I`ve been into my food for rather a long time now and believe it or not i`ve never experienced Japanese cuisine.When i was invited to dine at Manchesters Restaurant Yuzu  i was ever so slightly apprehensive as to what to expect.Would it be plate after plate of Raw fish ? well that`s not really my bag but Hey ho….I`m forever open to new treats and i`m definitely from the “try anything once” camp , and if i dont like it….well at least i`ve been there and bought the T-shirt.
So a 2 hour drive down to Manchesters Chinatown and over to Faulkner street and there you go… Yuzu , apparently the best Japanese north of London according to the aficionados of Asian cuisine.

Yuzu is only a small restaurant and it`s styled in the typical layout of what you would expect if you were dining in Japan. Wooden seats and tables handmade for the restaurant and a wooden bar for those wanting to watch the chef at work.Japanese art in the form of paintings , Origami animals and birds and a huge collection of empty Sake bottles line the bar and windowsills. There`s only the one chef  ( The owner ) and his good lady wife (Yui) front of house.Everything in Yuzu is freshly cooked to order. Be prepared for a small wait during peak times as you`re going to get your whole meal hand made in true Japanese style , totally fresh , authentic ingredients imported from Japan and cooked as it`s ordered…It`s worth the wait so just load up on the Sake and enjoy the chat.If there was one thing i was expecting it would have been Sushi but apparently to make authentic Sushi requires 5 – 10 years of training so you wont find it here.Oh –  and to also note….Never complain, as chef is a total Japanese blade fanatic and multi skilled in the fighting arts of the East , in a nutshell he`ll cut your head and pearl jewels off with his Samurai sword before you utter the words ” Whaaat…No Sushi ? “…..so Sssssshhhhhhh…..it`s for the best.

So anyways…. Feast your eyes on the authentic cuisine of Yuzu Manchester. I`m not an expert on the Japanese food by a long shot so i can`t remember the descriptions of the dishes exactly but at least you`ll get an idea of what you`re going to be eating there. The prices are just amazing so there really isn`t an excuse not to go and try it. As i said above, it was my first time and i loved the food. It was very different from what i normally eat and i`m sure my next visit will be more relaxed and enjoyable.Definitely on my radar for a return trip very soon.

First up was the Salmon. Now remember this one next time you`re filleting your fish.The first fillet was removed from the Salmon , then turned over and the second fillet removed.Now normally you would keep the fillets and bin the rest…Not at Yuzu they dont. The head comes off , the tail comes off and then youve got the skeleton left over. This is then seasoned and grilled over the Charcoal. The diner then gets the grilled fish and a set of chopsticks to pick away…Now how good is that ?.

Gyoza £3.50 – Freshly made King prawn dumplings served with an accompanying sauce of Soy enriched with Japanese chilli oil .

Ton katsu – Pork loin coated in Panko crumb, ( breadcrumbs with a large grain ) deep-fried and sliced, very similar to a breaded pork schnitzel.

Tempura King Prawns

If i remember correctly this was fresh raw Red Snapper with Mooli and dressing.

Agedashi Tofu (v) £3.20 – Silken tofu lightly dusted in flour and fried. served in a broth with grated fresh  Ginger and spring onions

Daikon & Wakame Salad (v) £2.70 – Finely shredded crisp white Mooli radish and wakame ( seaweed ) served with yuzu dressing

Freshly made skewered chicken thighs with spring onions, char-grilled in yuzu’s original yakitori sauce or sea salt

                                                       Yuzu Dressing

Assorted Veg Tempura £5.50  – seasonal vegetable cooked in a light and crisp tempura batter. Served with a dipping tempura broth

Assorted Tempura £6.95 – fresh king prawns and seasonal vegetables cooked in a light and crisp tempura batter. Served with a dipping tempura broth                                            Tempura King Prawns

Kaisen Don £14.50 – fresh scallop, tuna, organic salmon and sweet prawn sashimi served over sushi rice in a large donburi bowl

                                             Traditional Sake pottery.

The rest of my day unfortunately slid into oblivion. I made the dreaded mistake of meeting up with the owners of Yuzu and heading over to SoLITA for a street party. We then decided to start working our way through the cocktail list and sampling the wonderfully comforting food of SoLITA – ( see report HERE ).
Slowly things went downhill as the food and drink continued into the night….I ended up a proper sorry state, face down on the bed in the Brittania hotel….and don`t ask me what happened to Chef , the last  words he mentioned were something about going for a run in the park , It was simply  `never going to happen`… I blame Franco , HungryHoss  and the SoLITA gang…. Cheers guys and look forward to the same again.

To view all of the photos from Yuzu , Please click HERE