainger has travelled all across Southeast Asia. From Thailand and Vietnam, to Laos and Cambodia, and even further afield, these trips have informed a great deal of his life - and his cooking.

In Manchester and Liverpool, we know him as one of the chefs behind hit venues like Belzan and Madre, and now after years spent researching, travelling and trying a myriad of tantalising cuisines, he's finally been able to showcase some of the recipes and flavours from his travels. Following its launch in 2025, Treehouse Hotel Manchester on Deansgate has unveiled its latest chapter with its 14th floor drinking and dining destination. Those with a penchant for skyline views won't be disappointed. The latest addition includes two new food and beverage concepts, rooftop restaurant Sister Moon by Sam Grainger, alongside collaborators Luke Cowdrey and Justin Crawford, and signature bar The Nest, both boasting panoramic views across Manchester and beyond.

Opening at the same time, and the cherry on top of the cake, so to speak, is The Hideout, an intimate rooftop lounge and event space, designed for private gatherings and events, which sits just above Sister Moon and The Nest. Set on the 14th floor of the Treehouse Hotel, Sister Moon is the vibrant new rooftop restaurant celebrating the Southeast Asian cooking that Sam has come to love. The BBQ-focused concept centres on Thai dishes but with nods to the other destinations stamped in the chef's passport over the years too.

“It started about 15 or 16 years ago when I was travelling around Thailand and different parts of Asia," reflects Sam. "I got addicted to the food. Asian cooking and techniques tipped everything on its head for me, and I needed to understand the flavour conversations and how things are built."

“There’s a lot of influence from everywhere on this menu. I hate the word Pan-Asian, it’s not that, it’s Southeast Asian inspired.” Championing South East Asian flavours and cooking techniques, Sister Moon’s menu highlights include red prawn toast, red curry bisque; BBQ octopus, massaman curry; Singapore chilli crab and lobster baked noodles; and 1kg 80-day-aged beef ribeye with black garlic and pepper.

“It’s Southeast Asian BBQ leaning on using locally sourced ingredients where we can but using Asian techniques and cooking. A lot of the food you eat over here, people don’t make their own pastes as much, so we’re making all the pastes in-house - it’s very labour intensive. "But it really unearths how this food should be cooked, and completely awakens something and how the ingredients work."

Some of Sam's favourite dishes on the menu pay homage to the techniques and flavour combinations he's picked up along the way, and are designed to surprise, delight, and even challenge diner's perspectives. "The grilled red prawns are served with a green sauce - we call it a green sauce because it’s got a lot on ingredients, but it’s kind of like a salsa verde but using shrimp paste too, which you see a lot in this cooking. there's also green chilli, lots of lime zest, coriander and kefir lime leaf - it’s super vibrant and zesty. "Then one of my favourite dishes is the lamb jungle curry. It uses local Yorkshire lamb which is slow cooked for 18 hours, pulled and then we made a sauce, a sort of Northern Thai dish, it’s super spicy but really fresh and fragrant at the same time and uses peppercorn so it lingers for a longer time.

"We've got a chicken satay but not as you know it - we use buckwheat so the whole venue is nut free. It gives it a really earthy flavour. "Then the pork skewer is marinated in fish sauce, shrimp paste, coriander stems and coconut milk and then grilled and served with banana ketchup. “The prawn toast then uses these delicious red prawns which are a bit sweeter and delicate in flavour. We put some kefir lime, lemongrass and ginger and make a paste, plus brioche, but we use all the heads and shells to make a bisque to make a red curry paste.

“There's also the pork belly and grapefruit salad, this is kind of our take on a sour dish, as that’s huge in Southeast Asia. We made a sour and salty dressing from chillies and grapefruit tossed in some fried crispy pork, herbs, cavolo nero and pumpkin seeds." A big part of Southeast Asian cooking is about using every part of an ingredient and this is something that Sam has embodied in his cooking at Sister Moon too.

“It's utilising everything, there’s no waste. There was an intestines dish but that got shot down, but there will be specials dedicated to the weird and wonderful when I’m allowed. "However, there is a special dish. Singaporean chilli crab is one of my favourites and I was in Singapore last year and thought how do we do this. We can’t afford to do it like they do so we're doing a crab and lobster mix cooked out in the Singapore crab style, baked in a clay-pot and rice noodles, which is delicious."

“I’ve been on this project for five years now, I moved from Liverpool to do it. When I moved here I had Belzan and Madre at the Docks in Liverpool, and now everything else has happened in between. I love this city, I’ve been quite welcomed as a Scouser, and we've been doing amazing things in the city and we’re not going to stop." Just down the hallways is The Nest, a natural extension from the restaurant, with flickering lanterns, trailing greenery, and nature-inspired furniture and fittings. Both venues boast panoramic, floor-to-ceiling skyline views across the city and beyond, but music and cocktails will be at the heart of The Nest.

An agave-led cocktail menu layers tropical fruits, fresh herbs, spices and bright citrus. Drinks range from refreshing and delicate to rich and aromatic, alongside classics and an extensive selection of wine, Champagne and spirits. The Nest also has its own soundtrack, curated by Manchester legends Luke Cowdrey and Justin Crawford, aka The Unas. Guests can expect soul, disco, house, funk and plenty of late-night music-led evenings as we head in autumn.