Slap bang in the middle of Manchester’s bustling city centre, Namii Kitchen & Cocktails is one of the coolest Vietnamese restaurants around. Enter through the flower-adorned entrance and you’ll be greeted by stylish interiors and a buzzy atmosphere. Diners here can perch at the bar for drinks, settle into a cosy booth for two or feast as a group at one of the larger tables. Murals, neon signs and more flowers decorate the space, with modern lighting dangling overhead.
To drink, there’s a cracking selection of punchy, exotic cocktails to try. The Vietnamese Garden, for example, is a clever mix of Haku vodka, Cointreau, Muyu jasmine verte, lemon, apple and Thai basil. From the ‘fire’ selection, meanwhile, there are spicy creations like Tengu’s Wrath, which blends rum, maple syrup, mango, red sake, Thai red chilli and egg white. For larger groups, there are sharing cocktails like gin and sake-laced Hi-Tea, while classic cocktails are on hand for purists.
While you peruse the expansive food menu, nibble on tasty snacks like beef jerky laced with garlic, galangal and chilli or sweet pickled cherry tomatoes infused with eight exotic herbs. After that, you’ll enjoy a truly awe-inspiring feast. Highlights include honey-glazed BBQ pork, crispy wok-fried squid with Namii secret sauce and mussels laced with garlic, Thai basil, coconut, lemongrass and shao xing cooking rice wine. Seafood lovers shouldn’t miss the king prawns and soft shell crab with spicy soy black garlic sauce either. Pho, the quintessential Vietnamese noodle soup, is on the menu too, featuring either flame-grilled chicken, dry-aged beef or a plant-based version.
Finish with a gloriously sweet dessert like banana fritters, mango sticky rice or various sorbets and ice cream. Be sure to keep an eye out for special deals and events, Namii has quite a few of them going on.