THERE'S a new Evuna, scheduled to open this summer in Knutsford. It’s the first time Jane Dowler has ventured outside Manchester city centre after plans for Liverpool and Hale collapsed.
But it’s full steam ahead for an imaginative transformation of the former Smallbone store at 46 King Street (pictured below). At 110 covers it’s the biggest yet. Both the original Evuna, opened on Deansgate 15 years ago, and its Northern Quarter sibling are much smaller and regularly have to turn away hordes of punters at weekends.
At the new site the first floor will be given over to a more formal restaurant, with booths in the back room, leaving the ground floor as more of a walk-in wine bar, both devoted to Spanish food and wine, which will have its own basement showcase. This is viewed through a glass pavement, a relic of the time when the four storey building housed a bakery. A retractable roof is also planned for the courtyard at the rear.
Areq Milanowicz, who has worked in some starry Spanish kitchens (check out his Valencian black rice above) will share exec chef duties between Knutsford and the Thomas Street branch with front of house there Natalia Samsoniuk also moving across to steer the new branch.
It’s all very exciting for Jane Dowler (above), who stepped into the restaurant business by accident 15 years ago. Her mother Frances set up the wine business in conjunction with her then partner Manuel Evuna (hence the name) and Jane stepped in to run the show after he left.
“I had a business degree and a commercial background, but nothing prepared me for running a catering operation,” says Jane, who later a ran a yoga school above the operation as well as launching the NQ branch three years ago.
“We have planes for further expansion after Knutsford, but we want to get this one right first. It is a step in the dark for us but veery exciting. As far as we can see there is no other place to eat Spanish in the town.”
Knutsford looks a perfect venue for one of Evuna’s regular wine tasting events. The next one up, at Deansgate, is a tutored tasting with food, featuring the highly regarded wines of Bodega Azuaga in the Ribera del Duero.
The winemaker is coming over to present the firm’s wines, primarily reds, in what promises to be an outstanding event on Monday, March 6 at 6.30pm. Tickets £35 a head. Book via [email protected] or call 0161 8192752 to book tickets.
At the last Evuna tasting, hosted by Natalia Samsoniuk, the pick of the organic reds from Finca Loranque’s La Mancha estate was the Cencibel 2013, spicy with herby red fruit, and refreshing acidity. It costs £14 to take out and £26.50 to drink in.
Evuna Knutsford, 46 King Street, Knutsford WA16 ADT. Keep up to date with works progress at @Evunamanchester and via Facebook.