Northern Quarter neighbourhood eatery and bar Evelyn’s launched a new evening menu last weekend, and we went to try it out.
The easy-going, local café bar on Tib Street is well known for its daytime brunch classics and great Sunday roasts (served from 12pm), but now they’ve introduced a selection of refined, small plates which will be available from 5pm.
Most of the kitchen offerings are centred around a charcoal Inka Grill, with live fire cooking adding personality to the dishes – a slightly charred hispi cabbage tastes a hundred times better than a boiled one.
Evelyn’s new menu is very seasonal and produce-led to get the best out of locally sourced ingredients at their peak. This new selection of plates has been designed for sharing with plates of fresh vegetables, marinated meat and seafood with Levantine and Pan-Asian influences.
Fresh Tuna Tartare (£12) stood out against a backdrop of wonderfully chewy and dramatic black rice with a sharp ginger dressing that just caught the back of my throat (another great thing about Evelyn’s is that you’re never too far from a cocktail if you need a drink to stop a sudden coughing fit.) Thai Green Mussels with lemongrass, lime leaf, coconut (£12) straddled the line between comforting and healthy. They’re served with slices of that slightly dry European style white bread that’s ideal for soaking up sauces.
Tender skewers of chargrilled lamb (£4.90) with schezwan and cumin were a meaty highlight along with glossy chicken thighs with charred oranges served on a bed of giant pearl cous cous (£8). The small plates we tried were perfect for grazing and chatting over a few after work drinks but if you’re after a heartier evening meal, Evelyn’s also offer a classic cheeseburger stacked with salad, burger sauce and house dill pickles (£12) as well as a 6oz Rib-Eye steak with chimmichuri and mojo verde (£19.)
Green is very much a theme at Evelyn’s and their passion for vegetation extends beyond the plates to the restaurant interior. Whitewashed walls are lined with greenery and trailing plants to create an urban oasis hidden away amidst the grittier Northern Quarter setting.
Vegetables are treated like hero ingredients here and the menus will feature a regularly changing selection of seasonal plant-based dishes.
Autumn’s selection includes a hunk of charred Hispi cabbage with vegan miso butter (£6) and crispy kale and a salad of Jerusalem artichokes with ricotta, accompanied by a generous and surprisingly moreish smear of spinach and chive puree (£10.90).
Dishes we didn’t try this time but will more than likely return for included roast squash with labneh, and zhoug (£9.90), braised butter beans with beef tomato, sourdough and herb oil (£9), and beetroot with goats cheese, stone fruit and pecans (£10.50).
New autumnal desserts have also been designed with comfort in mind – although they’re generous in size so ask for two spoons per pud. We enjoyed a rich chocolate mousse with sea salt and olive oil, scooping it up with some chewy candied slices of croissant we could have eaten a billion of (£7.) Evelyn’s version of Key Lime Pie is a cross between some of our favourite puddings, all rolled into one delicious citrus-edged idea; part brûleé, part cheesecake, part ice cream bundled into a neat dish, rolled in rye biscuit crumbs and topped with shards of crunchy meringue (£6.90.)
As ever, the Evelyn’s drinks menu boasts a rotating selection of natural, biodynamic and organic wines, as well as refined classic cocktails and some Evelyn’s originals. Staff are both laid-back and friendly and attentive and there always seemed to be someone passing by our table at *just* the right time.
Those in the know looking for a pre or post dinner drink can head downstairs to The Daisy – one of the Northern Quarter’s best kept secrets. The subterranean cocktail bar is open from Thursday – Sunday serving a carefully curated list of signature and classic cocktails in a chic and intimate setting.
Evelyn’s much loved all-day brunch menu will still be available until 4pm daily with the new evening menu taking over from 5pm. A few new autumnal additions including Za’atar mushrooms on sourdough and a seasonal update to their popular souffle pancakes with honeycomb butter.
Walk-ins only until 4pm. Bookings can be made from 5pm.
View the full menu and book a table at Evelyn’s Café Bar, 44 Tib Street, Manchester, M4 1LA.
Follow @evelynscafebaron instagram.
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