Our roving reporter Mark Anderson descended on Australasia and he liked what he found
With an invitation to try out a new menu from Australasia the legendary restaurant located in Manchester City Centre it was an opportunity not to be missed
Under the vision of Head Chef Lucie Sainerova,formerly Executive Head Chef at Novikov International and Raffles International who emphasises open-flame cooking, this menu showcases the finest local produce and seasonal ingredients designed for sharing.
After 15 years of operating, and on the 7th July Australasia launched a £15 lunch menu to celebrate 15 years of bringing the flavours of the Pacific Rim to Manchester.
Located pretty much slap bang in the middle of Deansgate, Australasia Restaurant in has produced amazing foods for the last 15 years, and this new lunch time menu was something to tempt the afternoon dinners looking to eat out without breaking the bank.
The offering will be available to enjoy from 12PM – 5PM Monday to Friday, and includes a customizable dish depending on each customer’s preference.
The Menu’s.
Guests can first choose a base, from three options:
– Udon – scorched, hand-pulled noodles, dry-fried with aromatic chilli bean & black pepper, with mixed sprouts and crisp Asian vegetables.
– Rice – wok-hei jasmine rice, stir-fried with eggs, crispy vegetable, spring onions and a dash of light soy & five spices.
– Raw – green hispi slaw, heritage carrot, smashed cucumber, green goddess dressing, toasted sesame, aromatics & crispy shallot.
ADD: a choice of Crispy Tofu, Grilled Tiger Prawns, or Charred Lemon grass chicken.
Along with these, the menu offers 4 side dishes:
SIDES: Charred Tenderstem and Asparagus. Kombu Salt Frites, Miso Greill Aubergine, and Green Papaya Salad. All at an extra cost.
Guests can also choose a soft drink, or can also upgrade to the £18 offering which includes a glass of prosecco, beer or wine.
As I had never dined at Australasia before, I was pleasantly surprised as you walk into this stylish, opulent venue you’re automatically taken back by the vibrant lighting, layout & attention to detail that’s a very popular choice for eating, its understandable why there’s so much hype about the place.
We opted for: Udon & Rice, dishes, along with the side dishes of, Green Papaya Salad & Kombu Salt Frites.
RICE: With Lemon Grass Chicken. I can honestly say the rice dish for me was an excellent choice, The food was very fresh, light with plenty of flavour and excellently cooked., it came served with soya sauce, a sprinkling of chilli for that little bit of extra flavour and served with garnish.
UDON: With Tiger Prawns: The Udon dishes were perfectly cooked very fresh ingredients, the tiger prawns, were quite small and could have been slightly more plenty full. It also came served with a sprinkle of fresh chilli but not too hot.
Both dishes were excellent, the portion sizes are quite big and depending on how much you like your portion sizes, you may not want to order a side dish.
The menus presented an excellent choice for all tastes and the food was very plentiful.
The restaurant’s layout, seating, and service from the staff ensured anything we needed was available.
Overall the food didn’t disappoint by any means and what impressed was the attention to detail that Australasia had to offer, the staff all looked very smartly turned out, and the table setting was very well presented.
As this menu is only available from Monday to Friday, I think Australasia is missing a trick by failing to offer this menu to the Saturday shoppers around the Deansgate area.
We would defiantly eat here again, but would next time try the “A lacarte” menu as a change.
