The day after Erst, we had lunch at The Spärrows.
We arrived by taxi. Driving down the road, the driver looked around and asked, is the address right? Then we saw the sign on the brick wall, and a smaller one by the door. Ring the bell. It sits in a railway arch on Red Bank. From the outside it looks like a warehouse, and it is easy to drive past.
Once inside, it is one big room with a counter, and a cosy industrial feel. With only three other guests there. We got suspicious. An empty restaurant is never a good sign. How wrong we were.
And for once, decent chairs. That is not a small thing.
The Spärrows is run by a couple. She is Polish, he comes from Trentino in northern Italy. That explains the menu. Spätzle, gnocchi, pierogi and pelmeni. It holds a Michelin Bib Gourmand.
My wife was keen on the spätzle and educated me on what it was, like so many times before when it comes to food. A fresh egg noodle from southern Germany. The name means little sparrows, which explains the sign.
Spoiler alert, chicken that I am, I chose pasta bolognese. You know, like choosing from the kids’ menu.
We started with the speck board. Ham from Alto Adige, focaccia and pickles. The focaccia was excellent, and a nice break from all the sourdough. We ordered more of it.
Both very happy with our dishes. For me the ragu and the pasta were sublime. It looks simple. Something you could throw together on a Thursday evening. The hard part is getting it just right. This was perfectly made.
My wife had her spätzle with chorizo, cherry tomato, spinach and cream, and was very happy with it.
The wine is another story from Erst. The list leans towards northern Italy, mostly Trentino and Alto Adige, which makes sense with an owner from Trentino.
The rest comes from around the Alps and further east. Austria, Poland, Croatia, Georgia, and a few bottles from Switzerland. There is also a sake list, which I did not expect next to the spätzle.
We chose an excellent Swiss red. The good ones are hard to find outside the country. The The Swiss do not make much wine, and almost none of it leaves. They will sell you watches, chocolate and cheese.Â
The Swiss keep the best wines for themselves.
We did the only right thing and bought a bottle to take home.
With so few guests, the man looking after us had plenty of time to talk. About other restaurants in Manchester, and about how they make some of the dishes. An empty room has its upsides.
Another excellent restaurant, good flavours and service. We would go back, but perhaps for dinner, for a little more buzz.
Almost every restaurant we have visited, in one list → The Restaurant List
