The glass triangle which sits just off Deansgate has for years been one of the most iconic entrances to any dining room in Manchester.  Most Mancs probably don’t even notice it anymore as we are that used to it, but you regularly see tourists having a nosey just to see what it is. 

Once you've entered said triangle you descend the stairs; something which always raises anticipation, into the bright, light, airy space that Australasia has occupied since launch back in in 2011.  And truth be told it's not changed much since then, but at the same time still looks youthful and fresh.

It's just a lovely space, right up there with some of the city's very best.

The chairs were a bit uncomfy, for my derriere at least.  Fortunately, the guys moved us to a booth which was 1, comfier, and 2, led to much better photos, so the relocation was of benefit to us all.

As you know, we are always transparent with you guys when it comes to what we paid, so; we attended a press event at Australasia a few months back, and were gifted £100 in vouchers, plus at the time of this visit the 50% off January promotion was being run.

We had 3 starters, 2 mains, and a single pud, posh water, 2 cocktails, and a decent bottle of Carmenere.  Minus all the discounts/vouchers, it would have come to almost exactly £200.  But we only parted ways with £41 including tips due to the vouchers and January promotion, which represented an uncharacteristically cheap date night for my husband.

Without the vouchers and January discount, the prices are in the upper mid-range for sure.  Without said discount, some dishes would be getting up there in terms of value.

We started off with a couple of sushi rolls, to see how Australasia has kept pace with the city's sushi heavy market.  And the answer is very decently. 

Wagyu Nigiri (£13) started the party strongly, with lovely quality seared/raw English wagyu adorning some perfectly cooked and seasoned sushi rice, with a stripe of nori, dotted with what appeared to be kewpie.  In a currently flooded sushi market, this was a confidently delivered and wholly appetising mouthful. 

Our next wave of sushi was the Spicy Tuna and Prawn California Roll (£14), which is always a safe crowd pleaser when ordering sushi.  Flavour wise, it was delicious.  Most people's favourite sushi variant, it's fair to say. 

Since we'd already essentially had 2 starters, the hot starter was shared. Our Prawn Tempura with Tentsuyu dipping sauce (£16), was exceptional.  Many British attempts at Tempura are an insult to one of the great culinary traditions of the world and are often coated in overly heavy batter akin to your local chippy, which then wrecks the delicate contents within.  But this was fantastic, carrying lightness with perfectly cooked prawns still shining brightly.

Robata Grilled Ribeye Steak (£40) was unmistakably good quality protein, which is the first factor in delivering a good steak.  It has been cooked to blushing pink over a robata to deliver that signature smoke kissed scent.  It came plated with some tempura potato scallops, so a Pan Asia spin on the good old chip.  An enjoyable plate.  

Confit Pork Belly Thai Curry (£32) was an elevated spin on the typical curry.  A well measured curry sauce with just the right level of spice, scented with all your favourite Thai aromas, with ideally cooked pork belly; juicy flesh and crispy bubbled skin.  This came served with chargrilled pineapple and a portion of sticky rice, studded with fried onion and black sesame seeds, enrobed in traditional lotus leaf.  

Strawberry Parfait (£11) ended our menu choices, and was shared due to that triple starter catching up on us more than expected.    This was a light and fresh way to end, as much as the menu's chocolate options appealed.  A garnish of yuzu sorbet again brought some well needed palate cleaning acidity to the dish, with some pretty meringue adding both visual appeal and texture.  Another winning plate, showing measure and proper restraint.

** All prices are excluding the 50% January discount.

But; the California roll was rolled overly tightly so the rice was a bit claggy as a result.  Both sushi dishes contained rice that was too cold which killed the flavour and texture a touch.  The steak lacked seasoning, and the curry could probably have been plated with a bit more panache, as much as it looks OK in the photo.  

Our server on the evening, a lovely gent named Herbie, who whilst openly wasn’t from a hospo background showed no sign of that.  He was a natural, showing a level of personality and warmth that you just cannot teach, towards every single table.  So it wasn’t a case of singling out the journos to make a biased impression, as is all too common, like we can't spot it a mile off as seasoned pros. 

A few little gaps in service, a forgotten fork, but nothing deal breaking in the slightest.  And I'd argue that you should be putting people in booths by default if any are free at the time of their arrival.

A bit of self-indulgent history for you; I posted a review on this very website in 2011 back when we accepted public submissions, soon after Australasia first opened.  2 years later as a direct result of that review, I became Food and Drink Editor at the same publication.  So it's a review which has always stuck in my mind for sentimental reasons.

14 years down the line and Australasia are still serving delicious food in a great space, basted in a nice level of occasion. It probably takes itself a bit less seriously than back in the day, when many were cluelessly talking about Michelin Stars, and it was the city's main hotspot to be seen in.  But back in 2011 there was nothing like Australasia in Manchester and as per a lot of what Tim Bacon did for the city's market, it was unique at the time.  But nowadays Pan Asian, sushi, Japanese inspired offerings are all over our city.  Probably too much so truth be told.  So, has Australia stood the test of time?

For me, whilst we had a great evening and all the elements are there for a great mid-range restaurant experience, it's possibly time to look at a bit of a menu reinvention?  There's another trendy, glamourous place selling sushi and Asian fayre, literally on the pavement above.   You can also get sushi in lovely surroundings down the road at The Ivy Asia too.  Perhaps the time has come for Australasia to focus more on the Australia/NZ side of things as per its name, or something else in that vein and less on the straight up Japanese?  Even in the early days of that fledgling review, I didn’t see much 'Australasia' on the plate as much as Japanese cuisine is popular there, which at the time was fine as Japanese options in the city were lacking.  Nowadays, that’s far from the case. Maybe Tim had once again, seen what was coming ahead of everyone else?