The Spärrows had been on my radar for ages and each time I was in Manchester, I was going to go, then ended up not. This time though, I did manage to go and I am so happy I did. Now, the food was good but the service is where the restaurant shone. I love good service, I think it’s from living in Japan so long and it is quite hard to find in the UK in a lot of places.

It’s a bit of a walk from town – I’d say more Cheetham Hill than city centre, they say Green Quarter. We rang a bell to get in and a member of staff promptly greeted us, took the name of our booking (we’d booked online and paid a £20 deposit) and seated us. It’s very tranquil inside but has a great atmosphere, not pretentious or too quiet. It’s Japan-inspired so of course I felt right at home.

A member of staff came over and explained the concept, gave recommendations of pairings, etc. We opted to share dishes because why wouldn’t you try double the dishes rather than just stick to one? Sharing is the best and Brits need to get out of the habit of hogging and chomping down on just one thing.

We started with spätzle in a butter and sage sauce, accompanied by focaccia (actual focaccia, not just bread shaped like focaccia). Beautiful handmade noodles, the portion just right as it was quite rich. We also opted to have hōjicha because I was cold and I don’t really drink alcohol (perhaps one a year if I feel like I am being incredibly miserable in not doing so. However, it normally doesn’t bother me to come across as incredibly miserable.)

Next was gnocchi in tomato sauce which we had with a green salad in a pepper and lemon dressing (I think) and it cut through the cheese nicely. As a side note, maybe a criticism would be using cheese in dishes that don’t need it, I’m thinking of the butter and sage sauce.

They don’t rush you, so if you normally greedily shove your food down you like I do, you can’t. It is a leisurely meal, brought out dish by dish.

Next we had pierogi with cottage cheese and potato. I think this was my favourite and was how I found The Sparrows in the first place, searching for dumplings in Manchester.

Lastly, dessert – brownie and tiramisu. I would skip dessert next time and focus on what the restaurant is known for. They were fine but not for me.

So, if you’re in Manchester and looking for somewhere nice to go, this place ticks all the boxes. There were friends, couples, parents and their adult children, meeting the parents, all sorts of groups. I think anyone would fit right in and it is very reasonably priced. Our total was £50 which I couldn’t believe – I think I’ve lived in capital cities too long!
Emily