It can't be every restaurant that can claim to have had an elephant as one of the star attractions at its opening, but Zouk Manchester did. Alright, so it was a baby elephant and it was on the stage not the menu, just in case anyone gets carried away in reporting this unusual event.

Zouk specialises in the traditional Asian eating experience. Located opposite the BBC building in Chester Street, off Oxford Road, Manchester it could hardly be in a better position to bring its up to date approach to an ancient and respected cuisine to a wider clientele. And as the saying is - it's BIG! 4.5 thousand square feet big to be precise, which means that some 200 covers can be accommodated using the mezzanine and al fresco options.

Manchester is a boom city with plenty of heart and a reputation for enjoyment. Zouk's contribution is going to be another cog in the wheel of pleasure in a city where they work and play hard.

A menu of extensive proportions provides opportunities for even the most exacting customer to find what they want. Add to this the use of the sigri charcoal grill, look for the S logo against menu items, and you have healthy eating with flavours fully retained and fats burned off. Many of the main ingredients will not be unfamiliar to diners, but given the distinctive Zouk touch they take on new dimensions.

Starters could include tandoori haddock, or king prawns marinated with olive oil, crushed cumin and coriander seeds. The tandoori mixed grill involves chicken imlee, seekh kebab, lamb chops and chicken drumsticks. Chicken livers are cooked on a tawa Asian griddle after being marinated with crushed chillies and lemon juice.

Asian food has always been well orientated towards vegetables, long before vegetarianism became an issue, and the paneer tikka, spicy Indian cottage cheese with herbs cooked in tandoor is one of the most attractive starters on the menu.

Cooked in a karahi bowl from the tandoori foundries of the Khyber Pass, this is Indian cooking in one of its most traditional phases, using lamb, chicken and king prawn with plenty of ginger and garlic, crushed peppercorn and cumin seeds. Zouk's steaks are marinated with special herbs, spices, served with handcut Maris potato chips and selection of garden vegetables.

Seafood features strongly, and amongst the real delicacies is sea bass, marinated with special herbs and spices and served after gently grilled over the pani sigri. Lobster thermidor is prepared out of the shell, then the whole delicious mix of succulent meat, panfried with mustard, onions, mushrooms, garlic goes back into the shell to be covered with cheese and grilled, before serving with a selection of rice and sautéed vegetables - indeed a dish fit for a king.

People of good taste are turning increasingly to a wider interpretation of what drinks complement fine Indian cooking, so whilst King Cobra, Red Storm, freshly squeezed juices and smoothies or lassis, not to mention our own much loved Black Sheep all appear, there is a sensible selection of distinctive wines that are able to blend well with the widely spread flavours of Asian cuisine.

Zouk does not stop at food and drink, so check on their Website for such events as Bollywood Nights or an Asian comedy night. And the elephant? Made it safely back home after a thoroughly enjoyable night out. Magic!