My hubby and I embarked on a shopping trip to Trafford Centre. This was about a year ago when Trafford Centre was our hot spot for shopping and eating out. It helped that it had a free car-park and a roof; Manchester can get bitterly cold and wet during the Winter. For those who do not know what the Trafford Centre is, then, where have you been? It’s only the nicest place in the North-West of England - a gigantic building designed with the high-end shopper and diner in mind.
Naturally food was the next item on the agenda after I bought some expensive makeup and hubby bought comfy cotton socks. We strolled endlessly in the food court where we discovered a growing queue outside a restaurant we hadn’t tried or heard of. It was Tampopo.
After scanning for the halal sign and menu, we decided to take a detour from the preferences at the time - Pizza Hut or Nandos – and settled for a meal at Tampopo, awkwardly sat by other diners. This is a common theme in Far-Eastern restaurants; canteen style seating with a posh twist.
The venue is softly lit with a casual atmosphere, and the staff are no different. Waiters don't pretend to be working for a michelin restauraunt, but they are polite and do their job.
For halal eaters, Tampopo nicely provide a ‘Halal and Allergies Menu’ that tells you whether the dishes contain halal meat, nuts or alcohol (1). A great effort made on Tampopo’s part, albeit the lack in appearance of the thing (printed on white A4 paper and probably laminated by a child).
I’ve had pretty much every halal starter and main dish on the menu. I lie - I’ve definitely had them all.
For starters, I recommend the Sesame Prawn Skewers (Malaysian) - juicy and crunchy all in one bite and the presentation isn’t too bad either. The Prawn Crackers are nice too. But the starter that explodes in my mouth with all things fresh and crunchy is the Goi Cuon (Vietnamese style spring rolls). Don’t be put off by them being served cold though – seriously, this just adds to the exquisite freshness. They are a little pricey though, for two rolls priced at £3.75 – the pleasure of such a tantalising starter is annoyingly brief.
I absolutely love this Pan-Asian concept; slices of Japanese zest with touches of Thai flavours and Vietnamese freshness splashed across the menu… and much, much more.
The main dishes are great too. However, before I go on, I will mention this crucial detail now. I have noticed Tampopo's portions have minimised over the year, not befitting to the value-for-money seekers (me). Whether this is related to the unsettled economy or my greed, you’re not left with a satisfied tummy.
The Vietnamese main dishes are my favourite - Ga Xao Xa Ot (a sauce based stir-fry) and Com Hue (wok-fried rice). You need to order a portion of rice (white rice for £1.90 – and looks like a ridiculous tablespoon helping) to go with the Ga Xao Xa Ot. Other than the obvious disproportionate stir-fry to rice ratio, the aroma of fresh peppers and lemongrass really get the juices flowing. A bite into this releases the delicious flavours of soft spices with an imperceptible sweetness. The slices of red chillies give you the option of removing any unbearable heat from this dish. My hubby would also recommend the Singapore Noodles (mild curry flavour) - he liked the touch of this dish served on bamboo leaf. For me, this dish took me back to my childhood, with mum serving up something similar and just as yummy.
For dessert, I have only tried the crème brulee (with ginger). This is an odd one, because this is a classical French dessert that I can proudly say I can make myself. If you’ve never tried one before, then you have never lived! It’s a creamy vanilla custard that feels oh-so-smooth in your mouth with a crunch from the broiled sugar top - my favourite dessert of all time. Tampopo’s version with ginger sounds kind of, erm, yuck. But give it a try. The ginger is barely sharp, rather, just adds a slight texture to the creamy silkiness.
This place suits the adventurous type, seeking Far-Eastern cuisines in the comfort of a cosy dining space filled with conversation, laughter and soft taps of chop-sticks. The prices do not compliment the portions, but as a one-off experience… I would highly recommend Tampopo.
Things I have tried:
Starters
Sesame Prawn Skewers (Malaysia) £4.95
Three skewers of grilled marinated king prawns topped with toasted sesame seeds & served with fresh lime.
Thai Spicy Prawn Crackers £1.95
With sweet chilli sauce.
Goi Cuon (Vietnam) £3.75
Fresh rice-paper rolls filled with vegetables, glass noodles & Asian herbs, served cold. With Soy & Ginger or Nuoc Cham dips.
Main
Singapore Noodles Singapore £8.75
Rice vermicelli with prawns, chicken breast, spring onion & carrot, with a mild curry flavour.
Com Hué (Vietnam) £6.95+
Wok-fried rice from the imperial city of Hué, flavoured with sesame seeds, lemongrass & coriander.
Ga Xao Xa Ot (Vietnam) £6.95
Chicken breast, green pepper & carrot wok-fried with fiery red chillies & lemongrass.
Dessert
Crème Brulee (with Ginger) £?
Ratings
Ambience = 8/10
Food = 8/10
Service = 7/10
Speed of food = 6.5/10
Restrooms = 7/10
Alcohol: unfortunately served
Alcohol: unfortunately served
Price: 5/10
Room For Improvement
- Larger portions and smaller prices would go down well with anyone. Or just price dishes that suit the portions, although the former is (naturally) the preference.
References
- Halal and Allergies Menu: http://www.tampopo.co.uk/pdf/allergies.pdf
oh wow this sounds like a place I must visit sometime. I have never been and reading you entry makes me feel as if I'm already there. I can smell, hear and taste it! Though I'm not too sure if my fussy style of eating would be suited to this place - but the Ga Xao Xa Ot sounds divine! I wonder if they do lamb chops? I've just checked out the menu, thanks for providing the link. There is a lot of sea food, which I avoid like the plague lol. But this would definitely be a place I would try! Great review! Honest and informative!
ReplyDeleteI came back to UK after 3 years and I was pleasantly surprised to find the majority of Trafford's restaurants offering atleast halal chicken. Me and my husband love Tampopo. We've tried Pad Krapow, Sesame Prawn Skewers, Prawn crackers, Nasi Goreng in our 2 visits. Besides the freshness of the ingredients, the taste and the atmosphere, I have become a big fan of their customer service. Very nice experience the 2 times we tried.
ReplyDeleteHello Fatima, thanks for giving your own experience of this place. Hands down, Tampopo is still my fave place to eat in Manchester. they branched out to London (Fulham Broadway), but unfortunately, they closed down due to lack of customers I guess... London is missing out. Thankfully I moved to Manchester from there to discover this place!
ReplyDeleteHello, the only thing that makes me apprehensive to try these fine restaurants is their halal claim. As mentioned by the reviewer, a shoddy attempt was made to display their halal claim. I wonder, how much an effort, such a business would put in to understand the sensitivity of the issue or in fact to enforce the claim. To me, it seems like an effort to acquire more customers for their business. It would be nice if the reviewer could also somehow authenticate the halal claim to provide us with a more inclusive review. In my opinion, the main concern here is to ensure halal food, the quality and taste is a secondary consideration for most people who abide by the halal principles.
ReplyDeletehalal is evil and cruel ..
ReplyDeleteHow so ya eejit meats meat
DeleteIs ttebokki on the menu
ReplyDeleteThanks and I have a swell offer: What Renos Add Value house renovation business
ReplyDelete