Fishmas Menu Preview

There's few more glamourous and opulent venues in town than Sexy Fish down in Spinningfields.  When in search of Japanese inspired dishes, in a sumptuous setting, it's become one of the city's go to spots for good reason. 

We were invited down to try their new festive Fishmas Menu, which on first glance looked like a celebration of all things fabulous, so it's safe to say that we were looking forward to this visit well ahead of time!

Once inside, the venue is indeed as extravagant and high end as you've come to expect from the Sexy Fish brand over the years.  With those sky-high ceilings and impressive lighting, it's just a stunning space!

We had a ponder over the new festive cocktail menu, which featured an array of suitably Winter inspired goodies, with a strong presence from the always impressive Don Julio tequila.

We eventually decided on two different cocktails with different alcohol bases, starting with the Cherry Cake Sour (£13), a showcase of Amaretto, cherry, a squeeze of lemon, with a Ketel One Vodka base.  A cherry Bakewell tart in a glass and absolutely delicious.

Secondly we had to go with the Cinnamon Butter Marg (£18), a super rich dessert in a glass.  Don Julio Tequila, with cinnamon, banana infused Cointreau and honey, with a backbone of Winter spice and of course butter.  This was sensational.

And with the cocktails gone, it was time to start with the main event, getting out of the blocks with a couple of superb quality Carlingford Oysters.  Fresh, full of salinity, plump, and the ideal way to start any meal in our opinion.  Oysters have seen a massive resurgence recently, and that makes us happy.

Any Japanese meal has to include some form of Tempura.  It's an institution over in the Land of the Rising Sun, with restaurants dedicated to selling only that.  Sexy Fish's courgette version is a huge crowd pleaser, served with a zesty Yuzu Aioli.

It’s always a good feeling to try a dish that you've never had before, and such a thing happened on this occasion with Sexy Fish's Tiradito; a Peruvian hearted dish which added a Nikkei twist to the generally Japanese feast.  Slivers of delicate salmon and gorgeously fatty chu toro, seasoned with wasabi and shiso soy, topped with off-menu shaved black truffle for a lovely surprise.  One of the evening's highlights.

And our following dish was a classic Gyoza, packed full of prawn.  These were amazingly delicate, expertly made, and of course super tasty.  The ginger laden dipping sauce raised things to the next level too. Superb.

Next up was Salt and Pepper squid.  Every table around us, even those not ordering from the Fishmas menu, also got this dish and it's easy to see why.  Let's be honest; salt and pepper seasoning makes anything taste better and worked well with the squid.  A pop of lime elevated thing further.  It's a must order dish for any occasion.

And our pre-courses ended with Sexy Fish's sushi platter, which was 3 dishes in itself!  Hamachi Ceviche was a further south American nod, carrying incredibly flavours and textures throughout.  The Salmon Aburi Roll wowed the table with it's expertly rolled rice, topped with blowtorched salmon and a pop of fish roe.  The platter's finale was a daisy fresh sashimi selection, containing tuna, yellowtail and salmon, served simply on ice, to showcase the quality of the protein with no distractions.

And finally came our main course which was the very definition of indulgence and festive cheer.  A whole USDA Ribeye, cooked to perfection and topped with umami heavy seaweed butter.  It was buttery and soft with huge beef flavours and a lovely charred note from that sear.    And if a sizeable Ribeye Steak isn’t enough festive indulgence for you, then Sexy Fish have your back with the addition of half a lobster for good measure!  Outrageously celebrity.

The mains came with a bowl of crispy potatoes with seaweed to act as seasoning, which clearly paired well as they would with any protein in fairness.

But the end came in stunning fashion with the Sexy Fish Festive Platter; a smorgasbord of all dessert favourites including a pair of delicious well filled donuts, some ice cream sandwiches, and of course a delicious sharing cheesecake.  We loved the presentation on this, in an ornate aqua themed platter with dry ice to add a touch of theatre.   Sadly all good things come to an end and we headed home following a wonderful evening,  but our festive cheer had only just begun!

Sexy Fish's Neon Fishmas Menu costs £95pp, for a minimum of 2 people.

*** Our experience was gratefully comped ***

Sexy Fish Taste Menu Preview

Sexy Fish is one of Manchester's premier venues for those seeking out glamorous surroundings alongside some quality hospitality.  Set in Spinningfields, Sexy Fish has become one of the city's favourite venues serving an array of premium cocktails, one of the entire country's most comprehensive Champagne lists, and some artistically curated Eastern cuisine. 

Sexy Fish's 'Taste' menu is a snapshot of their most iconic flavours, and we were invited down to sample said menu; an invitation which we just couldn’t let pass by.

Before dinner, we started with a couple of cocktails at the bar; a 'Pineapple' from the new Unity menu, along with a stunning 'Buko Pandan Daiquiri' which is available as part of a current collaboration with Ron Santiago de Cuba.  Absolutely stunning. They also paired well with the Spicy Edamame, and personally I feel more venues should serve vegetables as bar snacks!

The 3 course 'Taste' menu focuses on sharing dishes which are served when they’re ready;

Tiger Prawn Tempura to share was executed to a charm.  Crispy yet light batter, coating a perfectly cooked semi-translucent prawn with a lovely dashi broth on the side.  Without question, this was one of the outstanding plates of the evening

Salmon Tartare was another sharer, served as a stack of super fresh salmon cubes, seasoned with a hint of Korean spice and served with some crackers to scoop up all that goodness.  A vibrant and fresh plate.

Chicken Gyoza, I'm assured by my dining accomplice was delicious.  Robustly filled dumplings, caramelised on the bottom for some flavour depth and texture, served up with ume and shiso to create a delicious mouthful.

Chicken Yakitori Skewers don’t usually feature on the Taste menu, but due to a plum/ume allergy, I was grateful for them being served as a replacement for the above gyoza.  They came perfectly grilled and amazingly juicy, with those smoky notes really coming through.  Superb.

Main courses allow the diner to choose between three dishes, so we went with the two different protein options to share, as is surely the only way to do things?

Baby Chicken, Hummus & Yuzu was our first main, and came in a generous portion.  4 pieces, all kissed by that grill, were juicy and succulent.  The perhaps untraditional addition of hummus, which was as smooth as you could imagine, worked a treat.

Our next main was Grilled Seabass, Daikon & Shiso, which showcased more well-cooked protein, which has been skewered whilst grilling to help retain its shape.  The fish simply flaked away from its skin with minimal effort and was so light and fresh.

Kimchi Fried Rice accompanied both mains and was as delicious as it sounds, this coming from someone who will normally avoid Kimchi!  Fluffy, light, and tempered with flecks of kimchi to bring bags of flavour depth, without an overpowering back note of fermentation.  The ideal partner to our main courses.

As a final flourish, Cinnamon Doughnuts with Chocolate Sauce & Exotic Curd brought the Taste menu to an end.  They came served on a pretty marine-themed stand, in synch with the general surroundings. Fluffy, soft and warm, served with two dips, this was the ideal way to end.

Our bottle of 2021 Royal Tokaji Dry Furmint (£55) was the perfect wine style to complement the food's flavour profiles, carrying super-aromatic notes of apple, pear, stone fruit, honey, and citrus.  A strong nod to Sexy Fish's general wine offering, which is up there with the very best in the city.

Sexy Fish's 'Taste' menu is available from Sunday to Thursday, and costs just £35 per person, which is fantastic value for money!  It's one to add to your list of places to try in the city.