Wandering Palate

“Purveyors of fine wine and indulgencies” is how Emma and Will Evans describe their place and, as a neighbourhood deli, bottle shop and cocktail bar complete with small plates, one-half of Food & Fish (the other being Butcher’s Quarter) Wandering Palate covers all the buzz trends.

The couple wanted to spread their love of all things food and drink and travel, sourcing luxury larder goodies to stock in the shop downstairs and turn into finger-licking “picky bits” (their place-holder name for the eats offer) to enjoy on site – there’s covered seating out front and a hidden gem pink-and-teal speakeasy-style cocktail bar on the first floor. Expect the best wines and beers, UK cheese and charcuterie, teas and coffees, and a host of foodie-friendly ingredients and kitchen must-haves to slip into your hessian tote and try at home. Eating in, and the choices include sharing boards of Northern Cure meats, Crafty Cheese Man dairy delights and sourdough bread fresh from the city centre’s Holy Grain bakery. There’s a super-special sandwich inspired by a trip to Pisa plus tartines; bread topped with goat’s curd, ‘nduja sausage and orange zest, or mushroom pâté and blue cheese, or Gorgonzola with anchovies. Depending on season, there’s the likes of venison and juniper carpaccio with salsa verde and Parmesan, or crab terrine with pickled cucumber. Think light lunch, think Italian aperitivo cicchetti, think Basque country pinchos, think tapas snacks. Drinks wise, and, with Will having his finger in the Manchester Union Brewery pie, at Wandering Palate there are craft beers, there are natural wines, there are spirits such as Salford Rum. Artist Emma runs a creative programme upstairs, with painting and photography exhibitions and even life drawing classes.

The cocktails are carefully curated, and have names such as Monton Rhubarb Society. The Worsley Summer Ball teams gin with orange blossom flowers, orange liqueur, lime, lemon and hibiscus lemonade; the Eccles Spritz mixes PX sherry, fig and sultana liquor, and Prosecco.

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