Tattu, the newest addition to Spinningfield’s fine echelon, is inspired by contemporary body art and decadent, oriental elegance. With the “u” standing for “unique”, I was intrigued to find out more…
The Venue
There are three distinct areas of Tattu, each with their own purpose, subtle design differences and incense aromas. The bar space entertains a nautical whisper with hanging anchors and exposed ropes softened by the orchids and other flowers around the room. You’d never know, but at the end of the space there’s a discrete, intimate lounge for private hire, complete with burlesque wallpaper, a glass performance cabinet and cashmere furniture. As you turn up the stairs toward the mezzanine dining level a stunning pink blossom tree is in full bloom. The booths feel like private rooms with wooden panels disguising potted flowers from floor to ceiling; a truly exclusive experience. The overarching theme of body art gives the venue a streetwise edge, with tattooed furniture, quilted leather walls and Hollywood-esque set lighting, although the luxurious oriental prominence is delectable throughout.
Street-wise with a stylised edge, Tattu is sure to seduce Manchester's dining scene.
The Atmosphere and Clientele
As soon as the slick, double-glass doors opened, the sandalwood incense and sultry lighting transported us to an exciting and exotic world of urban-asian lavishness. It was almost as if we had stumbled across a Bond villain’s lair somewhere in China, where all the bad guys were actually really friendly…....
Tattu is a sensory establishment; everywhere you look there is something to intrigue the imagination or please the eye. As we attended before its full launch, Tattu was not filled to its capacity, but we predict that it will quickly boom in popularity. Friday night cocktails, flashy date nights and exclusive private events will be the forte of such a cohesively produced establishment. A glamorous DJ stood at a podium delivered house mixes of both new and familiar tracks providing the perfect soundtrack to our meal and a great warm-up to post-meal drinks downstairs.
Decadent enough for a date-night, yet ready to party, fusion is really the fun of Tattu.
The Food and Drink
Wow. Just wow. We were recommended the Bambu and Eastern Lady (£8.50 with Mandarin bitters, Yuzu liqueur and Lady Garnish) from the Oriental Cocktails menu; the first was a fun cocktail in a teddy-bear glass with a yellow rubber hat, whilst the second was a sophisticated tonic served in a martini glass. For starters, the Lobster and Prawn Toast (£9) came in bite-sized balls and the Chicken and Truffle Shumai Dim Sum were soaked in sumptuous soy sauce. As soon as we had our first mouthful we knew that this was going to be pan-Asian/Chinese food at its very finest. The Black Angus Fillet (£26) came with the most amazing Caramel Soy dipping sauce, with a nutty depth of flavour and the Saffron Miso Black Cod (£24) was gorgeous. The dessert was like a dismantled cheesecake, but looked like an edible Garden of Eden. Each component was surprising, original and of a complementary texture. As the server cleared our plates she asked us if we wanted to eat the twig garnish, to which we responded “can you eat the twig?!” It turns out you can eat the twig. You should eat the twig. It’s bloomin’ delicious.
Rich pan-asian flavours fuse with the West in this charming foray of unique plates and impressive dishes.
Summary
Urban, mysterious sex-appeal meets oriental poise and exacting attention to detail at Spinningfields’ newest contemporary pan-asian restaurant bar. It will come to be known as one of the strongest assets of Manchester’s bar scene.
