The Spärrows
Manchester, Greater Manchester
Entry
That jaunty umlaut is a refugee from the German word spätzle, which is what this strongly supported European venue in Manchester's Green Quarter is all about. Hand-made dumplings might have awaited their moment in the sun, not least as they have conventionally been thought of as wintry food, but their culinary geographic range – as owner Kasia Hitchcock will tell you – extends from southern Germany to Trentino, from Alsace to the Swiss cantons. Their Slavic cousins get in on the act too, in the form of pelmeni and pierogi, and the cognate tradition of filled pasta such as ravioli is referenced too. It's all in the careful hand-crafting, and the matching with a range of upstanding sauces: tomato; sage butter; Emmental and braised onion; chorizo, cherry tomato and spinach; bolognese; guanciale. Sharing boards are limitlessly adaptable, even if the only person you are sharing with is yourself ('you can dine alone here and feel perfectly comfortable,' reports one reader); a selection of cured speck, or Swiss cheeses with spiced apple chutney, adds to the sum of human happiness. With sauerkraut or dill cucumber on the side, there is certainly plenty of bite. Sweet spätzle made with brown sugar, butter and cinnamon might see you home, but if the instinct has waned a little by then, go for Earl Grey panna cotta or Frangelico-laced tiramisu. Wines from Alsace and northern Italy are beacons of quality on a list that matches flavours expertly with the fortifying food.
Dining Information:
Wheelchair access, Parking, Family friendly, Dog friendly, Deposit required
16 Red Bank, Green Quarter, Manchester, Greater Manchester M4 4HF
0161 302 6267
