Step out of the chaos of Manchester city centre life and into a cosy and retro three-in-one, day-to-night venue. This is Side Street.
With its 70s-style interior, low lighting and homely furniture, Side Street meets multiple demands, whether that’s a quiet glass of wine by the bar, a sophisticated bite to eat in Side Store or live music in the Side Space.
Located in St John’s, a new menu created by self-styled sexy chicken specialist Tartuffe has a lot to offer. While the mix of casual dishes and high quality plates catches the eye, a conservative number of sharing starters was more than enough. Along with Studio 1 Shiraz Viognier, our starters comprised caviar hash browns, a baguette with lightly salted butter, and miniature Chicken Kievs.
As a pescatarian, I fall under the category of a picky eater. My dinner date had no such qualms. Thank god for a bezzie mate who could report back on the Chicken Kievs as “crispy, soft, filled with heavenly garlic butter that melts on the tongue, and exquisitely complemented by a glass of the orange wine [cramele recas]”. Meanwhile, the caviar hash browns brought a delicious balance of flavour, a warm crunch against the sourness of crème fraîche, niche yet classy, enhanced further by the bitterness of the red wine washing down these amuse-bouche.
For a place known for its rotisserie chicken, Tartuffe’s variety of vegan options was most welcome, in particular the Rotisserie Squash. According to the menu, this consisted of stuffed squash, Graceburn Feta, pearl barley, blood orange, pumpkin seed rayu, confit red onion and cavolo nero. Sounds fancy, right? Well, the soft creaminess of the squash contrasted the crispness of the kale. In modern slang, ‘this dish slaps’. 
Moving on to dessert, the host, Daniel, recommended the Black Forest Gateau, insisting it was worth the hype. With a digestive aid of peppermint tea in my belly, I soldiered on with chocolate sponge, ganache, morello cherry and chantilly. Without wishing to give too much away, I can confirm that it was worth it.
Overall, the vibe of Side Street is chic and inviting. It’s the perfect spot to detox with friends, a date, or by yourself.
Words and photos by Megan Bond
