THERE's always something attractive about confidence and Tattu is shot through with this quality.
This design is superb; coolly professional yet passionate and spirit-lifting.
Adam and Drew Jones, the brothers who own the Eastern-inspired restaurant and bar, started with a clear vision and have delivered it immaculately.
This design, in an otherwise undistinguished double-cube unit in Spinningfields, is superb; coolly professional yet passionate and spirit-lifting. A clue to the excellence lies in the finish, the way doors fit together, the heft of the Ted Nemeth designed leather chairs.
The most spectacular space is the first floor restaurant. This is beautiful, dominated by a real cherry tree trunk and branches that have been individually decorated with exquisite artificial cherry blossom - a process that took four months to complete. The theatre of the kitchen is at the far end of the 94-cover room accessed by a bridge over the bar on the ground floor.
"Why've you thrown away space here? If you'd kept a solid floor rather than creating a bridge you could have added fifty covers," I say.
"We want to create drama wherever we can," Adam Jones replies. "Waiting staff will take dishes from the pass and cross the bridge, guests will see their food coming to them down this long walk. We hope it'll add to the theatre. People in the bar below will also see that movement. Meanwhile the booths to the side are up two steps to give guests a view into the bar and across the bridge and restaurant.
Elegant details are everywhere from the skyscraper lights (squared pendants with punched square holes that at night resemble skyscrapers), artwork with elegant, erotic, bodies overlaid with colourful and vigorous patterns and a sweet, sweet ceiling of ropework which produces a fascinating weave above diners' heads. This ceiling fascinates, warms and makes intimate a space which might otherwise feel cavernous. It hides the ugly air-conditioning as well.
The handsome downstairs bar is pared back compared to the upstairs, again with bold features, although I'd lose the pale casts of the female torsos. There's room for 24 diners as well as drinkers. One marble table holds twelve and is intended for groups. Again attention to detail is evident here. The noise large groups generate can spoil meals for others, by putting this table in the bar area rather than up in the restaurant solves that problem.
That raises another question.
"Tell me about your music policy," I say, eyeing the DJ position above the bar area next to the first floor bridge. "Please don't tell me I won't be able to have a conversation with the person I'm having dinner with."
"Not at all," says Adam Jones. "We're a restaurant first and a bar second. We want people to enjoy their meal with their friends and family. The DJ is there to add a cosmopolitan edge to the experience but will be playing background House that people can talk over."
In the bar there are two huge hanging anchors. Glimpsed emerging from Adam Jones' open neck shirt is a similar tattooed anchor.
"We want this place to be permanently unique," he says.
I raise an eyebrow at what carries a strong whiff of marketing bollocks.
"I mean," he continues,"as fans of body art, we feel that when a person gets a tattoo it makes a permanent change on them that will remain unique to that person. This is reflected in our design here - done in collaboration with Edwin Pickett. The anchor is one of the traditional motifs of body art. This links with the Far East. British sailors brought body art back to the UK after seeing the work done in the East. This then ties in with the Eastern food we'll be offering."
Er... right.
Speaking of the food, expect from Head Chef Pedro Miranda and others, dim sum from £6.50, small plates from £7 and mains from £14.
Dish choices include: black Angus fillet served with shiitake mushroom, white and green asparagus and caramelised soy; sea bass kuai with crispy leek and chilli soy pomelo sauce; cherry blossom dessert, a blend of chocolate, cherry and miso flavours.
Cocktails delivered by Suzie Wong include: Skull Candy, a Stoli vodka-based cocktail infused with flavours of lavender, lychee and strawberry, served in a crystal skull with rocks glass and a floral garnish; Smoking Aces, a blend of Chipotle pepper rum and Rye whiskey, shaken with Falerum, Chungo Amargo Bitters, a dash of Chipotle pepper oil and finished with a dry ice bullet.
This clever wow-factor restaurant and bar from Adam and Drew Jones opens for soft launch on Monday for two weeks with food at 50%.
Nobody can fail to be impressed by the design, if the food matches the quality in the latter, Manchester has gained a winner.
(Photo credits: Emma Golpys @emgol)
