When it comes to opening a new restaurant, there's one thing that chefs strive for: authenticity.
And whether it's Italian, Japanese or Spanish, most chefs believe the way to achieve this in their cooking is by spending time in the region.
Michael O'Hare isn't like most chefs.
He's opening what he calls a 'space-age Asian' restaurant in the National Football Museum and neither O'Hare nor head chef Luke Cockerill have ever set foot in Asia.
But they don't see that as a problem. And judging by O'Hare's astounding menu at the Michelin starred The Man Behind The Curtain in Leeds - which draws on Spanish and Asian flavours - they're probably right.
"I wasn't around in the 70s but I still enjoy the music of the Rolling Stones. I haven't been to Italy but I can still make spaghetti Bolognese – that's my job.
"If you look at Japanese culture, the guys spend 12 years boiling rice before they can slice a bit of sea bass. That's ridiculous. That's not how we work at all – there's no point in starting a business like that. The head chef's gonna be like 35 before he can cut a bit of fish.
"It would be worse if we'd actually been. If we went to Japan for two weeks and came back with all these ideas - what you're saying is, in those two weeks I think I've got what it takes to set up a restaurant based on that food.
"So we've got to do away with any traditions and just work entirely on familiar flavours."
O’Hare is working with ex-Manchester Utd footballers Gary Neville and Ryan Giggs on three restaurants in Manchester - The Man Who Fell To Earth, Are Friends Electric, and The Rabbit In The Moon.
So what can we expect from them?
Named after an Asian fable, The Rabbit In The Moon will be more laid back than his Leeds restaurant, with a minimal interior.
"I think the building is a fantastic piece of architecture, and I didn't want to take away from that. It can't be fluffy curtains and pillows – it's a glass box. So we mirrored it. There's so many mirrors in there – wall to wall mirror, pretty much. It's dark, dimly lit," says O'Hare.
"There's quite a strong hip hop feel to the soundtrack – because it is more laid back than The Man Behind The Curtain."
But there are similarities, as the space displays the same ad-hoc graffiti as his Leeds restaurant, some of which was done by his business partner Gary Neville.
Diners can expect a fast-paced tasting menu with no cutlery - except for the odd chopstick - with diners sitting for around an hour and a half to complete 17 courses.
As for the drinks, all of the spirits will be made in house, or at least to spec by a Manchester producer, explains O'Hare.
The bar will be separated by a glass wall and all the original recipe drinks - designed by Matt Wiley from Talented Mr Fox in London - will be pre-made each day, to ensure each one is up to O'Hare's standards.
"I don't want to hear a [cocktail] shaker – it's the most disgusting noise in the world. I don't want some barman looking down your top...the sleaziness of cocktail culture is gross," says O'Hare.
"All the emphasis is on how to make the perfect drink. No-one makes wine to order. So the idea is we'll be producing daily, but we'll do it in the way that we've got time, we can taste it, manage it to the micro-mil."
The other two restaurants will sit in The Stock Exchange on Norfolk Street - which will also include a boutique hotel.
The Man Who Fell To Earth will be a more formal affair, with an a la carte menu set in a grand Parisian ballroom-style restaurant.
The more relaxed of the two is Are Friends Electric, a rooftop restaurant which will feature a kitchen-style service, where diners can sit at the pass and watch chefs plate up.
"It's serving food that isn't refined, if that makes sense," O'Hare explains. "With this place, it's just what tastes mint."
With three restaurants on the horizon, and a Michelin star already under his belt, is O'Hare feeling the pressure to win a star for Manchester?
"I'm not a***d about that," says O'Hare. "It's not the goal, is it? it's about doing something different.
"I think it's nice to and it shows more thought, especially in a city like Manchester, which is craving a Michelin star so much...but yeah, I want three stars really," O'Hare adds with a grin.
The Rabbit In The Moon will open with a soft launch in December and a full launch in January. The other two restaurants are yet to be confirmed. Follow @urbisrabbit for more information.
