Tattu offers a sensory dining experience from east to west in Manchester city centre

Whether it’s the sleek interior or the contemporary Chinese dishes fused with traditional flavours, you’ll be fully immersed in Tattu the moment you step inside. Since Adam and Drew Jones launched the restaurant in 2015, it has gained a reputation as a go-to destination in the city. The brothers’ success has been so great that they have now opened sites in Leeds and Birmingham.

We were seated in a booth underneath an indoor cherry tree and our waiter Pierre recommended a cocktail, The Butterfly Effect – a vodka lychee martini with a twist of butterfly pollen. Pierre was a wonderful host and suggested some of his favourite dishes created by head chef Clifton Muil and his team, all of which were spot on.

We took his recommendation of starting with sharing plates, selecting the Mixed Dim Sum Basket (£12.50), Lobster and Prawn Toast (£9) and Peking Duck Buns (£12). The dim sum was fantastic; delicately steamed parcels filled with either Wagyu beef, Thai chicken or sea bass, each bursting with flavour. My boyfriend said the toast was the best he’d ever had. I enjoyed the hands-on element of filling the bun with duck, hoisin and cucumber.

Szechuan Sea Bass (£20) was my main and it was a hearty portion: two fillets of flaky fish with crisp skin, were placed atop a bed of crunchy pak choi and served with a chilli bean, Shaoxing wine and spring onion sauce plus steamed jasmine rice (£4). The sauce had a spicy kick and the whole dish was fragrant and light.

Pierre had also suggested the Beef Fillet and Caramel Soy (£29) which my boyfriend opted for. Cooked perfectly rare, the sliced beef was very tender; the sweet caramel working alongside the saltiness of the soy. It was served with Shitake mushrooms, asparagus and Duck Egg and Sausage Fried Rice (£5),.

Tattu has pushed the boat out with its desserts. Cherry Blossom (£9) was a vision of dry ice and pink candyfloss coming from a dark chocolate tree trunk and a bed of chocolate soil, with tangy cherry sorbet. I ordered a Cherry Negroni (£10), which was a boozy punch with a cherry blossom twist.

My boyfriend chose Fortune Cookies and Cream (£7), ice-cream, sorbet and of course, fortune cookies; and then Pierre brought out Mango and Honey Pudding (£9) describing it as the perfect palate cleanser, a fresh Greek yoghurt style base with tropical flavours from pineapple and lychee, plus oat cookie adding texture.

I can see why Tattu has received such status, not only in Manchester but from diners travelling from much farther afield for a taste of Shanghai.

Tattu, 3, Hardman Square, Gartside Street, Manchester, M3 3EB

0161 819 2060 | www.tattu.co.uk