Australasia - Season 2 Episode 4

Date: 22nd October 2013

Wagwan Nurbites!

Website: http://www.australasia.uk.com/

Apologies for being away for so long! Been very, very busy. From getting married in Chicago (via an incredible stag in Vegas) to hanging in Miami, and honey-mooning in Jamaica, I have for sure been well fed! The food on my trips has been incredible! But nothing is better than being back home to Mad-chester, the home of the Rolls Royce, the center of the universe. Manchester is the greatest place this earth has seen. Well not quite, but it is home!


Having dined at several great restaurants in Manchester recently, I thought I'd come back with a bang with a place many have heard about in Manchester. Australasia oozes class from their Louvre style stairway entry to the high tech DJ playing with what it seems a 40 inch iPad! We were sat in a booth which was excellent for privacy, giving the place the slight edge if you prefer the more intimate vibe.

The menu had 3-4 sections, sushi, smaller plates and bigger plates. The waiter liked to talk about waves, bringing the meal in 2 or 3 parts but we wanted it all to come together. We treated the restaurant like an Asian tapas bar and so we all ordered 3 dishes each planning to share everything. This was nice as it gave us like ten different small dishes to try. The drinks menu actually came on an iPad which was cool to browse through.

Before the food came, the waiter came over with a fresh piece of wasabi and grated a portion of it on our table. Never seen this from a restaurant so was a nice touch (although seemed like a lot of effort from his part!). When the food came out, just about fitting on our table, the first thing we noticed was presentation. It was impeccable! Everything looking delicious. I would show you pictures but I don't like to give away too much spoilers for you and ruin the experience.

From what I tried, the sushi was great, but for the price not spectacular. The beef skewers stuck out to me as a gem, very flavoursome. The squid tempura, and the prawn and wasabi mix were pretty average. The dish I had heard about most was the expensive black cod. We ordered two of them as it was something everyone wanted to try. It was great, but I'm not sure if it warrants the fame it gets. Sure it is quite different, something you would not have tried elsewhere, but for me it was not the 'melts in your mouth' experience.

Now onto dessert. Fans have probably realised I don't really have a sweet tooth, and due to my lack of passion for the sweet dishes I tend to shy away from talking too much about them. It was due to the also hyped Mango soufflé with coconut ice-cream and mango soup, that I left a little space for this. When the soufflé smothered in the 'mango soup' and the ice cream touched my lips, this was the highlight of my meal...possibly my week. It was just delightful. The explosion of flavours in my mouth, the textures complementing each other ever so perfectly. This was the elite of desserts.

The restaurant decor is very impressive, and is a must if you just want to hang out, or impress someone. I was a tad disappointed with the food, however I did give it incredibly high expectations. The dessert though made me leave the place on a high, and may be the thing that forces me to return again.

8 out of 10 rating.

Kyotoya - Season 2 Episode 1

Date: Friday 18th January 2013

Address: 28 Copson Street, Withington, Manchester, M20 3HB, 0161 445 2555

I'm back!

After taking a much needed sabbatical (from blogging) I think my experiences from the past year have broadened my knowledge in the fine dining. From the burgers of America, the street food of Kenya, and the Peking Duck of China, I do consider myself as a more well rounded diner than previous. So my first review on my return, I thought it would make sense to try this great little Japanese restaurant in Withington, as my taste buds have so recently tasted the fantastic eateries Japan had to offer. I actually came across this little gem as Trip Adviser rates them as one of the highest rated restaurants in Manchester.

It is probably unfair for me to compare this place with the food I had in Japan, so I will try and judge this place as a Japanese restaurant in England.

The actual restaurant is very small, it could only fit around 15-20 people, but to be honest it kind of added to the cramped Tokyo feel. It's a low budget restaurant so the decor was not extravagant, however it had true Japanese charm. The staff were all friendly and welcoming, not as much as the Japanese were in Japan but still very nice. In Japan, on entry the staff all yell to you 'irasshaimase' (sounds like 'wasa wasa' when they say it fast) even when busy, which means welcome, but unfortunately they did not here.

The menu tried to incorporate a lot of different Japanese dining, from gyoza (dumplings) to Ramen (noodles) to a range of sushi dishes. I really had a hankering for sushi so this was the majority of my order. On the menu, if you are an inexperienced sushi taster then you could order set platters however it wasn't clear what was included in the sushi platter. I personally went with ordering individually however you could only order it in a set of six unfortunately, stopping you from ordering more variety.

I personally thought the sushi variety was quite thin, but then again I think I'm judging harshly from the huge variety of sushi I had in Japan. They also had sashimi, which is literally sliced raw fish by itself, but I knew I wasn't a fan from previous experiences. It's a first I've seen sashimi in Manchester.

Between the two of us, we ordered five plates of 6 pieces. One plate of gyoza, three plates of nigiri sushi (sliced fish on rice) and one plate of maki sushi (rolled sushi). The chicken gyoza was pretty good. Not as crispy as I like but still as juicy. If you like your Chinese dumplings then I think these will be the dish of choice for you. Gyoza is my personal preference over the Chinese dish.

The maki sushi we ordered was the prawn tempura (cooked rather than raw). Maki isn't that popular in Japan, unless the rice rolls fish eggs, so I didn't have it much over there. Even though this is a western touch on a Japanese dish, it was delicious. The warm prawns in the rolled rice blended really well.

The nigiri sushi was just great. We ordered all the available fish options, so the smoked salmon, prawns, and tuna sushi. Wasn't too much a fan of the smoked salmon, wishing I ordered the normal salmon. The prawn nigiri however was gorgeously sweet and tender. The tuna was my favourite though, with the fish so succulent. Watch out though, you may get a piece with a tad too much wasabi so make sure you have a glass of water just in case. The sushi in my opinion is the best I have had in Manchester, if not outside Japan, so for certain I will be back.

The bill came back at under £30 which in my opinion is great for what we ordered. The best thing about this place is there were still a range of dishes I still need to try, from the Ramen to the cooked sea-bass. Also if the restaurant is full, or you just rather eat in the comfort of your own home, they do have a take away option, which is the first I have seen for a Japanese restaurant. For sure I'll be back, if not for the sushi then to try one of their other great looking dishes.

8.5 out of 10 rating.

Damson

Date: Wednesday 22nd February

Website Link

This is possibly the best restaurant I have ever been to.

Big claim I know, but this is most definitely a deserving one. This place is in a league of their own in terms of fine dining, everything was to perfection.

Located in my local village Heaton Moor (represent) this hidden British restaurant is snugly neighbored by a DVD store and a Fish and Chippy. So although the dining is high class, there was definitely no hint of snobbishness. The staff was very friendly, and what seemed like the owners, were very welcoming. I absolutely loved the decor inside. Largely using wine bottles to give the place character, the place oozed class. This place would be perfect for a candle light dinner with that special one, or to have an upmarket business dinner to impress a client.

We were given a A La Carte menu in a very posh binder, and also a separate set menu costing a reasonable £14.95 for two dishes or £17.95 for three. I personally could not resist some of the dishes from the A La Carte menu upping the price of my meal, but I was fine with that. Although the menu seemed a little limited, it seemed have classic favourites for all taste buds, from delicious sea-bass to a succulent sirloin steak. It also has fat chips as a side for ones that don't like to experiment. Also, attention cheese lovers, I saw a neighboring table order a selection of 10-15 different cheeses. The waiter brought all the blocks of cheese available over letting you choose which you fancy (if not all) and slices a piece for you to try. It looked like a very interesting thing to try one time.

They begin your meal with complementary home made bread accompanied by cubes of butter. They can also bring balsamic vinegar with the bread on request. For starter I went with the crab and parsley risotto, which simply said, melted in my mouth. At first glance, it looked interesting, with the risotto topped with a foamy broth, but it was simply fantastic.

For main I went with the shoulder of lamb (not on the online menu) accompanied with the saute potatoes with parsley and garlic. It was just wow. It was the best lamb I have ever had (sorry Mum). The lamb was unbelievably soft, with an amazing flavour. The potatoes were also great, coming uniquely sliced in a square, sandwiched a beautiful garlic sauce.

I also tried the salmon accompanied by fresh mussels, which was part of the set menu. The salmon was good, the mussels were simply spectacular. They were nicely soft and tasted wonderful.

The portions of everything were very generous. We were all very full after the two dishes, however we couldn't resist getting a dessert to complete our meal. I went for the chocolate and orange cheesecake. It was amazing. It possibly could have surpassed the cheesecake I had in Chicago. It had a scrumptious chocolate orange flavour, with both orange and chocolate sauce flowing out perfecting the taste, and honestly topping off my meal.

As you can see, I cannot recommend this place more highly. It makes me proud that this is in the village I grew up in, and hopefully encourages other places to follow this marvelous eatery. The only reason I cannot give this (or any restaurant) a ten is because I refuse to think my dining experience has peaked. So now it seems the Dining Gods have given me an important task, to hunt for a place to surpass this fine dining in Manchester.

9.5 out of 10 rating.

110 Restaurant

Date: Thursday February 9th 2012

Website Link

Menu Link

For once this was a planned meal, where we wanted to take advantage of our Hi-Life Dining Card (2 for 1). So after assessing the list of restaurants on offer I came across this peach. The interesting thing about this restaurant is that it is inside Circus Casino. For people not familiar with this casino it is the one on the end of Oxford Road, by Palace Theater.

This place is not advertised well. Even walking past the place, it is clearly a casino, however there is little reference to the dining part. To be honest, unless I was a massive gambler, I probably would not have found this place if it was not for the Hi-Life Card.

On entry, they do want you to become a member, however they are lenient if you are over 21. Me being exactly 21, they did want me to become a member, however I actually signed up in 2009, which I completely forgot about.

Okay now onto the restaurant. Before I start I must say that one of our waitresses was a moody old cow, which slightly tarnished our experience. She just gave us the odd dirty look and had a grumpy aura about her. Seating wise, I really enjoyed my experience. It was quiet, relaxing, and had a nice view of the whole casino, giving it a pleasantly different vibe. They also had a glass kitchen giving us a view of the chefs at work. On observing them, it seemed that they worked very bloody hard, always on the go, trying to make sure that their food is a success. I think as they know they are on view, it probably gives the chefs a little added pressure to perform.

The menu was one of the main reasons I chose this restaurant, with very eye-brows raising dishes. The menu enjoys elaborate fruit fusions into the dishes and attempts to be unique. For example one of the starters includes king scallops with fresh strawberries and aged balsamic (which I'm gutted I did not choose). I for myself ordered the white crab meat with ripe mango and avocado salsa. This was my mistake, because it came out as more of a cold salad dish, but I was definitely feeling a hot dish at the time, however looking back at how the menu describes it, I should have known it was a cold dish. My companion ordered the pasta of the week for his starter which I had a try. It was spectacular. From the reactions of my other friends trying their starters too I can predict that most the early dishes will definitely please you.

For main I went for the lamb tagine, apricot and chickpeas couscous. I asked for the lamb to be pink. It was marvelous. The lamb was deliciously tender and flavoursome and was perfectly accompanied by the couscous. There is also a selection of other mains such as a duck dish with plum and cherry dressing, and various steaks. I also had a fair share of the duck dish, which I also loved. The problem with duck at other restaurants is that is soaked in a sticky sauce which would be high in flavour. This was perfect though. Cooked and seasoned the way I like it, and lightly accompanied with the yummy, distinguished sauce. We also ordered sweet potato mash sides which tasted like it was home made, and some hand cut chips, which  was one of the best I have had.

For once, due to the fantastic food, I also ordered dessert. I got the fresh strawberries with hazelnut shortbread and minted cream. I liked it. I wouldn't absolutely rave about it but it tickled my taste-buds and topped off my meal as a delightful experience. Apparently the orange and dates sticky toffee pudding was amazing though, so maybe try that next time.

If you don't have a Hi-Life card they still have a very good offer of two dishes for £14.95, or three dishes for £19.95, which for what you get is definitely a bargain. You also receive a free £5 gaming chip to have a play at the casino after.

In conclusions, ignoring the bitchy waitress (although food did come at perfect timing and dining etiquette was in order), I cannot promote this place even more. Food was amazing. Atmosphere was so cool. They really need to be promoting this place even more. If you want great food with a James Bond feel to it, definitely give this place a try.

8.5 out of 10 rating

Mughli

Date: Wednesday 1st February 2012

Located on the famous Curry Mile, and rated as the best Indian on the road, possibly in Manchester. I personally feel this place has football's Scott Parker syndrome, decent but over-rated. It definitely is not the best place I have been to, far from it. But I thought it was pretty good and would probably make another visit ahead of most of the places on Curry Mile.

The place sticks out on the tacky neon lighted road as it looks classy. It has a Mughal themed look and sitting inside is definitely a different experience to other restaurants. There was clearly a heavy investment made for things like decoration, uniform, cutlery etc. One thing I liked was the cup they served lassis and cocktails in; it was a copper like mug which was pretty cool to drink from. One thing I disliked was that I was really cold inside the restaurant, which definitely decreased my enjoyment. Also I thought the music was way too loud, making it difficult to converse with my friends.

Poppadoms and chutney were not complementary, to our disappointment. I didn't mind too much to pay but the poppadoms arrived burnt so had to be replaced. The restaurant had an original chutney which I had not tried before at other Indian restaurants. It was a red tamarind sauce which was sweet and spicy; leading me to make this my chutney of choice ahead of the classic mango chutney.

The menu wasn't too interesting, having recognized most the dishes from other Indian restaurants. However unlike some places, it was very easy to choose, as each dish had a detailed English description of what to expect. You were also allowed to be flexible, letting you choose different fillings with your choice of sauce. I went with the lamb tikka sizzler dish, with my friends going for the kahari masala fish and the saag paneer.

We ordered naan and rice to accompany our dishes. I was disappointed when the naan came out. This is me being picky, but I rather like when the full naan comes out fresh on a stand, or a basket, looking appetisingly buttered up. However here the naan was sliced into quarters on what looked like a receipt stabber. One thing that also annoyed me is that the waiter seemed to be washing the table after we were done with the poppadoms, which he also did again when the other two were done eating but I had yet to finish.

Now onto the food. Admittedly I thought it was very good. The lamb came on a sizzling hot plate. The meat was very tender and spiced to perfection. The portion was very good. The saag paneer was very tasty, however I thought it could do with more paneer pieces inside. The best dish was definitely the kahari fish. It was excellent. The fish was juicy, and the kahari flavour had a hint of sweetness making the dish marvelous.

In conclusion, although this experience was slightly tarnished by a group of loud university lads clearly on the lash, with a few improvements I think this place has potential. This was far away from the perfect meal, but I do think if they work on a few things like restaurant etiquette and making the customer comfortable, you could come away with an enjoyable evening.

7.5 out of 10 review.

La Casona

Date: Thursday 26th January


After hearing positive feedback about a Tapas restaurant/ bar down my road (Heaton Moor), I thought this would be a good place to be next on my hit list. It is a nice little family run restaurant which was exactly what I was in the mood for.


On entering the Spanish gentleman welcomed and escorted us to a table, giving us the menus. The place was small, but had a decent amount of seating, and decorated simply but elegant. When we arrived the restaurant was pretty quiet, but we have heard that on prime nights it can fill up pretty quickly.

The two sided menu was categorized with Tapas dishes on one side, organized by vegetables, meat and fish. The other side was a classic A La Carta menu with sides and mains. We decided to get a selection of tapas, seeing as we fancied tapas. We were also served some homemade bread which came with a tasty garlic mayonnaise dipping sauce. The main entre selection was impressive as well, and next time I try this place I may be tempted to get a main dish, like a steak, or some type of sea food dish.


The waiter advised us to order six tapas dishes with bread, between the two of us. This ended up being too much food for us, however it would comfortably feed a party of three. When the food came, I was so impressed. The beef strips were nice and tender with a wonderful pepper corn taste. The lamb meatballs gave an explosion of delicious flavour into my mouth.And the seafood selection cooked in egg batter was delicious; with the calamari (fried squid) being the best I've ever had, including when having it abroad. All the dishes we ordered pleased our palates, except for the seafood dumplings, which were too flavorless for my liking. 


We had a Hi-Life Diners Club card, giving us 50% discount off the menu, making the meal very cheap. Even without this card though the prices are still reasonable, however the very nice waiter said he was not going to stamp off the card, meaning we can use this offer again next time.


This place left a very positive impression on myself, making me leave a generous tip on departure. I am really chuffed that this gem is just walking distance from my house and will surely be using this place to entertain guests or to give myself a deserved treat after a hard days work.


8.5 out of 10 rating.

Drink Tea, Eat Cake

I came here a few weeks ago, as I was sick of the commercial 'Starbucks-esque' Cafe's and wanted somewhere new where I could kick back and relax with a brew. Also the fact that I am dominantly a tea rather than coffee drinker made this place stick out for me.

It is located next door to the Krispy Kremes by Piccadilly Bus Station. So a good location for anyone using public transport to get into Town Center. On entering the cafe it is very unique. Light colours easy on the eye, the counter on entry with fabulous looking home made cakes and brownies on display. What stuck out the most though were the booths. They were in a cute looking wooden huts, similar to the stores of the yearly German Market.

The menu was quite big, considering it was dominated by tea and cake. They offered all kinds of varieties of tea, from the Indian Chai, to the classic Earl Grey. We decided to ask for assistance who recommended the home brewed tea for two. For cake, he invited us up back to the counter and let us pick out the most desirable.

The tea came in a classic English style, with traditional teapots and teacups. In fact the teapot could have served four, a very generous amount for just two people. The brownie we ordered was also very generous. so big we asked them to pack it to finish at home. I must say, the tea was an excellent cuppa. Went down very smoothly. The chocolate brownie is the main reason though to give this place a visit, it literally melted in my mouth. Spectacular!

Looking at the bill at the end I was amazed, I was expecting to spend that amount per person, and the fact we couldn't even finish our serving made the bill even better.

I must recommend this place as highly as possible. If you fancy a cheap hang out place with friends, this is your place. Drink Tea, Eat Cake has a great English atmosphere which would be a treat for anyone, especially for tourists wanting an English experience.


9 out of 10 rating