The Urmston restaurant with a name that comes with a big promise

The food scene in Greater Manchester continues to get better. We're seeing all types of cuisine from all over the world pop-up, adding to our never-ending list of go-to places.

It’s not just the city centre that’s embracing new restaurants and concepts either, with Trafford now boasting its own collection of hidden gems and must-visit venues. Subarashii is a relatively small restaurant in the heart of Urmston town centre, bringing a new sense of Asian culture to the town. When I first heard we were getting a new sushi and Asian-style restaurant in the area, I was immediately excited - it is absolutely something that has been missing from the food scene in Urmston that has seen so much change in recent years.

The venue now sits where Delmar Lounge Bar had previously been and Los Vinos before that. The Japanese word “Subarashii” translates roughly to wonderful, splendid or magnificent, so they’re immediately setting the bar pretty high.

As soon as you step into the restaurant you’re met with walls covered in stunning murals paying homage to Asian culture and really immersing you in the atmosphere the restaurant creates. It is not only the beauty of the restaurant that welcomes you in, but the kind and friendly staff who were incredibly attentive.

We visited mid-week so the restaurant was rather quiet, with just three other tables occupied at the time. I have walked past on a weekend and seen it a lot busier, but there just doesn’t seem to be that same buzz you might expect on a weekend.

Saying that, the quieter atmosphere meant the service was quick and staff were always available and ready to help answer any questions, explaining the many different options on the menu and giving us their own recommendations of favourite dishes. The menu is on the large side - so much so that we had to ask our waitress to give us a little more time to decide more than once. For me, that’s not necessarily a bad thing; the more choice the better.

But at first, it was a little intimidating. In hindsight, we ordered just a bit too much food, as the portion sizes were incredibly generous - and mind you, we both arrived practically starving.

But we just couldn’t help ourselves when everything on the menu sounded so good, especially with some new additions to the menu. We started with the Japanese Furikake Fries and, to be frank, there were a lot of them.

Admittedly, these didn’t exactly rock our world, but they offered a good mix of sweet and savoury flavours that brought something a little different to the meal. The fries were the first of our three starters, although pretty much everything ended up coming out at the same time.

We decided to test a classic and opted for the Duck Spring Rolls, of which you get four. As far as spring rolls are concerned, these were very tasty - not too greasy, with the duck being especially succulent.

We also couldn't resist trying the Chicken Katsu Boa Buns, with the buns perfectly fluffy and the chicken nice and crispy. You get a substantial amount of filling in the buns too, with various vegetables accompanying the chicken and delicious sauce.

Then, only a few mouthfuls into the starters, our mammoth main arrived. We were already struggling for room on our table for two, which perhaps should have been our first sign that we’d ordered too much, but our mouths were already watering at the sight of our sushi platter. The real star of the show was All Salmon Set, with all 21 pieces bowling us over.

For some reason, our set, which was meant to contain 20 sushi pieces, ended up with 21 - but we certainly weren’t complaining. This sharing platter included five Salmon and Avocado rolls, eight Salmon Makis, four pieces of Salmon Nigiri, and, finally, four pieces of Salmon Sashimi.

Sounds like a lot? It was.

But honestly, all that sushi for £26.50 felt like a bit of a steal, especially considering how good every component of the board was. To start with, the presentation of the dish was stunning, with the sushi laid out to create a flower, complete with additional flowers decorating the board. We were impressed from the moment the platter hit the table.

The set also comes accompanied by cucumber, carrots and of course, wasabi and ginger, which topped it off nicely. We decided to start with the salmon maki, which weren’t shaped in your usual sphere, but instead arranged in a way that created petals for the flower presentation.

This didn't impact the amount of sushi we were served, so both quantity and quality were very much intact as these pieces were delicious. I’m not usually a sashimi person, but the grade of salmon they use here truly makes it worth ordering some - and every bite was sensational. The same goes for nigiri.

I would never go out of my way to order just nigiri when there are typically so many other interesting concoctions, but again, the quality of the ingredients makes even the most basic pieces exquisite. The sticky rice was also soft enough that it melted in your mouth, but not so soft that it all fell apart when you picked it up - this was a structurally sound piece of food.

For me, the standout piece was the salmon and avocado rolls. They may sound basic, but the sriracha mayo and the tobiko - those little orange balls around the edge - really elevated the experience. However, this one divided us, as my friend much preferred the other pieces - describing this one as something possibly a bit too sweet for her.

This meant I was able to have more rolls and, as you can imagine, I was more than happy to take one for the team. So, the big question is did it live up to its name?

I would say so, despite a few problems that were admittedly our fault - the fresh sushi truly blew us away. If you are ever in the area, I would absolutely recommend giving Subarashii a visit. It’s a welcome addition to Urmston’s ever-growing food scene, offering plenty of variety alongside some genuinely incredible dishes.