Spring has finally sprung, and we are back on our quest to find the Curry Mile’s finest falafel! This week’s edition of Xavazine’s best (and only) weekly column, Falafel Friday, took us to Manchester Fresh Shawarma, which sits right at the heart of Wilmslow Road.

Upon arrival we were enticed by the menu, and we were naturally excited by the promise of a £3.50 falafel, an excellent price, which we eagerly purchased. Value for money was high this week – a naan made to order, decorated with a huge helping of falafel covered in a range of the standard salads and sauces. Manchester Fresh Shawarma delivered the crispiest falafel we’ve encountered on our quest so far, so much so that the structural integrity of the meal was left in the balance. It possessed an unusual bite to it which we were pleasantly surprised by definitely giving this establishment a delicious level of nuance. Alas, even from the start of the wraps, it became clear that this would be a messy one, with heartbreaking levels of spillage leaving chunks of crispy falafel strewn down the mile. It appears we are yet to find a restaurant that can truly master a structurally sound wrap.

This establishment left us disappointed on the ‘vibes’ side of things although admittedly, they did not have lots of soave to work with. The decor was lacklustre, seating options were limited but still present which earns points, and the presence of a ladder and a stack of cardboard boxes left the room feeling more like a building site than a fine eatery. Instead of eating in, we opted to take our food to a nearby Park and eat in the glorious March sunshine, lapping up the first of many golden spring afternoons.

On the whole, Manchester Fresh Shawarma may not be a falafel restaurant in name, yet they still provided a competitive level of quality to their dish. Boasting one of the lowest prices in relation to portion size and bonus marks for freshness with both the naan and falafel cooked to order. In terms of proximity, this week was perhaps our longest trek, all of 0.3 miles according to Google, yet still easily walkable. Worth the walk-in terms if taste and a uniquely crispy texture but our old nemesis structural integrity reared its ugly head again this week, letting an otherwise wholly delicious meal down and similarly with the in-house vibes.

FINAL SCORES:

VALUE – 5/5

TASTE – 4/5

PORTION SIZE – 4/5

STRUCTURAL INTEGRITY – 3.5/5

PROXIMITY – 3.5/5

VIBES – 3/5

OVERALL – 4/5