New Menus And New Cocktails From Tattu

Confidentials 8 December 2015

Promotion

THEY say you eat with your eyes. At Tattu, you don't so much eat with your eyes as gorge yourself. From the dark and sexy bar area, to the stunning restaurant replete with central cherry blossom tree, it's no wonder Tattu is still preening from its award for Best Designed Restaurant and Bar in the Northern Design Awards. If you looked like this, you'd preen too.

A sweet, intense and meaty flavour that is utterly beguiling

The new cocktail menu has some pretty special designs of its own. A fresh bar team is now on board and they've all been involved in its creation. All the favourites remain but there's a seasonal focus with cocktails invented to make you feel good when it's cold outside.

Everlasting Regret

Smoking Aces is a new classic which is a mainstay of the menu. This isn't something to be meddled with because it's already everything you'd want from a cocktail – dramatic, exciting, delicious and with an undercurrent of menace from the hefty dose of chipotle-spiced rum.

This potent infusion is produced in-house and, blended with rye whiskey, gives the cocktail a strong masculine appeal, softened only slightly by the apple notes from the falernum liqueur. Garnished with a playing card - the Ace of Spades, naturally - and a smoking bullet, this is a drink that captures all the fun and the flavour of a really great cocktail.

Smoking Aces

Everlasting Regret seems like an inappropriate moniker for a drink you aren't going to regret at all. However, there's a story behind this brand new cocktail. An emperor of the Han dynasty, who had four different wives, declared on his deathbed that his everlasting regret was not being able to love just one woman.

The four principal ingredients of crème de banane, vanilla syrup, Sailor Jerry's spiced rum and pineapple, complemented by a dash of bubblegum syrup, come together to create one delicious drink, heady and intoxicating enough to capture the everlasting love of any emperor. It's like candy for grown-ups – sweet, addictive and dangerous.

The new dim sum lunch menu is full of tempting dishes that look as exquisite as you'd expect from Tattu. Despite this, they're actually very good value with two plates for £13, three plates for £18 and four for £22. The dim sum lunch offer is available Monday to Friday between midday and 2.30pm and weekends between midday and 5pm.

The new a la carte menu is served alongside the dim sum lunch so you can pick and choose between the two.

Highlights from the lunch menu were the venison won ton and the black cod and prawn. The crisp parcels of the venison won ton broke open to reveal a rich, meaty filling which elevated the humble won ton to a mouthful of pure luxury. The raspberry and maple syrup vinegar had a slight sourness which prevented the dish from being overpowering. In fact, you're left wanting more.

Date and Water Chestnut Gyoza

The black cod and prawn parcels looked cute, topped with an edamame bean like an edible green pearl. However, for all their miniature moreishness, these delicate purses are absolutely bulging with sweet flesh making for a very satisfying snack.

The chilli salt squid and the baby back satay ribs also showed a real deftness of touch in the kitchen. The squid was soft without even the hint of elastic twang that so often accompanies this dish. The batter had a slight chilli hit but subtle, so the sea could come through. This wasn't about heat, it was about flavour.

Baby back satay ribs with peanut and coconut had nothing in common with the dried skewers that are the sad offering of so many a Chinese restaurant. At Tattu, the ribs are cooked slowly so the meat falls apart, a sticky unctuous delight. It's not a dish for keeping your fingers clean but it will make you very happy.

Baby back satay ribs

A warm chicken salad and a few more dim sum from the a la carte menu rounded things off perfectly. The ink-cured salmon was stunning. Pink discs of salmon were topped with cubes of pickled dragonfruit that resembled dice whilst the date and water chestnut gyoza felt like a trick. This is a vegan dish that somehow manages to create a sweet, intense and meaty flavour that is utterly beguiling.

Warm chicken salad

In fact the whole offering at Tattu is all about a strange, almost unsettling magic. Dim sum is a light and relatively healthy choice, yet they feel rich and indulgent. The bar feels exclusive yet the service is friendly. The focus seems to be all on appearance and design, yet the flavours themselves are an intense delight and there is real skill on show. It's a taste sensation that Instagram can't even capture the half of.