Oct 17

Oct 17 Spotlight on... Vermilion Restaurant at Eastlands, Manchester

Vermilion is a little-known gem, situated on the edge of Manchester city centre. Its culinary style is Asian fusion, with dishes ranging from Thai and Indian to Chinese. Despite its imposing exterior, you might drive past and not give it a second glance; however, once you step inside, it's styled similar to ‘Tao’ in New York, draped in high-end, contemporary Asian décor.

On our arrival, on a still-balmy evening in September, my colleague and I were warmly welcomed by manager, Dikendra, who has worked at Vermilion since 2008.

It's unsurprising to find that this out-of-the-way venue has a loyal following – testament to the high standard of food and service you’ll find here. Walking through Vermilion, you realise that it is so much more than a restaurant: there are numerous event spaces (the largest seating 1,000 people), which again are styled to a sumptuous design. The bar area upstairs rivals any in Manchester, with huge, luxurious booths to relax in. This is such an amazing space for a special occasion – and, equally, for an intimate dinner or even a stylish photo shoot. Previous clientele include Imran Khan, David Cameron and many more of those in Who’s Who.

To start our meal, I opted for the Ocean tiger prawn served with a chilli mango salad: sumptuous and succulent giant prawns (caught, incidentally, by Vermilion’s parent company, Seamark, in the Bay of Bengal) complemented perfectly with the well-balanced spiciness of the mango salad. My colleague chose the Chicken Tikka, charred to give it real depth of flavour; it was accompanied by a fresh-tasting mint yoghurt dressing.

“This out-of-the-way venue has a loyal following – testament to the high standard of food and service you’ll find here”

For the main course, I was drawn to the Thai steamed seabass, featuring the holy trinity of Thai cooking: lime, chilli and coriander, and a huge punch of fish sauce. Cooked to perfection, the fish flaked beautifully and the Thai flavours combined to produce a dish that was both tasty and healthy. My colleague opted for the Lamb shank Nehari – slow-cooked, marrow-based curry from Pakistan: a rich, spiced and beautifully balanced stew with melt-in-the-mouth meat that was like butter. This came with a handcrafted Indian bread, which was soft and delicious, with a scrumptious hit of garlic and coriander.

We felt it only right to accompany this with Asahi beer, as it goes so well with the balance of spices and flavours.

My colleague played safe with a dessert of gorgeous Crème brulée, while I decided to be adventurous and went for the Gajar Halwa (a traditional Indian dessert of shredded carrots, dried fruits and milk). This was the surprise dish of the night, as it was not something I would normally order. The best way to describe it is a healthier version of steamed pudding, with the flavour of carrot cake: absolutely delicious!

We loved our visit to Vermilion: the food was great and the service and atmosphere, very warm. This is a gem of a place, with such a wide choice, that we will definitely be returning to try more of the menu.