Review on Manicomio
Following the success of their Chelsea restaurant, Manicomio's owners recently planted their feet in the City, and opened this outlet in a three-storey, Norman Foster-designed edifice in a side street near St Paul's cathedral. Like its elder sibling, this is a multi-part set-up involving a ground-floor deli/café, a full restaurant and a cool sophisticated lounge bar up on the top floor. It is as slick as can be and is already a great weekday draw for the suits that work in the neighbourhood.
Italian chandeliers, minimalist colours and some flashes of post-modern industrial chic set the tone in the main dining room, which also has the bonus of splendid - if if slightly giddy - views of the cityscapes. The kitchen imports much of its produce direct from Italy and there's a fondness for free-range and organic stuff and the result in an array of sassy dishes - expect tartare of wild sea trout, buffalo Mozzarella with a salad of figs, roast organic chicken with borlotti bean ragů or olive-crusted pollock with deep-fried courgette flowers.
Puddings are emphatically Italian, from lemon polenta cake or chocolate tartufo to yellow peach and vanilla cheesecake. The impressive 100-bin wine list scours the Italian regions for good drinking, but also gives the nod to other countries, notably France, Spain and Australia. Beers and cocktails are the drinks of choice upstairs in the bar.
Manicomio is also featured in: Hardens, AA Guide
Rate this RestaurantCuisine
Italian
Chef
Tom Salt
Restaurant Opening Times
Lunch: 12.00 - 3.00pm Mon-Fri
Dinner: 6.00 - 10.00pm Mon-Fri
Accepted credit cards
Visa, Master Card, American Express
