Mana, located in a new building in the hip Ancoats area of Manchester, is the northern city's very own answer to Noma. Simon Martin trained at chez René for close to a year, and the experience makes its mark on tasting menus that favor fermentation and fire, Nordic and Japanese influences. The cooking is precise and highly aesthetic, set off by tactile ceramics and the cool minimalism of the lofty space. Sample dishes: Cornish crab chawanmushi; A5 wagyu with XO sauce and fried artichoke leaf.