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Restaurant Review: Evuna NQ, Manchester

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Evuna NQ – Slices of Spanish Sunshine

Evuna NQ’s a corner of non-descript scruffy buildings, not doing justice to the hidden charms inside. The NQ hipster enclave of Manchester has far more than its fair share of exciting places to eat and drink; despite stiff competition, this charming tapas restaurant is worth seeking out.

Evuna NQ’s lunch-time menu of three tapas for £9.90 with slightly reduced wine prices offered decent value. In short, all six tapas dishes were wolfed down. The menu was limited and ultimately predictable; but, as everything served was tasty, nobody cared. Unless against your religion, it is a sin to not eat the spicy chorizo in red wine. Even if it is, take one for the team and get it down you – I was on my hands and knees praying in gratitude. Even the house red provided an excellent match, making me glad I was alive. The calamari was perfectly reasonable but lacked colour, while his best buddy aioli did him proud. The meatballs were meanly portioned but nicely spiced, and served in a purposeful tomato sauce. Some further meat on a stick managed to be both juicy and well caramelised. Everything was generally as it should be; Evuna NQ left me feeling alright with the world.

Evuna NQ created a relaxed yet very tasteful atmosphere, provided by the solid wooden furniture, exposed brickwork, and soft lighting. While the staff were all warm, welcoming and happy to help. The danger of Evuna NQ lunch visits is the wine is too tempting to leave. I’m less inclined to go for dinner – this was food to nibble at – not feast on. Still, Evuna NQ was a touch of sunshine, in a permanently drizzly spot.

Evuna NQ
Review Summary

Atmosphere 8    Cost 7    Quality 7    Service 8

Evuna NQ Manchester Restaurant Review
The usual suspects…

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Restaurant Review: El Rincon de Rafa, Manchester

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Tucked Away Tapas

Despite looking like a carpark’s back entrance, the inside was full of understated character. As with people, it’s the inside that counts, and El Rincon certainly had charm. It was nothing like the nearby industrial-glitz of Spinningfields, but that’s not a criticism. El Rincon de Rafa was a restaurant full of life, densely populated by eclectic diners, resulting in a buzzy, cosmopolitan atmosphere.

Our party rightly ordered most of the tapas menu. Everything was decent – the clean plates spoke for themselves. Credit should be given to El Rincon de Rafa’s kitchen for their speed and consistency, but the food didn’t leap from the plate with vibrancy. The standout dish was easily the Chicken Livers in Sherry which should be required eating. Sherry is such a versatile ingredient; I don’t know why I don’t drink or fry stuff in it more of often. I’d suggest avoiding the Crab Claws as they offered little to the palate, but you can’t go far wrong with anything.

El Rincon de Rafa’s Wine List was exclusively Spanish – which may force customers into unfamiliar territory – which is rarely a bad thing. Both the lower priced red and white wines were well balanced and perfectly gluggable.

Given the portion sizes, most diners would eat three dishes and probably have room for a fourth. The tapas, along with a few glasses of their cheaper wine was approx £30 per head, which I considered average at best value for Manchester City Centre.

El Rincon de Rafa’s service was efficient and organised. All the food arrived surprisingly promptly given the number of diners. However, it wasn’t particularly cheerful despite a British friend ordering in fluent Spanish. Furthermore, we had native Spanish speakers with us, which I mistakingly hoped would increase the rapport.

Gushing TripAdvisor reviews report the tapas is staggering; it isn’t even the best tapas within the M60. However, El Rincon de Rafa is worth a visit for pre-theatre glasses of wine if nothing else.

El Rincon de Rafa
Review Summary

Atmosphere 8  Cost 5  Quality 7  Service 6

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Manchester

Restaurant Review: The Sparling, Preston

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The Sparling – Flying High

There’s something admirable about restaurants supporting local interests; The Sparling advised their “meat [is] brought in from Hamlets of Garstang, our superb sausages from Mr Pugh’s Pigley Farm, fresh fish from West Coast Seafoods in Fleetwood…” The Sparling’s menu was full of traditional offerings which frankly all sounded tempting, but with enough variety to remain intriguing.

The home made chicken liver parfait was made to look as presentable as possible, but is never the belle of the ball; regardless, it was delicious, creamy and full of flavour. Not dissimilar to Foie gras but lighter on the wallet and the bad karma. The black pudding, poached egg and hollandaise sauce were perfectly simple and simply perfect: the hollandaise was silky and sensual, dribbling over the rich dark bloody oats. The roast duck was satisfyingly crispy, served with sensational celeriac puree, and buttery truffle-mash the size of a fat woman’s overdue new-born. The roast beef was an attractive piece of cow; not ground-breaking, but tender and plentiful. The house red was pleasant, slightly peppery – as good as could be expected.

Unfortunately, The Sparling lacked life and was a little cold. However, a mid-afternoon visit was unlikely a fair reflection of their general atmosphere. The Sparling itself was tastefully decorated, predominately with neutral contemporary furnishings and natural finishes. Diners are given a substantial greeting and a hearty goodbye, with service being friendly and efficient throughout. The only minor gripe was being poured large glasses of wine as standard.

Based on the early-bird menu, Garstang’s The Sparling is probably the best value restaurant in the Preston area.

More of this, please.

The Sparling Review Summary

Atmosphere 5/10    Cost 10/10    Service 8/10    Quality 8/10

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