Tampopo Review: A Gem Hiding in Plain Sight

Of all the Corn Exchange restaurants, I’ve managed to avoid Tampopo year after year. There’s no shortage of Asian restaurants in Manchester, and nothing about it really drew me in. Everything about it feels understated; it doesn’t really have a character. That may not be a bad thing though: I’m in it for the food.

On my first visit, I came in for an early lunch. As I’m going through the menu, I noticed breakfast is served till 3pm. The Emperor’s Breakfast was a no brainer so I was quick to order. Unfortunately, no breakfast was served that day; problem with deliveries. I went for the Pad Thai instead, and knew I’ll be back another day.

King’s Pad Thai

The King’s Pad Thai appears this way on the menu: “Rice noodles, bean sprouts, peanuts, cabbage, egg, tofu, fresh lime, thin omelette.”

Nothing could have prepared me for this:

To be honest, I’m not sure what I was expecting, but I certainly didn’t imagine the whole dish to be wrapped in an omelette. That’s how every Pad Thai should look from now on! The sauce was a little bit on the sweet side, but other than that I wouldn’t change a thing. Beautiful dish, beautifully presented.

As promised, I was back a few days later for breakfast; the Emperor’s Breakfast.

The Emperor’s Breakfast

What do we have here? An Asian twist on the traditional English Breakfast: 2 fried eggs, 3 bacon rashers, 3 sweetcorn fritters, mushrooms, cherry taometoes, edamame, roti, served with Asian BBQ sauce. As you’d expect, it’s the sweetcorn fritters and edamame that make the dish stand out, along with the Asian BBQ sauce. I wasn’t blown away by any of it, and yet it was very satisfying overall.

I was also pleasantly surprised to find out Tampopo doesn’t serve Lattes or Capuccinos: It’s Vienamese coffee only. I’m a big fan, but I’m fairly certain it’s too sweet for most people: know your coffee before you order.

Prices

Finally, prices. Mains are pretty standard, mostly in the £13-18 range with the signature dishes hitting £20. My only complaint would be excluding the rice from the price on some dishes: As rice starts at £4, your £12 chicken Katsu Curry really starts at £16. And who doesn’t have rice with their Katsu?

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