Unit 3, Mirabel St, Manchester, M3 1PJ
“I couldn’t come on a first date here – I’d just spend the whole time staring at the pasta”
We’ve been so excited about eating at the Sparrows, ever since it received great reviews from both the M.E.N and the Guardian. It is a small cafe-style restaurant which only seats around 12 people, hidden in an alley behind Victoria Station – over the road from Umezushi.
Looking at the menu online, you might be a little confused about this restaurant’s identity – the menu is a culmination of Italian, German and Eastern European plates, with dishes Goulash to Ravioli and even Sake to drink with your dinner. Despite this odd mix of cultural culinary treats, they all have the same thing in common – they were completely delicious.
We went straight in for three main courses: Pierogi Ruskie, Gnocchi with Bolognese and Spatzle with a cheesey-onioney sauce (..which apparently is very typical in Austria). The lovely waitress advised for us to start with the dumplings and spaztle first and they did not disappoint. The Pierogi dough was light and crispy having been quickly pan fried after being boiled, with a smothering of deliciously golden sweet onions, a dollop of soured cream and a sprinkling of chives. We’ve been to Poland and tried the best… but these were better.
It turns out that Spatzle is basically oddly cut, misshapen pasta strands which are combined with a sauce, in this case it had been intertwined with creamy emmentaler cheese and golden fried onions which just felt like such a hearty, warming dinner. It was something we’d not tried before but would definitely be trying it again.
Following two plates of deliciously rich carby goodness, the next course of Gnocchi alla Bolognese again was meaty and rich with flavour, yet light and fluffy as the little potato pillows just seemed to melt in your mouth. Truly brilliant.
For dessert we opted for Daz’s wifes brownies: we have no idea who Daz is, but his wife is onto a good thing.. They were chocolatey, moist, nutty and just perfect with the cream that is served on the side.
In terms of the price, we had 3 main courses, 2 glasses of wine, a dessert to share and two coffees to try and counter the carb-coma and all together it came to £41 – hence the reason we went right ahead and booked another table for next month once we finished. Value for money here is brilliant.
The atmosphere is lovely at the Sparrows: we were among just ten other people who could fit in there, listening to beautiful, soft Italian music with the door open and warm evening air coming into the restaurant. Despite being hidden down a cluttered back alley next to Victoria Station, there was something quaint, delicate and comforting about this charming little restaurant.
Overall, this place is wonderful for anybody who loves pasta, dumplings or indeed some heartier Eastern European dishes that we are yet to try. You could potentially try and do the food yourself, but you’d struggle to match the authenticity and pleasant feeling that you get when you visit here.
Food: 5/5
Atmosphere: 5/5
Service: 5/5
DIY: Potentially, but nowhere near as good.
Dos Gorditos 