New restaurant: German spatzle experts The Sparrows opens near Manchester Victoria Station

It may be less of a hidden gem than it used to be, but Umezushi always struggled for neighbours as it plows its high quality furrow under the arches near the Manchester Arena. Luckily for them, new South Tyrolian restaurant, The Spärrows, has joined the arch foodie community (in fact, it’s Umezushi’s Kitchen In An Arch that they’ve set up in). The restaurants name comes from one of the foodstuffs that will be available, Spätzle, which translates as sparrow, due to its shape. The fresh pasta is served in several ways, including a simple butter and sage, or emmental cheese and onion, or a more decadent creamy tomato sauce. You will see why the food was intended for those ready for a big day of mountain hiking and skiing. With sauerkraut and dumplings on offer too, the spread of food from European nations highlights their idea of ‘beyond the borders’ cooking as well as the background of the two owners Kasia Hitchcock, and Franco Concli (from Poland and Italy respectively), maybe even some gentle lessons on getting along with other countries in there too.
Open from 10am in the morning, The Spärrows is more than just hearty dinner fare, and the scrambled egg breakfasts or focaccia sandwich lunches make the arches even more enticing even more of the time.

Now open, The Spärrows, Unit 3, Mirabel Street, Manchester M3 1PJ. Tel: 07711 300116. Tue-Sat: 10am-10pm, Sun: 10am-4pm, www.facebook.com