Over on Deansgate Square, Salvi’s has just opened the doors to its latest restaurant.
A far cry from the cosy settings of the family-run brands’ other sites, this swanky new spot is something of a behemoth with a large covered and heated drinks terrace, elegant restaurant, Italian deli, bar, private dining room and exhibition space spanning 3,000 square feet.
Nestled underneath the luxury apartments of the Square’s many influencer residents, it hasn’t been open long but already features in a number of glossy and carefully edited grid posts – the opulent plant-filled terrace bar has clearly become a popular choice amongst Manchester’s glitterati already.
A huge gold sparkly pizza oven sits centre stage in the open kitchen and reminds me of a disco ball, like Salvi’s has entered its party era.
This year marks a decade since owner Maurizio Cecco opened his family’s first restaurant in Manchester’s Corn Exchange, and this new site feels like a celebration of that.
Image: The Manc Eats
Image: The Manc Eats
Image: The Manc Eats
In the corner, an Italian deli is overflowing with gorgeous ingredients (all of which also feature in the dishes here) giving visitors the chance to pick up top-quality Italian meats, cheeses, oils, vinegar and more to take home.
A large table in the middle gives it a family feel, with a variety of different gelato flavours sitting on display close by behind a glass cabinet.
Keen to see how its new restaurant stands up against other Salvi’s in the city, we paid the new site a visit to check it out – and left, three hours later, full to the brim and grinning like idiots.
Serving everything from cichetti to contorni, Italian cakes and gelato, the menu here is just as expansive as the site itself.
The wine list is, as you’d expect, predominantly Italian, the cocktails similarly styled – a sweet and refreshing limoncello spritz, a Campari G&T, a sweet, Frangelico-spiked espresso martini.
Image: The Manc Eats
We dig into huge plates loaded with the softest prosciutto di parma, gorgonzola drizzled with honey, smoked mozzarella peppered with sweet heritage cherry tomatoes, and Southern Italian grilled cheese with a sprinkle of balsamic, all designed to show off Salvi’s gorgeous imported produce.
Next, a giant bowl of mussels swimming in a rich and ever-so-slightly spicy tomato broth plops onto the table – adorned with slices of fresh bread, encouraging some hearty dipping as we attempt to soak up every last morsel of the shellfish’s accompanying sauce.
Pasta follows, and we dive into two of the restaurant’s best-selling dishes – the pistachio pesto-laden pasta Nonna Teresa is an instant hit, the molten pork fat from its guanciale (pork cheek) all juicy and salty, adding beautifully into the mix.
Another bowl, this time of baby octopus and spicy sausage paste pasta polipo ‘nduja, is rich and bright, its salty morsels of cephalopod cutting through the tomato base.
Suffice to say, the quality is just as good as you’d find in the Corn Exchange or the Northern Quarter restaurants, or in Italy itself, for that matter.
Image: The Manc Eats
Full to the brim but unable to resist dessert, we finish on a beautifully-light pistachio cake served with a dusting of iced ricotta on the side, joined by that aforementioned silky sweet hazelnut espresso martini – a heavenly pairing, even if your trousers are beginning to strain at the waist (as mine are).
It all feels very glamorous, but with that warm, friendly Italian service – keenly suggesting this, enthusiastically encouraging that – that reminds you you’re in a neighbourhood place, and they really want you to enjoy their food.
A beautiful new addition to Deansgate Square, we highly recommend you pay them a visit – and grab some goodies to take home on your way out.
Feature image – The Manc Eats
Food & Drink
Beloved bowling bar to close after 12 years ahead of major transformation
Daisy Jackson
Dog Bowl, a bowling bar that’s been part of Manchester’s bar scene for 12 years, will be closing for good next month ahead of a major rebrand.
The beloved bowling alley will be shutting down on 16 August to make way for Wynwood Lanes, a new downtown Miami-themed venue.
It’s promising ‘pool-side party vibes’ inspired by Miami’s vibrant Wynwood district, famed for its bold geometric murals, neon lit streets and 24/7 energy – but bowling lanes will remain as part of the venue.
The bar will offer five upgraded bowling lanes, east coast playlists, celebratory smoke machines and upgraded lighting effects that bring every strike to life.
That’s alongside new pool tables, basketball hoops and a coconut shy.
Taking over the kitchens at the Whitworth Street venue will be Kong’s NQ, who’ll be serving up fresh Cuban sandwiches, meat-filled arepas and fried chicken tacos.
Wynwood Lanes will also feature a bottomless brunch menu every Saturday and Sunday from 30 August, with Miami brunch plates and bottomless drinks for 90 minutes and bowling packages available too.
The drinks menu will star cocktails inspired by Miami – think frozen margs, fruity daiquiris, and coladas.
By day, you can expect poolside cocktails, low-fi tunes, and a laid-back atmosphere – with children welcome until 7pm, Sunday to Wednesday.
But then by night, Wynwood Lanes will be all about drinks offers, late night snacks and a late night playlist.
Dog Bowl has been part of Manchester’s nightlife scene since 2013, and was acquired by gaming bar NQ64 in 2018.
Now it’s ready for its next era as Wynwood Lanes.
Credit: The-Vain – Carl Sukonik – @thevainphotosCredit: The-Vain – Carl Sukonik – @thevainphotosDog Bowl is closing in Manchester to become Wynward Lanes
Matt Robson, Co-founder of Wynwood Lanes, said: “We went and sat in Dog Bowl recently and just realised we weren’t proud of it anymore – (especially the name, we no longer want to compete with pet shops on Google).
“Wynwood Lanes will bring something new to Whitworth Street and we’re buzzing to crack on with it!
“We have a hit list of passions from a trip to Wynwood in Miami and built a space that brings together the things we love – drinking rum and tequila, smashing avo on toast with Cuban coffee for brunch, tacos and fried chicken at night, playing and watching basketball, sharking people at pool and partying late into the night…”
Bowling prices will start at £9 with food and drink add-ons while you bowl available.
Wynwood Lanes will open at 4pm on Friday 22 August.
Featured image: The-Vain – Carl Sukonik – @thevainphotos
Food & Drink
The old fire station in Salford that’s now home to a bakery, brewery and bar
Daisy Jackson
A former fire station in Salford has been turned into a bustling base for some of the North West’s finest baking and brewing talents.
The Old Fire Station, right beside the University of Salford, is now operating as a bakery, brewery, bar, cafe and restaurant.
That means pastries, bread, pizzas and even beers are made within a few feet of where you’ll be eating and drinking them.
The space is beautiful, still boasting those gigantic red fire station doors and the traditional ceramic tiles that would have been here when the space was still home to fire engines instead of bread mixers.
Around half of the pastries coming out of the bakery, headed up by Erick Molero Delgado (his CV includes top bakeries across the USA and Europe), are completely vegan – not that you can tell from looking at their glossy, laminated layers and extravagant fillings.
We’re talking perfectly cubed laminated brioche with sweet maple flavours, mini pizzettes with olives and tomatoes dotted inside a pastry wall, and striped pain suisse stuffed with nuts and chocolate.
Then there are the not-very-vegan-at-all pastries, like a spandaeur, which is like a croissant and pastel de nata hybrid, and thick slices of Basque cheesecake.
There are new signature ‘Salford bagels’ too developed by assistant head baker Scott Shannon, which are a fusion of North American, German and Jewish styles, fermented for up to 48 hours with a crisp outer shell and a chewy centre.
A spandaeur pastry and a pain suisseHeirloom tomato bruschetta on sourdoughThe bakery line-upThe ‘Salford Bagel’ with smoked salmon
We had ours stuffed with smoked salmon, cream cheese and capers and raved about it all the way home.
Erick says: “Our new menu is a true labour of love by the whole team – from early ideas and experiments right through to the final bake.
“If someone has an idea, we run with it. That creative freedom is priceless. It keeps the work exciting, and it means our customers have the opportunity to get something fresh every time they visit.”
As for the beers, they’re all made on site too – on the opposite side of The Old Fire Station is Lark Hill Brewery, headed up by Jack Dixon, who’s able to experiment and explore new flavours in this top-spec microbrewery.
Jack Dixon in the Lark Hill BreweryLaminated briocheThe Old Fire Station bakers at work
There are experimental beers, sometimes made in collaboration with researchers at the University, as well as true-to-style classics like a New England Pale Ale and the Lark Helles, a fresh take on a classic German lager.
Jack said: “Having the autonomy to design and brew what I want, without limits, is rare and exciting,.
“It means every beer we pour here has a story and a personality. We’re proud to bring something new to Salford’s craft scene.”
This summer, they’re launching New York-style pizzas, made on slow-fermented, hand-stretched pizza dough.
And very little goes to waste here – the trimmed-off croissant pastry is now being turned into their own croissant loaf, which they’re whipping into French toast for the brunch menu.
Everything at The Old Fire Station is crafted with talent and love, and you can really taste it.
Georgina Pellant -
2nd July 2022 
