This autumn, one of London’s most high-end Asian restaurants will open its doors in Manchester.
Since opening in Mayfair seven years ago, Sexy Fish has made a name for itself as a glitzy celeb outpost that does glamourous dining to the max.
Here, theatre is very much the draw – so if you like a bit of flair with your dinner, we expect that come the autumn, Sexy Fish will be calling your name.
In its Mayfair restaurant, sushi is served on burnished silver sculptures and garnished with free-flowing waterfalls of dry ice, whilst whole lobsters are deep-fried in tempura batter with a smoked Marie Rose dipping sauce at £50 a pop.
It’s the sort of place where caviar sits at the top of the menu as a snack, with a choice of three styles no less – Siberian (£60), Oscietra (£115), and Beluga (£215) – where you can indulge in mandarin ponzu-drenched yellowtail sashimi (£19.60) and a crispy duck salad dressed with deep-pink, identikit cubes of watermelon (£24.10), all whilst staring at millions of pounds worth of bespoke artwork.
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Simply put, it’s pretty sexy. Sexy if you like to eat fish, and also sexy if you don’t.
The ceilings, the art, the lamb (a caramelised lamb rack with red kosho, anchovy, and herb features on the Manchester menu, and is well worth an order), and the truffled wagyu sushi, are just a handful of things that would pull us back here for a special occasion.
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And that’s before we even get really stuck into talking about the fish.
The impressive showstopping sushi and sashimi platter at Sexy Fish. / Image: The Manc Eats
Lobster tempura at Sexy Fish. / Image: The Manc Eats
Must-tries include a dish of caramelised black cod, which sits atop a smear of spicy miso and flakes apart at the merest hint of a fork, and the ultimate sexy fish showstopper – a mega sushi and sashimi platter with seemingly infinite rows of sashimi, maki, and nigiri.
Elsewhere, a fluffy cloud of waving bonito flakes sits on top of a troop of asparagus lined up straight as soldiers, whilst foie gras and truffle add a touch of the lascivious to the humble gyoza.
One of the most hotly anticipated openings of the year, when it lands in Manchester this autumn, the restaurant will take over the former Armani shop in Spinningfields – right above Manchester’s original sexy sushi spot, Australasia.
The team at Sexy Fish have purchased the second floor of the building, simply to knock it through and create and impressive double-heigh ceiling, and say that the Spinningfields’ site will be more akin to their Miami venture – full of bright colours, as well as spectacular artworks from international artist, Damien Hirst.
These will include three giant sculptures incorporating creatures from under the sea that have specially created for the space, iconic ‘Fish Lamps’ from world-famous designer and architect Frank Gehry, a beautiful Verde Esmerelda stone floor, and a series of bespoke glass columns created by master Venetian glassmakers on the island of Murano.
The dessert board at Sexy Fish features a whole cheesecake. / Image: The Manc Eats
Image: The Manc Eats
Sexy Fish Manchester will also feature a one-of-a-kind destination bar of glowing pink onyx and glass, set against a backdrop of a cascading waterfall, with its own laboratory on site where the bar team can create their various tinctures, shrubs, sprays, and distillates.
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From the autumn, Sexy Fish will be open for lunch and dinner, offering delectable a la carte options, Omakase tasting menus, and late-night dining options.
Devised by internationally renowned and acclaimed Chef Director, Bjoern Weissgerber, the menus will also include unique recipes exclusive to Manchester with four bespoke dishes and four cocktails inspired by the city.
The restaurant will house a large Champagne collection with a selection of the world’s top vintages from leading estates, and an excellent sake wine selection.
Image: The Manc Eats
Image: The Manc Eats
Guests will also be able to enjoy creations from the innovative Trinity Menu, a collection of award-winning cocktails from London and Miami, alongside four bespoke serves curated specifically for Sexy Fish Manchester.
These include the likes of Strawberry & Grapefruit, featuring Hibiki Harmony Japanese whisky, strawberry, grapefruit, black pepper, lemon and soda, and Tonic & Mango, created with Manchester’s own Thomas Dakin Gin, aromatic tonic water, mango, coconut, and pandan.
Sexy Fish Manchester will also feature a stunning private dining room, The Tropical Reef Room, with a picturesque aquarium filled with a magical cacophony of exotic fish. Its private dining room in Mayfair is currently home to one of the biggest coral reefs in Europe.
Sexy Fish will open its doors in Spinningfields on 12 October 2023.
Featured Image – The Manc Eats
Eats
Faulty Towers The Dining Experience is returning to Manchester next month
Daisy Jackson
One of the world’s silliest and most-loved experiences is returning to Manchester this year, offering people the chance to step inside the world of Fawlty Towers.
Faulty Towers The Dining Experience sees immersive theatre blend with a three-course dinner, bringing Britain’s most infamous hotel to life.
Fans of the hit 1970s comedy will enjoy two hours of mayhem led by Basil, Sybil and Manuel, all while tucking into a delicious era-appropriate meal.
Faulty Towers The Dining Experience has become an immersive dining phenomenon, scooping awards and selling out venues across the globe since launching almost 30 years ago.
In the years since, it’s welcomed more than one million guests, celebrated 13 years of its West End residency in London, and hosted celebrations for 50 years of the original BBC sitcom Fawlty Towers.
And now it’s Manchester’s turn, with the event returning to our city between 3 and 15 February.
Faulty Towers The Dining Experience is returning to ManchesterThe event is hosted by actors playing Basil, Sybil and ManuelAround 70% of the action is improvisedGuests are served a three-course 70s-inspired meal during the Faulty Towers experienceCredit: Rosie Powell
Faulty Towers The Dining Experience will be taking over the Voco hotel on Portland Street for a limited run, starring Aaron Millard as ‘Basil’, Rebecca Norris as ‘Sybil’, and Simon Hourihan as ‘Manuel’.
You can definitely expect two hours of theatre, chaos, and a 70s-inspired three-course meal, but with around 70% of the performances completely improvised, we can’t tell you much more than that…
Producer Jared Harford said: “It’s such a joy to be bringing Basil and the team back to Manchester. After such an incredible 2025 celebrating 50 years of Fawlty Towers, we can’t wait to continue sharing the laughter, chaos and community spirit that make this show so special.”
Faulty Towers The Dining Experience in Manchester:
Tuesday 3 February to Sunday 15 February
Tuesday to Saturday – doors open 6.45pm, seating and show starts 7.30pm
Saturday and Sunday – doors open 12.45pm, seating and show starts 1.30pm
Ticket prices, all including three-course meal and two hour immersive experience:
Tuesday to Thursday dinner, and Saturday or Sunday lunch – £67.50 pp (including fees) Friday or Saturday dinner £71.50 pp (including fees). Bookings can be made via the box office on (+44) 020 3700 3138 or online at www.faultytowersdining.com
We’ve found some of the best Chinese food in town – being served out of a snooker hall
Danny Jones
Yes, you heard us right: we’ve stumbled across one of our favourite new places for Chinese food just on the outskirts of Manchester city centre – it just so happens to be served out of a best-in-class snooker hall.
And that really is just the tip of the iceberg here.
Some of you may have heard about and/or seen it already, but we’ll admit we were a little late to the party when it comes to Club 200, a.k.a. the pool, snooker, darts, mahjong club and more, which has so many different things rolled into that it’s really more a Russian doll than a Chinese restaurant or sports venue.
The hook speaks for itself: a place where people spend just as much time practising with chopsticks as they do their cues, as it really isn’t a gimmick, as some pessimistic folk would have you think – the food is banging and so are the vibes in general.
Not only is this quite literally the best snooker club in Manchester – complete with everything from classic American billiards and Chinese 8-ball to king-size snooker tables that the Ronnie O’Sullivan has played and won on, to a special AI system you won’t find anywhere else – it is SO much more than that.
Whilst the backroom was packed with everyone from casuals to those looking to get their pro certification via the official Q Tour, and lads in the front were practising their arrows, as co-owner Simon admitted they get almost just as many darts regulars these days, a storm was cooking up in the kitchen.
It would be unfair to say this place doubles as a bar and restaurant, because we really couldn’t get over how well put together this menu was.
‘Café 200’s food offerings involve classics like fried rice and chow mein dishes, to the kind of sides you could expect from your local Chinese chippy, but it’s even more authentic exports that really impress.
For instance, the beef ho fun seemed to be a big hit with everyone; we loved the salty seafood udon as well (a great chew on those noodles), and we know plenty of people still searching for proper Hong Kong-style French toast – they might just find it here.
Speaking of the special administrative region, which has a twisting and turning but nevertheless rich culinary culture all of its own, that last dish had us hopping with joy.
You’re looking at baked Portuguese rice: a Macau speciality rooted in the region’s colonial history.
We’ve never quite had anything like it before, even in all of our years eating this kind of cuisine around the 10 boroughs, but we haven’t stopped thinking about it since.
And then there’s everything else they do, from karaoke and bingo nights to catering for birthdays and other functions, or even just serving as a cool, somewhat tucked-away spot to watch the footy and other live sport come the weekend.
You can tell this place has built up a real community over the last 18 months or so, and while the food speaks for itself, it’s the sheer abundance and variety going on that makes it especially charming to so many.
Speaking of jack-of-all-trade venues, we stumbled across a similar multi-talented one over in Salford not so long ago, too…
Georgina Pellant -
8th September 2023 
