SOME clever hombre at Taste of Manchester labelled the cluster of Spanish restaurants around Deansgate the ‘Magnifico Seven’ and the monicker seems to have stuck. Take a bow Evuna, El Rincon, Tapeo, La Bandera, Iberico, El Gato Negro and Lunya.
All seven feature in one of the stand-out events of the upcoming 2016 Manchester Food and Drink Festival – The Spanish Trail.
For two consecutive nights (Wed Oct 5 and Thu Oct 7) this tapas crawl celebrates the remarkable blossoming of Spanish cuisine in a copmpact area of the city centre, unique in the UK
At 6pm each night participants will gather in that centre of all things Iberian, the Instituto Cervantes – on Deansgate, the new Ramblas, of course) – for a glass or two of Cava before splitting into two groups, each led by a green badge guide. Trail One one takes in Evuna, Tapeo, El Rincon and Iberica; Trail Two El Rincon, Lunya, La Bandera and El Gato Negro. At each stop along the way a drink and a signature tapa will be served.
Tickets are £65 a head plus booking fees. Buy them here. Only 100 tickets are available across the two nights, so act quickly.
But if you miss out on the Trails there’s always mañana, with the MFDF offering a delectable array of further Spanish events. Our pick would be España Moderna with El Gato Negro on Monday, October 3. It’s basically a special menu created by chef/proprietor Simon Shaw, exploring modern and traditional flavours with suitable wine matches. We were privileged to get a sneak preview and it’s sensational – from a selection of appetisers featuring wafer-thin anchovy toasts and baby sardine fillets with raspberry through to a torched scallop wrapped in jamon iberico on puy lentils; from a ballotine of rabbit with dill and potato dumplings to the amazing ceviche of Gillardeau oyster, avocado puree and kimchi oil, pictured above (check out our full picture gallery below). Tickets cost £90 a head (inc wines). To book ring 0161 694 8585 or email [email protected]
Simon Shaw is also doing a chef demo at the Live Cookery Theatre at the Festival Hub in Albert Square at 2pm on Saturday, October 1.
The day after España Moderna exec chef of Iberica Nacho Manzano is back in town (Tue Oct 4) to demonstrate the culinary magic that has won him three Michelin stars in his native Spain. He is cooking a one-off Nacho & Friends game dinner in collaboration with Mark Poynton of one-starred Alimentum in Cambridge. This hot ticket cost £75 a head; book by email at [email protected].
Baratxuri In The City at the Festival Hub on Friday, October 7 imports the tastes of the Basque country that have been wowing Ramsbottom for the past 12 months. Joe Botham (nominated for Chef of this Year in this year’s Food and Drink Awards) and his team are specialist in pintxos, those tapas-like tidbits you nibble in the bars of San Sebastian and Bilbao. So expect thre likes of txistorra, a chorizo sausage roll, or txangurro a la donastiana, a spider crab tartlet. Tickets are £40 a head. Buy them here.
Wine, of course, is an essential accompaniment to Spanish cuisine. Evuna have long been standard bearers in Manchester, so their Focus on Valencia’s Wines on Monday, October 3 is irresistible for Hispanophiles seeking a taste of some exclusive imports. It’s being held in Evuna’s Northern Quarter outpost on Thomas Street. Tickets are £25; book by ringing 0161 833 1130.
