This Is London 11 Nov

22
MANITOBA
In a fiendishly competitive industry which sees countless
new launches every day, it’s often very difficult for aspiring
restaurateurs to make their mark. Innovation and passion can
never guarantee success, but they’re useful companions on the
journey towards recognition.
robustly cheesy undertone which, I
imagine, is Parmigiano-Reggiano.
Meat dishes include a trio of lamb
cutlets served with fried polenta chips
and a salmoriglio sauce. The lamb is
cooked to perfection (order it rare) and
the sauce (a combination of garlic,
oregano, olive oil, black pepper and
tomato) is utterly sublime. The desserts
are equally impressive. The panna cotta
is deliciously creamy with a strawberry
coulis and crunchy lemon streusel. The
elements in the tiramisu are perfectly
balanced with good quality chocolate
and delightfully moist sponge.
Presentation is excellent throughout.
Each dish is a work of art whether
served on a granite plate or a wooden
board, in a ceramic bowl or a glass
kilner jar. This is entirely in keeping with
the interior design which is bang on
Such qualities are demonstrated by
young brothers Nicola and Michele
Buono at Manitoba, their fledgling
establishment on New Oxford Street,
which is billed as the UK’s first Tigella,
Kitchen & Bar. For the uninitiated
(myself included), a tigella is a
traditional disc shaped stuffed bread
from the Emilia Roma region of Northern
Italy. I found the discs themselves (thin
and lightly toasted) a little
underwhelming, but the stuffings are
another matter entirely. The Burger T
(a Tigella with burger, confit tomatoes,
cocktail sauce and provolone cheese) is
fantastically good value at £2.90 and
very tasty. The burger has good texture
and is really juicy although it would
benefit from a touch more seasoning.
The tortellini, in a cream and parma
ham sauce, are little parcels of heaven in
a richly creamy sauce augmented by a
trend and straight out of the ‘restaurant
channelling contemporary art gallery’
school of architecture. In addition, the
staff and manager are absolutely
charming and eager to please. They
demonstrate a genuine degree of care
and faith in this new venture and I wish
them well.
Manitoba is open for breakfast, lunch
and dinner from 07.30 Monday-Friday
and from 11.00 at weekends.
David Hamilton-Peters
Manitoba
82 New Oxford Street, WC1A 1HB
Telephone 020 7436 8231
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