Evuna boasts two restaurants within Manchester city centre, and rightly so.
You’ll find one in the quirky Northern Quarter, which I went to, and the other a stones throw away from where I live just on Deansgate. Naturally when my friend asked if I wanted to go and learn about wines and try their amazing tapas selection there wasn’t a hint of hesitation in my response.
We arrived to a quiet afternoon lunch sitting, with what looked like a few regulars sitting at the bar chatting with the staff and we took a seat by the window to watch the rainy day pass us by. Sometimes in a place like this you can be made to feel like an outsider when entering, but not here. The staff beamed, welcoming us to the room and quickly brought over a menu. The decor is mainly dark woods and rustic patterns, with a few tiles on the wall that kind of reminded me of a holiday home kitchen that you would find abroad, which makes you feel instantly relaxed as if you’re in a home away from home.
If you’re feeling something a bit more substantial they do have a large selection of tapas at reasonable prices to choose from, however we found a “light” bite from the three tapas for £9.99 menu and went from there. We had near enough everything of course.
Mon – Sat 12:00 to 18:00
Sunday 13:00 to 21:00
Albondigas ( Meatballs)
Hot chorizo red wine
Chicken in creamy paprika sauce
Chicken skewers
Beef skewers
Empanadilla de Atun (tuna pastries)
Calamares
Spanish Tortilla
Fresh mixed salad
Patatas Bravas
Pan Catalan–tomato garlic bread
Now as you can imagine, the wine selection is varied so I took my favourite sommelier with me to choose what to drink and he didn’t disappoint. We had a fruity Sangria to start, which was a very light version of the popular drink. Served with a straw, this added touch made me feel like I was much further away than the gloomy Manchester and somewhere authentic.
The delicious sangria was followed by the biggest glass of Rioja that I have seen since the glass I was bought in University that would fit an entire bottle in. My usual tendency with wine is to get the glass, sip and sip until it’s all gone- which I have now found is WRONG ON SO MANY LEVELS! According to the experts, it is best to let the wine sit and swirl it around to bring the flavour out. I didn’t truly believe it until I smelt and tasted the wine before and after and the difference was tremendous- I would highly recommend learning more about wine if you want to enjoy it better.
The staff were attentive and I remember them as always smiling, however none of them overly stood out to me. They were there at the right times to bring new drinks and clear the table, but wouldn’t say they would be shining brightly as the best waiters of the city.
With the food, we chose three dishes each to share and I couldn’t help but add on the tomato garlic bread on top. Something I would advise you eat quickly, as the tomato is incredibly fresh, but does send the bread soggy after too long sitting.
Now we get onto the good stuff… The calamari was something else. If you look above, this is probably the smoothest cut squid I have ever seen, and so much so I did question it’s origins. However, the dip to go with it was moorish and didn’t last long.
The chicken and beef kebabs were nice, which is the only word I can really find to describe them. Kebabs are kebabs and there isn’t really much that made them stand out to what you have at a bbq at home, other than the meat being more succulent. If you were to skip any of the dishes- this would be the one to ditch.
The best bits were these three beauties. The ‘hot’ chorizo was not hot in the slightest, but the sauce is something to shout about that complimented the wine well. Chorizo can sometimes be overly drenched in oils, which takes away from the flavour, but they held back and allowed the meat to soak in and release the natural juices.
The curried chicken was unusual as the spices that were matched were not the kind you would find in an Indian curry house, but the richer tones of a summer spiced dish and it is the type of flavour you don’t find often.
With the meatballs, you need some more bread to go as a side, as they disappear quickly from the bowl and then the sauce becomes the perfect dipping companion for anything you can get your hands on. I couldn’t get enough of it and if I wasn’t in public, it may have been a case of me drinking the stuff as if it were soup- seriously…amazing.
My least favourite part was at the end when my friend suggested a “nice glass” of Pedro Ximénez, for the non-alcoholic drink expert this is a sherry, which is something my palate probably just needs to get used to. It reminded me of the first time of trying alcohol and shaking my head with my eyes closed because of the after-taste. Now you wouldn’t catch me sniffing at a glass of wine like that, so maybe with time it will grow on me.
Overall, I would say it’s a contender for one of the best places to go for Tapas in Manchester if you want to go somewhere to catch up with a friend. The staff leave you to it, but bring food and drink when the perfect time arises and the price wasn’t too bad either. All together £30 each (2/3 drinks, woops!) and I left full and my taste buds enlightened. Let’s see if the one on Deansgate is just as good!
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