Azuma

Azuma Manchester is a Chinese restaurant known for its hot pots. The fragrant broth must entice diners all the way to Hulme because it’s often packed.

Azuma Manchester is a Korean restaurant known for its cook-it-yourself grills. The sound of sizzling brings hungry customers all the way to Hulme because the place is often packed and the special built-in BBQ tables are limited in number.

Both of these descriptions are true. Yin and yang, if you like.

The Korean BBQ side of the operation is a disappointment – but only because you’re lucky to get a seat at one of their self-searing tables. For a very reasonable price, you can sizzle away just about anything, from intriguing white fungus to tofu, chicken gizzards to pork belly. It comes with plenty of kimchi, just in case your BBQ skills leave a little to be desired.

The Chinese hot-pot side of Azuma is another cook-it-yourself job. The kitchen staff must have an easy life here. Choose your broth, with options like pig bone soup and mixed mushroom, or indeed choose your broths as you can get a split pan for the undecided. Very, very yin and yang. Then, again for a very reasonable price, choose what you’d like to simmer – everything from scallops and beef to giant kelp and weird and wonderful mushrooms which rather put the baby button variety in the shade.

If you don’t want to cook for yourself there is also an offal-centric a la carte menu but it’s the DIY dishes which bring the crowds. How come cooking at home is never this much fun?

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