Val Allen and husband John dine out on the contemporary Chinese cuisine and beautiful surroundings at a restaurant that delights all the senses.
Tattu, set in the heart of Manchester's Spinningfields, is the essence of a centuries-old cuisine combined with a holistic approach to the art of entertainment.
It's n experience that feeds all your senses and where eclectic design and good food come together in an opulent and sensuous atmosphere.
Tattu is also a place to people-watch, if you can take your eyes away from the beauty of the décor and the food. Jimmy Choos and designer clothes glided by our table, couples enjoyed the intimacy of dining booths, larger groups got together after work, and there were several family celebrations. All this, and it was only a Thursday evening.
The show commences with the presentation of two magnificent menus – one for cocktails and the other for the feast The two are intertwined. It is possible to drink beer and to choose simpler dishes and there were many people doing so and having a thoroughly enjoyable time, but we were here to explore the fabulous creations of Tom Southern, group operations chef who heads up the five sites of Tattu, located also in Birmingham, Leeds, Edinburgh and London. All the restaurants have very individual styles and presentations, but consistency is imperative.
A great deal of thought and research has gone into this fusion of the senses, and there is much evidence of collaboration across the entire operation.
Tom's original experience came in Jamie Oliver's various emporiums, but he has made a spectacular transition from Italian to Chinese contemporary cuisine, adding personal and delectable twists.
He describes it as a contemporary interpretation of traditional Chinese cuisine combining modern Asian fusion with detectable elements of Japanese, Szechuan, Cantonese and Thai. This is imaginative food but always with an emphasis on flavours working together and enhancing the luxurious ingredients showcased on the menu.
Will Meredith, the head of bars, devises the eclectic choice of cocktails across the group. His fusion of cultural influences results in some unique serves. I sampled the Cherry Blossom Negroni, a rosé martini giving it a beautiful pink glow under its canopy of cherry blossom, while the presentation of the Lucky Number 8 with its wisps of scented smoke was a promise of things to come.
The menu offers a choice of modern sharing menus, then subdivides the à la carte into sections such as Dim Sum, Small and Large Plates, Meat, Seafood, From the Wok, Rice, Noodles and Vegetables and finally Desserts. This can be a little daunting and I found it helpful and well worth my while to peruse the menus online before our visit.
We started with a half crispy duck presented with the breast sliced over the crispy bits underneath with Szechuan sauce, cucumber and spring onion with pancakes, which was quite simply the best we had ever tasted. We also ordered the sesame-roasted scallops with Chinese sausage, crushed edamame and mint. It was precisely as described. I love the taste of Chinese sausage and it perfectly complemented the sweetness of the scallops.
Our next dishes arrived with a flourish. Green pepper lobster with jalapeños and crispy shallots was a vivid and vibrant presentation of the king of crustaceans. The lobster itself was very simply cooked in a tempura batter, which took away the potential for juiciness but was still the most beautiful dish on the table. Then it was joined by the Japanese black wagyu displayed on a piping hot Himalayan-salt block. Artfully draped with enoki mushrooms and wafers of black sesame, this was truly delicious. The dipping sauce was so delectable I sneaked more than a spoonful while dunking the slices of steak. The rich, buttery flavour of wagyu was cut by the umami saltiness of the sauce and was, for me, the highlight of the meal.
The Tattu candy rice and the XO fried rice were a revelation We rounded off our main courses with a caramel soy aged beef fillet with shitake, ginger and asparagus. Beautiful, tender slices of fillet bathed in gentle heat and flavourings presented with vibrant asparagus – a fusion of tradition with freshness and flavour.
To accompany this we enjoyed a bottle of the house rosé, a modest but pleasant Pinot Grigio Rosé. A decent house wine is a measure of a restaurant (and the wine list offers many outstanding labels). But a perfectly acceptable house wine can keep the bill out of the stratosphere in these difficult times.
Then the desserts: mine an exquisite confection of cherry textures and flavours – a careful construction of dark chocolate bark and candy floss blossom atop a crumble of cherry, and several tart contrasts, with cherry variations including a touch of maraschino. John's recommended dessert was a riotous tumble of white chocolate embossed with an artistic band of colour wrapped around a creation of marshmallow fluff, honeycomb, peanut butter and fudge. My spoon crept surreptitiously towards it and excavated an enormous chunk without being discovered and oh, the bliss…
The dedicated team from the kitchen through to the front-of-house staff work harmoniously to deliver this great dining experience. Knowledgeable and able to answer the most difficult questions regarding the complexities of the food and drink on offer, our delightful waitress guided us faultlessly through our choices. None of this happens by chance and the overall impression is of the greatest attention to detail by the senior management team.
We rounded off the meal with the best mint tea I have tasted – and this having recently visited Morocco, the home of mint tea. What a wonderfully fragrant way to round off one of the most enticing and theatrical culinary journeys it has been our pleasure to experience.
Our dishes ranged from £34 for the crispy duck to £90 for the Japanese black wagyu beef. The Cherry Blossom Negroni was £14.75, the Lucky Number 8 was £13.75 and the Pinot Grigio Rosé £32 a bottle.
Desserts from £10 to £12.50. The mint tea was £4.
Tattu, 3 Hardman Square, Gartside Street, Manchester M3 3EB
0161 8192060 tattu.co.uk
