Spotlight On: Sexy Fish Manchester
WORDS: Ange Seddon
Best for...Great Pan Asian food, spectacular décor and excellent service
On a cold, grey January evening, what better place to go to than bright, colourful, highly Instagrammable Sexy Fish Japanese restaurant in Spinningfields, Manchester? The moment you walk in, you can’t help but smile. There is a stunning pink onyx bar and sparkling ‘under the sea’ décor where The Little Mermaid herself would feel right at home. Maximalism is a word that springs to mind, in a good way, as it makes you forget about the cold and grey outside the door.
Serving Pan-Asian cuisine, the menu changes seasonally, which is always good to see. You have the options of set menus, à la carte, or tasting menus. We opted for dishes from the à la carte menu, but first, a cocktail. These are available as non alcoholic versions as well as alcoholic ones. We chose ‘Miso Thirsty’, which included Japanese whisky in the mix and the non alcoholic B-light, which was delightfully citrusy and refreshing.
The sumptuous menu made it difficult to choose; it all looked delicious. Seeing as it's one of their specialities, it would have been rude not to try the sushi/sashimi dishes. We chose the chef's selection sashimi with five different varieties of fish, including two types of tuna and scallop, all immaculately prepared, tasting so fresh and having the perfect texture. The standout for me was the other raw dish we ordered. Tuna tataki, served with caviar, truffle mayo and yuzu soy. It was a true flavour bomb, and never having considered truffle with fish, I was completely won over. It was incredible.
Next, we had chicken gyoza, these were tasty little dumplings with perfectly crispy bottoms, not always a compliment, but when it comes to gyoza, it’s an excellent measure of its quality.
Our next dishes were cooked on the Robata grill. We had the tiger prawn skewers with chilli and lime, they were amazing, soft, succulent and a smoky barbecue-like flavour. Next came caramelised black cod with spicy miso, cooked to flaky perfection over the flames; it was gorgeous.
We asked the sommelier to recommend a bottle of wine to go with our food, and his first question was, “So, what do you like to drink?” That question always makes me happy, because it means they will find something that aligns with your tastes rather than trying to upsell you any old bottle. He brought us a beautiful white wine from Ramos Pinto in the Douro in Portugal, made with local Portuguese grapes. It was perfectly balanced to go with the fish, a great selection.
We finished our meal with cinnamon doughnuts, which came with two dips: one a rich chocolate and the other a banana and passion fruit curd. The doughnuts were so fresh and light and the dips were delicious, especially the curd. A great end to a really lovely meal. There is a misconception that you leave a Japanese restaurant hungry, but we were truly and happily stuffed.
Sexy Fish is a visually stunning restaurant, but it’s ultimately all about the excellent food, great service and delightful ambience. It’s a great place for all occasions, and most definitely worth a visit, and for so much more than taking a selfie in the spectacular ladies’ room!
Johnny Stephens Photography
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