| | | Vermilion Eastlands Manchester - our reviews |
| An Absolute Must For Seafood Lovers That Should Be The Best Restaurant In Britiain (Nov 2011) |
 "Exactly four years after those James Bond sliding doors 'swooshed' aside for the first time, Vermilion is still the most breathtaking dining arena in Manchester, if not Britain. The original cost of £4.5million since being increased further by upgrades and updates.
The menu has also been upgraded and updated to the point where it has moved from its original Thai/British fusion guise to become a more Thai/Indian fusion selection, perhaps reflecting the owner's Bangladeshi roots more.
And it is the owner's background that we recommend influence your choice of dishes.
Iqbal
Ahmed and his family own the adjoining Seamark company, which has grown to be one of the biggest shrimp importers in the world, earning him the nickname 'King Prawn'. Which also happens to be Vermilion's signature dish.
The Grilled Ocean Tiger Prawns (£17.95) are absolutely huge (right) and could be mistaken for lobsters at first glance. These very rare beasts are caught by Seamark's own two deep sea trawlers in The Bay
of Bengal and flown directly to the restaurant.
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The taste was as impressive as their size, however there was some guilt attached when, just after I'd taken my first bite, Dikendra, the excellent manager, informed me that they are proving almost impossible to catch and supplies are drying up.
Not surprisingly, prawns are prominent on the menu whilst the huge choice of fish and seafood dishes is as impressive and inviting as the decor which surrounds you. From a good selection of sushi and sashimi dishes to Rock Lobster (£19.50), Dover Sole Kraprow (£21.50) and Grilled Nile Perch (£19.50), the selection is as large as the Ocean Tiger Prawns themselves. We opted for the Pla Nung Manow Seabass Fillet (£17), which was cooked to perfection, steamed with lemongrass and
kaffir lime leaves and topped with fresh garlic and a chilli fresh lime
dressing (pictured left). It was as every bit light and refreshing as the menu promised.
The Grilled Supreme Scottish Salmon (£16) was equally expertly cooked, my Swiss friend still enthusing about the taste of it days later. Slowly grilled in Thai herbs and served on a bed of broccoli, asparagus, mangetout and baby corn, it tasted devine. The presentation however didn't fit the surroundings. Accompanied by a grilled half tomato, a slice of lemon and a sprinkling of watercress, it looked more Little Chef than Masterchef.
Indeed, that would be the main criticism of Vermilion. The food is undoubtedly tasty, using only the finest ingredients cherry-picked by the supplier themselves, however there is a serious lack of artistic presentation to the point where spillages on the plate are not tidyed away. This is very disappointing for a restaurant that obviously sells itself on incredible design and could quite easily be taken to the next level.
Celebrity Thai Master Chef Chumpol Jangrai no longer works in the huge kitchen but, whilst this obviously shows with the presentation, it would still be fair to say that the taste of the dishes may have actually improved on each of our subsequent visits. |
It's not all seafood at Vermilion though as my Lamb Massaman curry (£14.50) proved. The medium spiced sauce was beautifully rich whilst being gentle enough for my rather fragile stomach. It was delicious and certainly one of the best versions of this southern Thai speciality that I have enjoyed. Accompanied by the delightfully fluffy, if somewhat expensive, Jasmine Rice (£3.70) you could see why it was popular with the many footballers who visit the restaurant.
Although we didn't try it on this visit, Vermilion guarantee that their Kang Keiaw Kai Thai Green Curry (£12.90) is "the best you can get outside of Thailand". We're not too sure how they measure that boast and how many refunds they've had to make, but having learnt to make it at one of their Thai Cooking Schools (£60) a few years back, I'm looking forward to returning for that dish alone.
Likewise the Chicken Pasanda (£13.50), my favourite Indian dish, is one of the most popular choices on the menu and one I'll return for. Although I may have to leave more room for dessert next time. The Vermilion Surprise (£9.90) was a delicious mix of ice creams and fruits that my tastebuds just about overruled my already full belly to enjoy. The Warm Chocolate Cheesecake was also devine but, like most of the puddings, somewhat pricey at £9.
Generally prices are OK. At an average of £14.90 for the fish and meat courses, it's certainly worth it, although an extra £3.70 for rice, or £2.50 for nan bread does bump the price up somewhat. |
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All in all, Vermilion should be on everybody's 'Must Vist' list, especially if entertaining guests from out of town, as I was. The surroundings are simply breathtaking and the whole experience is memorable for the right reasons.
Despite eating at many other restaurants which sit above Vermilion in the Restaurants Of Manchester Top 10, my European guests still talk about this meal the most.
The service is professional, the prices affordable and the food enjoyable. It would be nice to see the Ahmed family pump more of their huge wealth into employing a highly accredited star chef to take the food to the levels the decor deserves. Either that or employ an interior designer to work alongside the existing chefs in the kitchen.
Remove the flash surroundings and you'd have a great Thai/Indian restaurant which you'd happily return to, regardless of its out of town location. With such stunning design however, you expect the food to provide you with the same 'wow factor' and it doesn't.
Vermilion really should be the best restaurant in Manchester, and also one of the best in Europe. From Miguel Cancio Martins' incredible design to Seamark's choice fish supplys, it has all the ingredients to become so. At present it is an incredible restaurant serving good dishes but in these circumstances, 'good' is almost a disappointment. ~ restaurants of manchester 15/11/11 (visited on a tues evening) |
food |
price |
service |
smartness |
overall |
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"disappointingly 'good'" |
"slightly expensive" |
"very good" |
"breathtaking" |
"should be best in town" |
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| 2 Miles Away From Being The Busiest Restaurant in the UK (Feb 2009) |
"No matter how many times you visit Vermilion - we went three times in three days - you can't help but be impressed by the breathtaking decor. Photographs don't do the place justice and if it's your first time here, we guarantee you'll be gobsmacked at the splendour of the James Bond like fittings. The food is as equally as impressive with Master Chef Chumpol Jangrai highly celebrated in his own right back in Thailand. The Vermilion Cookery School he presents has even got the backing of The Thai Government, with a large delegation flying over from the Far East for the course we attended. The menu is an array of Asian Fusion and Traditional Thai dishes with ingredients bought locally or flown over from Thailand. Iqbal Ahmed, the Bangladeshi owner of Vermilion, made his millions with Seamark (based on the same plot of land), importing seafood from the Bay of Bengal, so it's no surprise there's plenty of fish dishes on the menu. These are certainly worth checking out, even if the wholesale cost isn't actually passed on in the restaurant - although the most expensive dish (Whole Grilled Lobster) is only £25, and with a lunchtime menu at just £12 for 2 courses it's certainly affordable. The Fusion side of the menu also makes Vermilion worthwhile - Grilled Welsh Lamb Chop is cooked with lemongrass (£18), Chicken Tikka Massala comes with homemade spices (£10.50) and Grilled British Rib Eye Beef is served with a spicy tomato dip (£17). If we have any grumbles, the Exotic Rock Lobster (£19) was far too salty it killed the flavour of the dish, and the prices are generally more expensive than other Thai restaurants in town - although there's plenty of main courses to choose from around the £10 bracket, including the excellent Pad Thai Khoong Sod (£9.50). There's no doubting that if Vermilion was located in the city centre it would be the busiest restaurant in the UK. As it is, just a 5 minute taxi ride from Piccadilly, it's still relatively quiet enough for people to still be experiencing that 'wow' factor for the first time. Then again, having visited three times in just as many days - it still grabs our attention like it did that first time the paper thin doors automatically slid back to reveal a dining arena dreams are made of!" - restaurants of manchester 15/2/09 (visited on a weds lunch, thursday evening and friday lunch) |
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| An Impressive Flavour of Johnny Depp, Mick Hucknall, John Malkovich and Sean Penn in Eastlands (May 2008) |
"We've vistied Vermilion three times now; once for a quick lunch, once to entertain business clients and another for a romantic evening. On each occassion it has fitted the bill perfectly and delivered consistently good food and service. As you'd expect for a restaurant costing £4.5 million and designed by Miguel Cancio Martins, famous for Man Ray in Paris which is owned by Johnny Depp, Mick Hucknall, John Malkovich and Sean Penn, the interior is breathtaking. Cinnabar, the bar area above the restaurant is worthy of a romantic night out on its own with huge pods to relax in. The menu is a fusion of Thai meets British, with a great selection of seafood dishes, which, given the owner's shrimp importing empire, is certainly worth exploring. Indeed from my three visits, the Clay Pot of Baked Mixed Seafood (£12.50) has been the stand out dish so far. Presentation of the food is as impressive as the decor whilst the prices aren't as steep as I'd been lead to believe by some reviews. Main courses range from £8 (Chicken Green Curry) to £18.50 for the Exotic Rock Lobster Tails with Truffle Oil and Asparagus - another dish I tried and liked! At lunchtime, prices are even more tempting with a superb business lunch offer - only £12 for 2 courses with a varied selection to choose from including the Grilled Sirloin Steak served with sticky rice, which at this price is amazing value! Service is somewhat formal although, with the surrounding decor and sliding Japanese style doors, adds to the James Bond ambience. The highlight of all three visits though has to be the desserts, which are amazing. The Delicately Steamed Golden Bean Cake (£6.50, or only £3 extra on the lunch menu) and the Vermilion Surprise (£7) are to die for - the 'surprise' being the number of calories! Overall Vermilion is an excellent restaurant and whilst it sells itself as a destination restaurant, it's close enough to Piccadilly (only 5 minutes in a taxi) to offer a great alternative to city centre dining. With the superb Cinnabar upstairs it's very easy to make a night of it and it should only be a matter of time that Manchester's elite will be knocking back glasses of Hennessy Ellypse cognac at £350 a pop and scoffing the £120 Beluga Caviar with their Ferraris parked neatly in the car park outside. Not that the rest of us should be put off, there's plenty here to impress." - restaurants of manchester 28/5/08 (visited on a mon afternoon, weds lunch & friday evening) |
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