The thousands of hours it takes to perfect making some of the best sushi in Manchester
They say it takes 10,000 hours to master a skill but this bloke's probably gone well beyond that in his time — that's what makes MUSU’s omakase experience so good.
We’d wager if you took a survey of people on the street in Manchester and asked them what food they find most intimidating, a very big chunk of the answers would be sushi and raw fish.
But then again, most of them haven’t been to MUSU yet.
Listen, we get it, even tasting menus sometimes sound a touch upmarket and a bit out of their wheelhouse to some people, but this two AA Rosette-winning Japanese restaurant is helping make fine-dining and seafood experiences more accessible whilst delivering a truly unforgettable meal.
We recently had the pleasure of chatting with Head Sushi Chef André Aguiar after he served us MUSU’s ‘omakase’ tasting menu straight from the counter, which features some of the most amazing sushi, nigiri and all-round high-end produce we’ve ever come across. This guy knows his stuff.
Can you give us a brief overview of your background/journey as a chef?
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I started my career in Brazil which was my home country. I was in the army and met a captain who was passionate about Japanese cuisine. After he introduced me to the world of Japanese culture and cuisine, I knew that’s what I wanted to do.
I then opened a Japanese restaurant in 2010 in Brazil and stayed there for two years before selling the restaurant in order to move to Ireland in order to learn English.
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I met a Japanese master at Taste by Dylan McGrath in Dublin who wanted to retire and move back to Japan but the deal that he had with the owner of the restaurant was that he had to find a new head chef before he left so I started to train with him, he was very strict and it was really tough but I persevered for three years until I was ready to take over the head sushi chef position and was there for 4 years.
After Taste, I moved to Italy for 6 months to open a restaurant and train the staff then came back to Dublin in 2019 and continued to work there but then Covid hit and unfortunately they closed down due to the pandemic.
After the pandemic, I went to Portugal to open another restaurant and to train staff and when working there I was approached by the directors of MUSU who were on holiday there and were looking for a head sushi chef to join the team.
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After they tried my tasting menu at the restaurant in Portugal, they offered me the position immediately, so I moved to the UK the next month and I’ve been here ever since.
Amazing. What was it that drew you to MUSU and the ‘omakase’ concept specifically?
The fact I was able to build a team from the ground up, develop a menu from scratch and work with the finest ingredients in the world.
At the end of the day, that’s what every chef wants.
Simple as that. What about your favourite sushi creation?
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During the development of the menu at MUSU I was able to experiment with lots of different ingredients. While I can’t name one favourite creation the three stand-outs are the Chu-toro seared with Japanese charcoal; the carabinero prawn with miso butter and then the salmon with foie gras.
During development, I was able to create a selection of ‘Edomae’ nigiri that really pushes the boundaries of traditional Edo-style sushi — if you visit I’d recommend trying a few of them.
Yep, we can vouch for all three of those dishes. What advice would you give people new to sushi/seafood/tasting menus?
Most of the people who come here and say they are afraid to try raw fish or have usually had a bad experience with sushi due to low-quality ingredients. When they try it here, we always get asked why it is so different and why it is so good.
I always tell them the details behind the sushi we create including the ageing and curing process to improve flavour and texture as well as the rice quality, temperature and seasoning.
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We use the best ingredients in all of our sushi, including the best sushi rice, nori seaweed; A5 wagyū beef; aged soy, aged vinegar and the freshest wasabi on the market shipped directly from Japan.
I always recommend that people just be open-minded when it comes to trying new things. Sometimes people have one bad experience and never venture into it again, whereas when people are open to new textures and flavours they have the best experience.
Absolutely. And if you had to describe the omakase experience in three words what would they be?
Literally translating to, “I’ll leave the details up to you”, that’s how we’d sum up the whole omakase experience: you get to watch a craftsman carefully examining every minute detail as he builds some of the most incredible seafood courses we’ve ever had the pleasure of eating right in front of your eyes.
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Chef Andre is a master in every sense of the word and not only do you get to see his skills on show but his knowledge of the cuisine and pure passion come across as he explains each and every dish.
Every incredible ingredient is lovingly presented and you get to witness the clean, military-level precision and almost surgery-like operation unfold up close as the freshest of produce is turned into little plates of art. It’s quite fascinating to watch.
So if you’re guilty of being nervous try sushi and seafood in this kind of setting, there aren’t many better places to push the boat out and dip your toes in. Trust us, you won’t be disappointed — and better still, if you sign up for the MUSU Rewards scheme, you can get 30% off your food bill this March and even more throughout the year.
You can fly straight to paradise with direct flights from Manchester to Barbados
Daisy Jackson
Good news sun-seekers – Aer Lingus has relaunched its direct flights between Manchester and Barbados, so you could be swapping out commute for hammock in a heartbeat.
Aer Lingus will be jetting off straight to the tropical paradise of Barbados from Manchester between 1 November and 31 May, with three direct flights a week.
That’s along with all their routes to bucket list destinations like New York, Orlando, Las Vegas, and LA.
And the best bit is that you could take your Caribbean trip of a lifetime from just £389 return until 31 May 2025 (T&Cs apply).
These super-affordable direct flights head straight to Bridgetown, the colourful capital of Barbados.
From there, you have the trip of a lifetime at your fingertips – whether you want to feast on Bajan cuisine, explore the colonial towns, or just relax on white-sand, world-class beaches.
You can explore sugarcane fields and visit wonders like Harrison’s Cave, where electric tram tours whisk passengers through an amazing natural cave with waterfalls, deep emerald pools, and thousands of stalactites and stalagmites.
There’s a 1000-year-old Baobab tree you can see, green monkeys to spot at the Barbados Wildlife Reserve, and culinary tours of the island you can take.
You can fly direct from Manchester to Barbados with Aer Lingus. Credit: Unsplash, Tom Jur
Some of the best bits of Barbados lie just off its coast, and there are loads of boat trips you can book, where you can snorkel in the island’s beautiful waters.
And the best time to head out to Barbados is when the weather is coldest back home – the island country is beautifully balmy and dry during the UK’s autumn, winter and spring.
Whatever your perfect winter escape looks like, Aer Lingus can get you there – plus, with the friendliest cabin crew in the skies, there’s more than one reason to book your trip with the airline.
Aer Lingus flights guarantee properly comfortable seats, in-flight entertainment, and meals on board, so your flight will quite literally fly by (but you might not want it to end).
Or to start your bucket list trip off in the best way possible, there are business class flights to Barbados, with fully lie-flat seats, delicious seasonal meals, free WiFi, and so much more.
You can book your flight from Manchester to Barbados with Aer Lingus HERE.
Everything you need to know about Manchester Art Fair 2024
Emily Sergeant
Manchester Art Fair is returning to our city centre once again next month, and there’s so much to look forward to.
Founded back in 2008, and going on to become one of the largest and most significant art fairs in the UK, Manchester Art Fair has cemented itself among the most celebrated cultural events inGreater Manchester‘s annual social calendar.
It’s known and loved for bringing together a wide range of artists, galleries and artist studios along with a full programme of talks and art classes.
This year’sfair will feature more new names than ever before – with over a third of all exhibitors making their inaugural appearance.
Here’s everything you need to know about Manchester Art Fair 2024.
When and where is this year’s event?
Manchester Art Fair 2024 is taking over Manchester Central in the heart of the city centre.
Set to transform the large venue into a vibrant gallery space, the highly-anticipated event will first open on Saturday 16 and Sunday 17 November.
Manchester Art Fair is making a grand return to the city centre next month / Credit: Supplied
How many exhibitors will there be? And who are some of the big names set to appear?
Designed for the collector, the curator, and those who are just simply curious about art, Manchester Art Fair will be bringing together more than 500 individual artists and there’ll be 170 stalls to explore.
Lots of returning galleries and artists will be there too, and the majority of them will be displaying new works to the public.
Francis Iles Gallery and Linton 59 Gallery are among the newbies making their first appearance at the event in November, each showcasing works by an eclectic mix of UK and internationalartists, while Benjamin Thomas Taylor and Bob & Eve, are just a couple of the stand-out names on the long list of individual artists who’ll be exhibiting.
There’s also an extended programme of high-profile talks andworkshops to get involved with too, all included in the ticket price.
New this year are book signings with authors including Gemma Rolls Bentley championing queer art, Andy Spinoza with Manchester Unspun, DJ Dave Haslam and his book on Picasso’s nightlife and Mark Demsteader with his first book entitled Moorlands.
More than 170 exhibitors will gather together under one roof / Credit: Supplied
How can you buy art?
Manchester Art Fair is for everyone – whether you’re a seasoned collector in the market for the next big thing, or it’s your first time at an art fair and you’re just looking for the right piece to fill that empty space on your wall.
Buying art at the fair is simple.
Firstly, you’ll want to do a bit of research ahead of the event into the exhibitors and make a shortlist of stands you want to visit. Then once you’re there, it’s wise to go around the stands you’re interested in and speak to the exhibitors and artists to find out about the stories behind the works on offer to help you make your decision.
As tickets provide you access to the fair on both the Saturday and Sunday, you can come and go as you please and pop back in later to see if the same piece catches your eye a second time round.
Once you’ve made the decision to buy from the artist or gallerist, you can then get your piece wrapped free of charge to take home safely, and remember to submit your proof of purchase to get free entry to 2025’s edition of the fair.
Buying art at the fair is simple, and it’s for everyone / Credit: Supplied
What are the organisers saying?
Manchester Art Fair’s Director, Sophie Helm, said the anticipation for this year’s event is ‘building to unprecedented levels’.
“When we launched Manchester Art Fair 16 years ago, we never imagined that Manchester would take the event into their hearts as much as they have,” she said.
“It’s such fun to pull together all the art talks, workshops, demos and live events we have going on over the weekend and a real privilege to be able to see art lovers meeting artists and galleries in person and bringing home original art works with stories and meaning to hang at home.”
Advanced tickets are now on sale / Credit: Supplied
How much are tickets? Where can I buy them? And what do they include?
Advance tickets for Saturday and Sunday, from 10am-6pm, are available for £12 before 14 November and £15 after that date, both plus a booking fee.
Under 16s do not need tickets to the event.
Manchester Art Fair 2024 will take over Manchester Central on Friday 15 November from 5pm until Sunday 17 November, and you can get yourself tickets online here.
Danny Jones -
23rd February 2024 
