Serving delicacies to celebs from a culture few Brits know - our hidden gem taverna
29.07.2023 - 05:31
/ manchestereveningnews.co.uk
As a little boy, Arman Vardazaryan, proprietor of the Armenian Taverna, would open the windows on the balcony of the family home and look out on the distant snowy peaks of Mount Ararat, said in the Old Testament to be where Noah’s Ark came to rest following the great flood.
It was pretty inspiring. There’s a painting of it on the wall of his restaurant across from Albert Square, which has been serving authentic Armenian dishes since 1968, making it one of the longest-running restaurants in the city, alongside the likes of the Yang Sing and the Rajdoot over on the other side of the square.
You’ll have passed it hundreds of times - or you might be among its many regulars. Workers from the town hall, local politicians (though he has no time for such things), fellow Armenians, and increasingly Chinese and Hong Kong expats all flock to this hearty and wholesome menu. And a few celebrities over the years, of course.
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And there they all are, their pictures in pride of place on the wall as you head down the stairs, an old fashioned restaurant move that you simply don’t see enough of these days.
It’s a brilliantly mixed bag. Celebrated conductor Stanisław Skrowaczewski, who was at the Halle for nearly a decade. George Best. North West Tonight’s John Mundy. Eartha Kitt. American bombshell Caroll Baker. Matthew Kelly. Iconic drag queen Frank ‘Foo Foo’ Lammar.
More recently there was Armenian footballer Henrikh Mkhitaryan, United midfielder now at Inter Milan, who would come in regularly for a taste of home.
Nearly all the dishes on the menu - about 80% Arman reckons - are family recipes, handed down through the generations like magic