WakuWaku

Manchester’s WakuWaku is the UK’s only “2D” Japanese restaurant and one of a mere handful in the world – New York, Berlin and Singapore, at last count. 

But what exactly is a 2D restaurant? Are you about to step into a physics-defying Who Framed Roger Rabbit world where food is a mirage and time is a flat circle? 

Relax, weirdo, no. Wakuwaku means “exciting” or “pleasing” in Japanese, and the look of this Portland Street restaurant is both very exciting and very pleasing. It’s all about that monochrome comic strip style: white backdrops with thick, cartoon lines on everything. And we mean everything – floors, ceilings, tables, the lot. 

Think your job is hard? Hong Kong-born owner Chris Lui drew every single line by hand before the venue opened in 2023, staying up to 3am many nights over the course of months to get the job done.

But enough about the (undeniably dazzling) decor, we come to dine. Happily, just as much attention has gone into the design of the dishes. 

The assorted sushi platter is a steal at £19. The produce is bright and full of flavour – twelve pieces, starring all the greats: salmon, tuna, sweet shrimp, sea bass, clam, octopus, caramelised crab stick, tobiko, spicy salmon and tofu skin. It’s freshly chopped, freshly rolled, and all the better for it.

Fancy dipping your toe into the latest viral trend? WakuWaku’s signature omurice is a showstopper. For the TikTok-less out there, this is “omelette rice”, as in fried rice, wrapped in lightly-cooked, soft-centred egg.

Want the ultimate omurice? Get the version with a whopping great eel plonked on top. Not since the glory days of legendary restaurant Umezushi has Manchester had such perfect unagi. The glaze is the right kind of sticky – sweet and salty – while the eel itself melts beautifully under the knife. 

It’d be remiss not to mention the drinks. The Mount Fuji Float (lychee soda with vanilla ice cream) and the Summer Paradise (mango, coconut, popping candy) might look like something Del Boy would order at a fancy Butlins holiday camp – all neon colours and dramatic layers – but tastes altogether more subtle and sublime. 

This is WakuWaku in a nutshell. Easy on the eye, with drinks and dishes that more than live up to the looks. Kawaii meets washoku, all the way down.