One of the most pleasurable aspects of eating out has to be taking precious time out of your otherwise busy day to unwind and decompress in what ideally should be a relaxing environment. This isn't quite the vibe at SakkuSamba, a Manchester-based Brazilian-Japanese fusion restaurant where diners are put on a stopwatch.
Adults pay £45.50 excluding drinks for the all-you-can-eat experience, while kids between the ages of four and thirteen get their dinner for a discounted £17.95. Those under four can eat for free.
Keen to see what this marathon-style dining would entail, Manchester Evening News' food and drink reporter Ben Arnold decided to pay a visit to SakkuSamba, accompanied by his 12-year-old daughter.
Diners are given one hour and 45 minutes to eat as much as they like, while tables of three are given two full hours. Upon arrival, Ben and his daughter were given an 'iPad-style tablet' to select four plates each before sending orders through to the kitchen.
In his article, Ben explained how diners are then locked out for another 12 minutes, after which they can go for another four orders. Those who over-order purposefully will be charged extra, so as to cut back on food waste.
He wrote: "The orders are called ‘rounds’ (yes, like a boxing match), and the first one is a blur. We're mashing at items on the screen with clumsy fingers and loudly asking each other questions - HAS THAT WORKED? HOW DO YOU FIND THE DRINKS? HAVE YOU SEEN DUMPLINGS ANYWHERE??!! - like we’re on the Crystal Maze and Richard O’Brien is playing the harmonica frenziedly behind us. It’s actually quite a lot of fun."
Although initially concerned that the first lot of orders would arrive in half an hour, using up a fair bit of his dining time, Ben was pleased to see the dishes on the table within 10 minutes. Sadly, in Ben's words, the food was 'not great'.
According to Ben: "The crispy beef should be renamed ‘leather shoe laces of beef’, though that might impact on the dish's order rate. The sashimi and sushi are fine, the sushi, painted with hot pink goo, is a particular hit with the daughter."
A second 'round' of orders, a variety of Brazilian meat skewers also proved to be a bit hit and miss. The picanha was said to be 'thin, grey and overcooked' while the lamb was reportedly just 'fine'.
There were however some notable highlights, including some 'excellent' spring rolls and some 'good' gyozas, and Ben much preferred the Japanese dishes over the Brazilian ones. He also praised the staff, who he hailed 'as credit to the business and to Manchester hospitality in general'.
Reflecting on his own experience, Ben encouraged future diners to remain calmer than they were while ordering, concluding that their one hour and 45 minutes was 'ample' time to eat their fill.
He added: "Turns out it’s a marathon, not a sprint. As long as you’re seeing this as a volume game, you shouldn’t really be too disappointed. You may even find it to be decent value, if you truly embrace your inner competition eater. But if you deem food to be a bit more than mere fuel, perhaps SakkuSambu isn't for you."
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