Manchester's best, worst kept secret: Tampopo

I need to talk to you all about something. It’s probably one of Manchester’s worst kept secrets, but even the thought of this being a potential secret, kills me. I can’t keep secrets to save my life...

Last night I had the pleasure of being invited over to Tampopo in the Corn Exchange for an extra special dinner. The Annual Golden Chopsticks Awards are just around the corner so Tampopo put on their best frock, plumped up its feathers and put on a magnificent array of their work. I use the word ‘work’ rather than ‘food’ because it is so clear that David Fox, the owner of Tampopo, is so immensely proud of what is produced in his kitchen. It’s only fair to call it his work.

Tampopo will pick you up, put you on a plane and take you on a journey across East Asia; Thailand, Vietnam, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore and Japan. Each destination has a distinct taste and style. David draws in, not only on his own experiences and travels but uses other experts in his field; I happen to know that Chef Will Meryik (Owner of Mamasan) has travelled from Bali to work with Tampopo on some new mouth-watering creations.. but that’s top secret, Shhh! (See, told you I can’t keep a secret).

To begin our East Asian adventure, we were presented with the ‘Vegan Sharing Platter’: Mushroom Lettuce Wraps, silky soft sticky Tofu, Corn fritters with the lightest batter you’ve ever tasted, Jackfruit Rendang & Roti Slices and a Smacked Cucumber Salad. This cucumber salad came out with mains too and I could have kept on chomping on it all night; Please make sure you add this accompaniment to any of the dishes you order. For something so small they packed a huge punch. I’m all about texture with my food (it’s why I didn’t eat Mushroom until my late 20s.. I know. I missed out on so many different Mushrooms, but that’s a different type of story).

Onto the next destination on our adventure; the salads; Funnily enough this is where David came to life. He told us about the flavours and why each Salad had the ingredients they had. The Japanese Salad: Remaining true to its origins there were no overly complicated spices or tastes in this one. Ginger, Soy and Sesame are the delicate flavours here. Much like Japanese culture, this dish has been kept uncomplicated, original and humble.

The Vietnamese Salad: David has chosen ingredients and flavours for this salad that elevate and complement each other. This is to replicate the French Colonisation of Vietnam. The Vietnamese people had to learn how to live with new people on their lands and learn their culture. This inspired them to learn new ways of cooking that added a new layer of sophistication and harmony to their food.

The Spicy Thai Fruit Salad. Never in my days would I expect that a plate of fruit could hide such an experience. As if stepping off our Tuk-Tuk and into the streets of Bangkok, you are immediately hit with its bold flavours. The Sweet and Sour fighting with one another in your mouth. You can taste the salt from the fish sauce. This is quickly followed up with another huge punch from the Chilli and curry pastes. A perfect assault on your senses. You can smell the flavours pouring from this dish before you even pick up your fork. Out of the salads, the Thai Fruit salad was my favourite. I may even be tempted to give up some of my poor snacking habits if I knew how to make a fruit salad like that…

Diving swiftly over (and into) our soups; As an absolute fangirl for Katsu Curry & Udon Noodles, can you imagine my delight when we were given a Katsu Udon Soup. You’ll probably notice that every pub and club will be trying to serve Katsu Curry these days, but very few do it well. Katsu Curry is Tampopos best seller, so it makes complete sense that they have taken this success and popped it into a soup! Your chicken breast (or Sweet potato for veggies) is coated in a panko breadcrumb which sits on a bed of udon noodle. This is surrounded by the most flavoursome katsu soup.

A newcomer on our journey joined us from Singapore; The Laksa Soup. This was served with Chicken & Seafood. I have a slight confession; I’m not the biggest fan of fish soups/broths/bisque/chowder/whatever else you can call them. That said, this was the soup I went back in for seconds of. Yep. I demolished the juicy prawn that was precariously floating atop this bed of coconut broth. Hidden in the depths of the broth and nestled between the noodles were chunks of tender chicken that had soaked up the mint and lime flavours to deliver you a mouthful of happiness. Both soups were hearty, warm and left my lips with a light glow (Ok, my lips were on fire, but that’s ok, it was worth it). Perfect for what was a really rainy cold January evening.

As if I hadn’t eaten enough, we then rolled onto the next stop; The main dishes! Straight from the Wok and landing in front of my second stomach came the Nasi Goreng. Wok-fried rice, MORE Chilli, cucumber, a scattering of zesty lime and then topped with its crown jewel; a runny fried egg. Remember I was wittering on about texture earlier? Well, this Nasi Goreng is accompanied with a side of crispy onion flakes. A stroke of absolute genius in my eyes. While the flavours in the Nasi Goreng could stand alone, the added crunch helps to add another, unexpected, level to this dish. Absolute comfort food. Nasi Goreng is a staple dish and I’m told that it is eaten for breakfast, lunch and dinner sometimes. I can see why.

The Nasi Goreng was not alone on this stop though. He brought along his friend; KING PAD THAI! If, like me, you have no idea what a King Pad Thai is I have very thoughtfully added a picture.

Imagine a little mountain of soft rice noodles, beansprouts and tender shreds of chicken. Again, drawing in on his inner Thai, David tells us that traditionally Pad Thai is covered with an omelette. So, true to form, the King Pad Thai we had was draped with the fluffiest, tastiest omelette on top. That is a King Pad Thai. That is what dreams are made of... Yes, I dream of food too...

I feel that you and I are now on a level where I can let you in on a secret (mostly because this feels like a secret better out than in); I didn’t get to try the Thai Red Duck. I decided that a second helping of both the Pad Thai and Nasi Goreng were necessary… The Duck did, however, look magnificent. Cooked to pink perfection. Standing very proud, glistening in its coating of Thai Red Curry.

As I sat, undoing my top button, contemplating how much food I had just consumed I pulled up to the final stop on our adventure; Desserts. A sweet dish of Mango sorbet (made with real Mangos nonetheless) adorned with a mint leaf. This refreshed my exhausted palette.. and helped make a little extra room for the incoming Roti Pancake.

Why have I never had a Roti Pancake before? A flaky pancake thoughtfully dusted with cinnamon sugar and drizzled with condensed milk. An absolute gamechanger for me. Move over lemon and sugar pancakes, there’s a new Pancake at my house!!

As I sat sipping on my Vietnamese coffee (Coffee with more of that gloriously sweet condensed milk), wondering how many sit-ups it would take to get rid of the calories I had just consumed, my imagination whisked me away. I looked around at my surroundings and felt like I may be in a backstreet café in Hanoi. At the entrance of Tampopo, you’re met with the most illuminating neon signage. When you go inside, you take a sharp right, go down the stairs and underground… You’ve then found the best, worst kept secret in Manchester.

That concludes our gastronomic journey of East Asia. Thank you to David and your team. It was an absolute pleasure to meet you. I cannot wait to see what you and your team come up with next.