Let’s face it, the majority of Manchester’s railway arches leave a lot to be desired. More often than not they’re gloomy and grimy spaces, permanently damp, and should be hurried past without so much as a glimpse into the darkness.
So it seems rather odd that one of Manchester’s most sought-after restaurants should be found in one such place. The Sparrows specialises in European pasta and dumplings, and, having first opened in 2019 on Mirabel Street, it now occupies larger premises in the city’s Green Quarter, tucked underneath a railway bridge.
It was listed in the January edition of the Michelin Inspectors Favourite New restaurants. Obviously, this is one very prestigious railway arch, and it’s where I ventured on a chilly Sunday evening in January.
READ MORE:
The first thing you notice about The Sparrows is that, well, you wouldn’t really notice it at all if you didn’t know what you were looking for. From the outside there’s a modest sign, with a few outdoor chairs and tables.
Most intriguing, there was no window and no sign of busy tables filled with diners chatting away. It was all very quiet.
Step through the door, however, and you enter a bright and airy space, painted in neutral colours with neat wooden tables. Despite a dizzyingly high ceiling, it was comfortably warm inside.
At 6.30pm on a Sunday night, the restaurant was nearly full, with around 15 tables in total. Maybe I was approaching it with the knowledge of the Michelin guide, but it really did feel that you’d arrived somewhere special.
Taking our seats the waiter asked if any of us had been here before and promptly explained how the menu works - you know you’re in for something a bit different when this happens. We were informed that all the dishes come in sizes ‘somewhere between a starter and a main’, and helpfully advised to select two dishes each.
This part is key to The Sparrows experience: if you’re seeking generous portions of pasta and bowls of never-ending spaghetti, then it’s not what you’ll find here. Instead the servings lean on the modest side, allowing you to sample more dishes in a tapas-style approach.
You can mix and match either Spatzle (short, stubby strands of pasta, whose name loosely translates to ‘sparrows’) or gnocchi, with a selection of sauces, the cheapest priced at £8. The rest of the menu features a range of meat and cheese-based dishes, along with Russian and Polish dumplings and sides. The most expensive item we ordered was the goulash, at £17.50.
We selected 10 dishes between us (bring a few friends with you - another tip) and chose to share everything. Refreshingly, there was none of the "everything will come when it’s ready’" spiel and instead the dishes are brought out in courses, as selected by the staff, so you have no idea what is coming and when, which adds a bit of theatre to the evening.
Among the first dishes to arrive was the special of the day - butternut squash tortelli with sage butter. The butternut filling was the sweetest I’ve ever tasted, with the salty-sage butter allowing it to sing. After we’d all nabbed a golden pillow of pasta we couldn’t help but scrape the plate of every last drop of the sauce.
Along with the pasta came the focaccia - which was very soft and not remotely chewy like it sometimes is - and borlotti beans. The beans acted like a palate cleanser with their zingy balsamic dressing.
After a comfortable break (long enough to build intrigue, short enough to not get hangry) four more plates were presented to our table. There was a creamy knot of spatzle with guanciale (cured pork cheek)on one, and compact pieces of gnocchi nestled in a chorizo and tomato sauce served on a second.
Fresh pappardelle with bolognese occupied a third plate while the fourth was the most surprising. It contained the tiny, crunchy-looking Russian style dumplings - Pelmeni - filled with beef and pork, coated in garlic breadcrumbs. I’d never tried them before and was much more looking forward to the Pierogi (the Polish dumplings), but these ones were so moreish I couldn’t stop eating them.
Another break followed and the staff were always attentive, regularly filling up our water glasses. Whether it was the soothing Scandinavian décor or a carbohydrate-induced haze, the atmosphere in the restaurant was relaxing, with no hint of stress or the feeling of being rushed.
More dishes soon arrived, and it’s here I wish to emphasise that we really didn’t know how they would be served, to the point where we’d even forgotten what we ordered. And that’s when the funny-looking pink sausage arrived on a bed of sauerkraut.
Verging on cartoon-like in its appearance, the sausage seemed a bit out of place. Yet it tasted delicious, made even better by the tang of the sauerkraut, the fresh dill-infused cucumber and the warmth of the mustard.
Then there were the Pierogi, big juicy steamed dumplings filled with sauerkraut and meaty mushrooms, served with creme fraiche. Rounding off this random assortment was the slow-cooked goulash with huge chunks of beef, cooked until tender in a velvety sauce, very much a dish you’d want to devour on a cold day.
A feast like this had to be polished off with something sweet, so we tackled the deserts. Considering every course managed to include some form of pasta or dumpling, it only made sense that the desert menu should feature it as well - and The Sparrows certainly ensures the theme continues.
They do a sweet version of their spatzle, this time served in a sweet cinnamon, brown sugar and butter sauce. Granted the plate didn’t look very appetising, but it was like eating a sort of deconstructed, melting cinnamon roll.
Our other desserts offered less novelty but still delivered in flavour. There was the interestingly named ‘Daz’s wife’s brownie’ which, should you choose, comes with a rather intriguing colourless beetroot liquor. How they manage to get it to smell like beetroot yet remove all elements of pink is beyond me. Meanwhile the classic tiramisu was creamy and light.
By the time we had finished it was 9.30pm on a Sunday night and there were still several tables remaining (clearly, none of us were Happy Valley fans). We left into the cold, wet and windy outside world, feeling rather full, but extremely satisfied.
The Sparrows, 16 Red Bank, Cheetham Hill, Manchester
For more of the latest What's On news, click here.
READ NEXT:
- The Rolls-Royce of pies and the warmest welcome at the UK's best pub, just an hour from Manchester
- Cheap as chips skewers, bullfrogs and the best sweet and sour ever at the Chinatown icon with special 'blue menu'
- The 1975’s Matty Healy orders Gallagher brothers to ‘grow up’ and ‘get back together’
- The restaurants and bars opening in Manchester this February
- Best free things to do in Manchester in 2023
