Sushi is now EVERYWHERE in Manchester. From grab-and-go takeaway offerings to cool street food-style spots in shipping containers to high-end restaurants that stand their ground on a global scale.
There’s so much sushi around I’m actually surprised Greggs don’t have a range yet.
So why should you go big, with a 14 course, £150 tasting menu? I’ll tell you why – because it really is the treat of a lifetime for any fresh fish fanatic.
Musu, despite its price tag, sits modestly on Bridge Street, just off Deansgate, its regal interior hidden from street view behind tasteful black drapes and a wooden panelled reception.
Once inside the body of the luxurious Manchester restaurant, the pristine wooden aesthetic continues, but whilst most of the restaurant (and incredibly well stocked bar) is dimly lit, the exposed open kitchen and sushi station shine like spotlights, showcasing the true star of the establishment – its chefs.
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I was lucky enough to take a seat for Musu’s Omakase menu.
Omakase translates to ‘I’ll leave it up to you’, demonstrating how the chef, who you’ll be sat in front of for two-three hours, is entirely in control of your dining experience. They’ve selected and constructed a menu based on which fish are in season, fresh, and their own refined preference. And if this meal is anything to go by, I’ll leave all my food choices to someone else forever.
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The day’s Omakase ingredients are presented to you before you eatThe Omakase experience involves sitting at Musu’s chef’s tableStandouts include Musu’s sashimi selection
First you’re shown all the produce that is going to make your meal, and how they were sourced and prepared. The tray of fish gleam like the jewels they are, in both taste and cost.
The 14 plates began with the only hot dish, Miso Soup. This of course is pimped out, with wagyu beef and shiitake mushroom adding to the rich saltiness. The wagyu is so tender it nearly melts into the soup and creates a rich sweet peppery flavour. It’s a strong start.
Next up begins a selection of sashimi. Sashimi is raw fish/shellfish, served only with fresh wasabi and a beautiful five-year-aged soy sauce containing rich sake.
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There isn’t anywhere to hide with sashimi and chef John doesn’t need to. Every dish looks like art, prepared in front of you – it’s amazing to see how expert cuts create exquisite plates. It’s like watching an artfully shot Netflix documentary, only for the TV to reach over and hand you the food after the credits.
Each of the six sashimi tastes so individual. The scallop from the Isle of Sky melts on the tongue, with a subtle salt taste. The four-day-aged Cornish seabass, paired perfectly with the rich soy, brings a sweetness to the fish. The Scottish salmon nearly swims down my throat, it’s so elegant and rich, whereas the Akami (bluefin tuna loin) packs a powerful and delicious fish flavour that you feel in the nose.
Musu’s head chef searing the Chu-toro in front of dinersThe white chocolate dessert at Musu in Manchester
Next came the 10 nigiri, fish served on a bed of rice. The craftsmanship and precision here is spectacular, with chef John pairing Hamchi with green chillies, allowing spice to burst out with a bite. Red Mullet is seared with a blowtorch and served with Yuzu zest to create tangy treat for the eyes and palette. The spectacle reaches its peak with the charcoal seared Chu-toro, the wooden burnt fish enriched by piney-smoky flavour. Finally the last nigiri is an A5 Wagyu beef, with autumnal truffle, a wild, earthy end to the nigiri.
I actually think ending on the Wagyu would be a perfect circle, meeting back to the start with the Miso Soup, but there’s one more fish dish before a sweet treat. It’s the Temaki, seaweed wrapped Tuna with Chu-toro, spring onion and sesame. It’s a big end to the fish dishes, the strong meaty tuna taste a perfect contrast to the fresh raw veg.
Finally the dessert, simple small and elegant salted white chocolate, served perfectly cold, with soya milk crisp, and almond dust providing a rough change in texture, and helping to stagger the sweetness. It’s a triumphant ending.
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The Omakase menu is not just a treat, it’s an education in how sushi can be masterfully executed, right here in the heart of landlocked Manchester.
‘Classy, clever, confident’ – New Manchester restaurant receives glowing Guardian review
Daisy Jackson
Winsome, one of the newest restaurants on Manchester’s dining scene, has gone and received a seriously glowing review in The Guardian this weekend.
Legendary restaurant criticGrace Dent said that the British bistro ‘may well be my new favourite restaurant’, lauding chef patron Shaun Moffat’s ‘elegant but plentiful modern cooking’.
She said that there’s even a teeny touch of Toby Carvery in their Sunday offering, with meaty and saucy dishes and ‘cartoon-esque XL yorkshire puddings’.
Winsome opened back in March under the steer of three hospitality heavyweights – ex-Edinburgh Castle chef Shaun Moffat, former Schofields head bartender Tom Fastiggi, and Belzan founder Owain Williams.
It’s a beautiful, stripped-back space at the foot of the Whitworth Locke aparthotel and Moffat’s first venture as a chef patron.
Based on this Guardian review, he’s doing a pretty good job so far…
Grace Dent said of Winsome’s nostalgic yet modern menu (featuring dippy eggs and puddings that sound like school dinner puds): “This is Cool Britannia wearing a napkin bib with a side portion of rhubarb jelly and custard for pudding.”
Novelty crockery at Winsome. Credit: The Manc GroupChef patron Shaun Moffat at Winsome. Credit: The Manc GroupDippy egg and asparagus. Credit: The Manc GroupInside WInsome on Princess Street. Credit: The Manc Group
She also wrote that it’s ‘far from a novelty restaurant’ in spite of its animal-shaped crockery.
And Dent added that while there’s an element of fine dining, it’s unpretentious enough that you’re happy to smear it all over the tablecloths and, indeed, yourself.
‘Deeply nostalgic’, ‘forward-thinking fine dining without any of the faff’, is how she described her Winsome experience.
“This is confident, clever cooking that stays just the right side of earnest, or at least as earnest as a chef can be when he also serves up a dessert that is essentially a 1980s school sponge pudding with a scoop of milk ice-cream flecked with multicoloured sprinkles, or hundreds and thousands as they will for ever be known in my heart,” she wrote.
Grace Dent’s Guardian review concluded with: “Winsome may well be my new favourite restaurant, and it’s the new, big, generous beating heart of Manchester hospitality. It’s classy but come-all – bring your gran, bring your baby, no one need feel conspicuous.
“There’s something about the place that makes me want to use it as a canteen, not least out of sheer curiosity as to what Moffat will put on the menu next. Great cooking, and forward-thinking fine dining without any of the faff.
“Bring your appetite and don’t wear pale colours. Aaah, Manchester, you have so much to answer for. Winsome will seriously impact your waistline.”
Winsome said in a post on Instagram: “It doesn’t get much better than that! We’re over the moon, full of pride and could not be more grateful to the team who’ve worked so hard to help us deliver this dream.”
Hidden Manchester bar Mala to offer unique ‘movie night’ experiences inside private cabins
Thomas Melia
You can have your own private film experience inside little wooden cabins at a popular Northern Quarter bar this summer.
Manchester city centre secret garden spot Mala is hosting an event where you and your friends can enjoy a private movie night with food, themed drinks, and bucket loads of free popcorn.
Listed as the ‘Cabin Movie Night’, get ready to sit back, relax and watch a cult classic, all from the comfort of your own personal wooden hut.
The film you’ll be watching is very on-brand too, as it’s none other than none than ‘Labyrinth’.
This secret garden spot is hiding right in plain sight over on Dale Street in Manchester’s Northern Quarter, and as well as hosting events such as these, they’re also home to some top tier eateries too.
Currently El Jefe, Doodles, Wok Bros, Christakis, D&X Caribbean, and Gulf are all serving up some cross-continental delights for you to enjoy in this marvellous space.
Some mouth-watering scran from El Jefe.Wok Bros have some delicious noodle boxes. Credit: The Manc Group
The Cabin Movie Night’ is the perfect way to round up your friends and watch a classic with a cocktail in hand.
There’s a handful of group packages available too at an additional charge, ranging from £30 to £50, which includes themed cocktails for each guest in the booking, and the cost of the ticket.