The Pasta Factory

77 Shudehill, Manchester, M4 4AN

In the shadow of Shudehill bus station occupies the old premises of Baekdu are a group of friends from Northern Italy who spotted a gap in the market for ‘pastificio’ and serve authentic pasta dishes to eat in or take away. 

The decor is no frills, but obviously we weren’t expecting any extravagance from a fledgling eatery. We did, however, find the lighting way too bright in there for an evening meal. Maybe buy a dimmer switch or a few lamps, guys.

First up we ordered a bottle of wine (I never remember to write down the name) which was reasonably priced at £12. It tasted fine, nothing special.

To start we shared a starter plate of antipasti (£7) which was made up of cheeses and meats. I seems to remember there being Salami, taleggio cheese and crackers. Nothing stood out and I found it rather bland.

For the main course, I decided on Reginette Al Barbera Con Ragu Di Cervo (£12) - homemade pasta with slow cooked venison ragu, topped with Parmesan. Now we’re talking - the pasta was superb. I don’t recall seeing any pasta in this shape - long textured ribbons that look like octopus tentacles. The slow cooked ragu was rich, flavoursome and a perfect consistency to stick to the pasta. I managed to try some of the Gnocchi Alla Toma (£11) which was creamy melt in the mouth cheesy potato goodness.

The service was laid back and friendly. I will definitely return to sample some of the other intriguing pasta dishes and the Italian beers on offer.