A Friday Night Dinner at Australasia, Manchester

I’ve been waiting to blog about the most out-standing meal I’ve had in a while, courtesy of Australasia, Manchester…and here it is! This little gem, located in Spinningfields is the ideal glamorous spot for all the Manchester socialites, but also packs a punch when it comes to the menu. You fellow foodies out there will not be disappointed.

I’d been meaning to eat there for a while, to date I’d only managed to get to the cocktail menu (which doesn’t disappoint). The hubby’s 30th birthday proved the perfect opportunity to treat ourselves to a selection of delicacies from the unique fusion menu, combining flavours from the Pacific Rim, Indonesia, Japan and Europe. Sounds like an unusual combination right? Boy, does it work!

Firstly, I need to acknowledge the stunning (and I mean stunning) interior! Living Ventures always get the styling right in their establishments and Australasia is certainly a show-case. You arrive at the entranceway resembling a shard of glass, rising out of the floor, before you make your way underground to the very exclusive-feeling restaurant and bar. With ambient and soft lighting, the place oozes style but also comfort. The couch seating is so comfy! The low hanging ceiling lights are a great touch and there’s even a few secret booths and private dining areas for the more famous amongst us.

But onto the most important element of the whole night…the food! I have to apologise in advance, as my priority for this evening was eating, so that combined with the ambient lighting meant that I didn’t take too many photos. But you can check out their gallery to get a good feel for what’s on offer.

Starting with a lovely bottle of ‘Kiki Sparkling Sauvignon Blanc’ from New Zealand, we decided that we were going to share a load of small plates to start (we ordered 8!) and then also a main each…then we’d see if we could squeeze in dessert (what do you think happened!?).

Now the menu can be a little overwhelming at first, but the waiters are extremely knowledgeable and talked us through any queries we had. They also helped recommend a good varied selection of small plates, so we didn’t have too much of the same.

So here’s what we chose from the small plates (and each and every one was delicious!):

Tasmanian Kingfish Sashimi – Prawn Avocado and Cucumber Tempura Roll – Squid and fresh Lime Tempura – Soft Shell Crab and Courgette Flowers Tempura – Seared hand-dived Scallops with spicy Honey-glazed Pork – Grilled Mackerel in Banana Leaves (stunning!) – Beetroot Salad with Goat’s Cheese and Honey (could happily eat this all day) – Seared Teriyaki Beef with sweet soy and Spring Onion (my personal favourite – 

For our mains, we chose:

Berry Berry Duck (x2) – Roasted Monkfish with Razor Clams, Chorizo and Squid – Cep buttered corn-fed Chicken Girolle Mushroom fricassee – with sides of Sticky Coconut Rice in Lotus Leaf – 

So needless to say there was a lot of food, we enjoyed every mouthful, but of course we had room to squeeze in a dessert!

Here’s what we chose:

Lemon Creme Brulee with Raspberry Sorbet (x2 – this was such a treat!) – Chocolate and Coconut (x2)

So we left the restaurant completely and utterly satisfied, comfortably full and thinking about what we’d have next time we’d visit.

I’d certainly recommend a visit to Australasia, to anyone living in or visiting Manchester. It’s certainly not the most cost-effective option out there, and probably more of a treat for most of us, but I’m sure you won’t be disappointed and it’s worth every penny.

Have you ever been? What did you think?

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