Lunch last Thursday was in a restaurant called Australasia. Where would you expect Australasia to be located, other than underground in Manchester?
And once inside there were more cool ideas:
The wine list was presented on an iPad so out of stocks instantly disappear. And if you are interested in a particular wine you can read about the grower, the grapes, the vintages, the tasting notes before you commit… The only problem was the branding: AA wine list. Surely Alcoholics Anonymous would have had something to say about that?
And how do you make water more profitable? Make it more appetising. We ordered what was billed as cucumber water and what arrived was a tall glass jug of chilled water, complete with an entire cucumber and all its goodness sliced lengthways. It tasted divine. And if you’d prefer an alternative, how about water with oranges and Thai ginger, or lemons and limes?
Simple, tiny, clever touches.
It seems that we’re not the only ones to be impressed. Matthew Norman’s review in The Daily Telegraph was very complimentary:
“The food was consistently good, and with more rigorous attention to detail would be outstanding. The menu is split between sushi, tapasy dishes so beloved of restaurateurs for their profit margins, and main courses. We went for four small plates and two mains, and enjoyed every one.”
Although unfortunately he didn’t like the iPad wine list much….
