Friday night @ Australasia

Friday was "date night" (can't express how much I cringe at that term), which was made significantly better as Australasia had invited me down to review their updated menu. Some people who read my blog (shout out to my dad) might remember when I was last invited to Australasia to review their Sunday menu, or when I took my mum (years ago) for afternoon tea to celebrate Mother's Day. We had a lush meal last time and I was really excited to go on a Friday night when everyone there would be celebrating the arrival of the weekend. 

This had the potential to be a lovely pic had I not been impatient to get to the table haha

When we arrived it was buzzing, really 'chatty' and upbeat, with lots of people looking ready to have a good night. I've said it before and I'll say it again, but the lighting in that place never fails to amaze me. I always forget that I'm underground thanks to the soft, golden glow and white wash walls. They'd also added mirrors since I'd last been, which helped bounce more light around. 

We started off with cocktails: a smokey old fashioned for James and the Australasian porn star martini for me. 

James always gets the smokey old fashioned and I really like it too so it was win win. My martini was gorge - Grey Goose, lychee liqueur, lemon, mango, vanilla, fresh passion fruit and a shot of sparkling Chardonnay (any Belinda Blinked fans out there will know how much excitement that brings!).

We opted to choose from the 'local' menu - (choosing small dishes to share) and our waiter recommended 3-4 dishes each - which is right up my street. I dislike it when you go for the sharing plates option and a waiter recommends a silly number like 2 each. 

So, safe in the knowledge that we had around 6 to 8 dishes to choose from, we got stuck in. 

Salmon sashimi (x6 pieces) was first on the list, it's got to be done. 

We also chose prawn nigiri (x4 pieces) and the Avocado, mango and broccoli Californian rolls (x4 pieces). 

Edamame beans with lashings of lime and salt accompanied this and made up the first part of the meal. 

I love wasabi, and even more so in Australasia when the waiter grates the fresh stuff right in front of you. Please note: I found it so much stronger than usual wasabi, and that's coming from someone who loves spice. There were a good couple of coughing / eye watering fits during this, much to my embarrassment. 

The way the salmon is served is pretty cool, and I was a big fan of the avocado Californian rolls - the floral detailing stamped on the rice made it look really pretty.

We'd also ordered a bottle of sauvignon blanc to go with the meal, and our waiter gave us some good advice on which bottle to have (this didn't feel pushy, it was the same price), but the flavours would compliment our choices better. Or something. Either way, it was lovely.

For our next round of small plates, we chose:

Prawn tempura (a classic), Yakatori chicken skewers and the best named dish... 'ANGRY PRAWNS'  (both from the Robata grill menu). We chose the latter on the name alone, although I did ask what they were, and they're in fact tiger prawns. We also almost ordered scallops sashimi but very quickly changed our minds when we remembered that they would be raw, so opted for the 'hand-dived scallops, cauliflower, carrot and ginger'. 

Let me start with the Angry Prawns. Oh my gosh. If you could only have one dish, make sure it's this one. I feel bad in saying that as all the plates we got were delicious, but these prawns were absolutely insane. Meaty, almost creamy, with a rich sauce, we could've eaten this dish three times over (it's £13.50 for three prawns so make every bite worth it). 

Next up, the chicken skewers. These were right up my street and the portion size was massive. To me, the marinade was almost like a satay, with a spicy but sweet dipping sauce. I really really enjoyed this dish and was pleasantly surprised with how big the skewers were. 

The scallops were lovely too. I have to be in the mood for scallops, and it's one of those food items that I can't really think about what I'm eating when I'm chewing it (anyone else?!), but the texture of these was lovely, not slimy or tough, but had a melt-like quality I've not experienced. The cauli / carrot / ginger puree was a really nice addition too.

We were stuffed. Which naturally meant one thing: dessert menu. 

James was really keen for the Chocolate Dome (it's amazing), and we'd had it last time so you know, needed to try it again, just to be sure we liked it. It comes with molten caramel sauce that they pour over a chocolate dome, it melts and reveals salted caramel icecream and peanuts. YEP. It's actually divine. We demolished it, and also ordered another scoop of icecream to go with it. 

A POOL OF SALTED CARAMEL AND PEANUT SAUCE. Caps lock needed.

Our serving staff were so friendly, offering helpful advice on what to get and generally looking after us to make sure we were having a good time. Looking around as well, the staff are all so busy but calm, there's a real emphasis on making sure people have a relaxed, amazing experience. 

We never once felt rushed or that the waiters were hurrying us up, and so after we'd been chilling out in a dome coma and they asked if we wanted anything else, espresso martinis seemed like a great idea. 

Going on a Friday night was the perfect way to start the weekend (we ended up 'out out' so Saturday morning was a struggle), and I really couldn't recommend it any more if you're looking for a Friday night treat. Also, the playlist was fab - so many Jessie Ware remixes and just generally 'my type' of chilled music.

It's really funny reading this alongside my last review - I'm clearly still a huge fan!

Naturally, I'm reviewing this place and so wouldn't be posting unless I'd had a good time - I'd like to say though that not many of the staff knew we were reviewing and they were so polite and friendly. 

Australasia remains to be a classic favourite of mine on the 'Manchester scene', and I'm so glad that eighteen months on I'm able to give it as glowing a review as I did then. I've been back in between the two reviews for drinks etc and will no doubt be drinking espresso martinis there again soon... 

Sushi @ Sapporo Teppanyaki

You’ll find Sapporo Teppanyaki just down the road from Beetham Tower on Liverpool Road, not far after the MOSI.

I’ve eaten there before and would highly recommend the “experiential” restaurant to anyone. If you haven’t been before, or aren’t sure of the context, the premise is that you sit around a large square open kitchen, and the chefs chop and fry and season and sizzle your food right in front of you. The flames are explosive and the atmosphere is lively and really, really fun. It’s the perfect place to go with a big group of people for a birthday / leaving do (but maybe that’s because that’s the only capacity I’d visited it in, until last week…)

But if you don’t fancy catching potato pieces tossed to you by the chef, don’t panic! Last week, I was invited to try their summer cocktail and sushi menu. This suited me perfectly; I’d eaten out all weekend and have a few more meals out planned this week (it’s a tough life), so to try something light and semi-healthy was a winner.

First up, we were taken to the lounge, which I’d previously thought was just an area for drinks. It was a lovely, light part of the restaurant, and the back wall is all floor to ceiling glass. James Bay was playing in Castlefield Bowl behind us, so we pretty much got free seats to the gig! The only thing about sitting here was that you did slightly lose the upbeat vibe from the open grill, but actually, it was nice to be able to watch the madness from afar!

We kicked off with cocktails; I went for the Vanilla & Lychee Martini and James chose a Suntory Old Fashioned. His cocktail literally couldn’t have been better suited to him - oaky, tart and strong, it was exactly what he’d go for in a cocktail (i.e. it wasn't overtly girly with a floral garnish): whiskey with Cointreau, aloe vera, agave and orange. My martini (lychee, Cointreau, vanilla vodka with lemon and cherry) was great. Citrusy and a little bit sweet, I’d recommend this one to start your night.

Now, sushi is the type of food I always worry about when ordering, for fear of there not being enough. I don’t know if you’re like me but I always worry that I’ll still be hungry, and usually panic order loads. I always seem to forget that it’s *really* filling. With that in mind, we ordered…

• Special Sapporo Sushi (nigiri, maki, California rolls and sashimi)
• Chef's selection of Sashimi (tuna, salmon and sea bass with pickled ginger, wasabi and soy sauce)
• Edamame beans
• Duck rolls
• ...and barbecue spare ribs, because James loves them

I’m not a huge fan of ribs and granted it didn’t really go with the raw fish kind of vibe, but in fairness, I tried two and they were very meaty and the sauce was lovely, not slimy and fatty like I usually assume.

Needless to say, they weren’t the most photogenic of dishes, so I didn’t spend much time trying to get the perfect shot of these…

My favourites from the Special Sushi platter have to be the salmon nigiri (a classic but a goodie) and the California rolls.

The portions with the sashimi were very generous; huge hunks of salmon, tuna and seabass served with pickled ginger, wasabi and soy sauce. It was delicious. Cold, fresh and packed an absolute punch in taste sensations with a big hit of wasabi.

The duck rolls (duck breast wrapped in a pancake with mixed veg served with a raspberry coulis), were good, but really not what I was expecting. I was expecting what I traditionally assume duck pancakes are in an Asian restaurant - a light pancake with shredded meat. The pancake here was quite thick. The meat was lovely, but the raspberry coulis and thick pancake didn’t quite do it for me this time around.

The edamame beans deserve a shout out of their own because there were so many of them! Thick rock salt was crumbled atop the mountain of beans, making them a delicious interlude between fish dishes. I find it so satisfying popping the beans out of the shell!

What do you do when you're absolutely stuffed with sushi? Order another cocktail and have a look at the dessert menu, of course!

This time, I went for a Japanese Slipper (Midori, Cointreau and lemon juice), and James opted for an espresso martini. Mine literally tasted of holiday, but in a non-sickly sweet way. It was lush!

We definitely didn’t need dessert, but I saw the word ‘legendary’ on the description of the chocolate spring rolls, so we ordered that.. (legendary milk and white chocolate spring rolls served with homemade vanilla icecream) - Ooops!

Getting the fruit in focus to make it look healthy...ish

This was great. The chocolate oozed out from the crispy shell once we'd cracked it open, and ran all over the icecream, which we gladly mopped up. It was well worth it!

I was really impressed with the food, in particular the sashimi and California rolls, and I'd go back in a heartbeat. Thanks for having me, Sapporo Teppanyaki!

Sapporo Teppanyaki kindly paid for my food and drinks but as ever, all opinions are my own - you should definitely go here for dinner :)