I had very mixed feelings about visiting Rosso. Firstly, I was brought up with Rugby Union and Formula One, with only national football games ever making it onto the TV. So the restaurant’s football related fame, fell on deaf ears.
Then I’d heard grumblings. Service, meals, little moans, niggles, grumps. Much as I like to go into a restaurant ‘cold’ and visit with a blank slate, it was impossible to do.
Arriving flustered from both spin class and the dash over I was greeted by a sea of calm. Staff stashing my bag, a handsome chap singing classic swing in the bar, I could await my date and select a drink from the 5 for £5 cocktail menu (bargain). Ordering a Cosmo Nero, with blackberries, cherries and vodka, Keeley rushed in and ordered her own, the Rossini – a twist on a Bellini, with strawberries and bergamot.
Much more relaxed, we could be seated at our table and explore the menu.
Unsurprisingly as the name hints, the menu is Italian in style, with little twists here and there. So as you can imagine, making a decision takes a little while.
Keeley spotted the slow cooked pig’s cheeks in Parma ham before I did. Darn it. Served with prunes and a treacle jus, the pork is so tender and soft it’s beautiful. The ham is crisp and works very well with the moist meaty pork and the sticky soft prunes are a foil to the saltiness the ham provides.
I chose mozzarella with roasted vegetables and rosemary foccacia. The mozzarella was so very fresh – soft and milky on the inside, coated in grated lemon zest and black pepper atop seasoned softly roasted vegetables and rich focaccia to mop up the olive oil.
Onto mains and now the choice gets even harder. Chatting with the waiter, he recommended the seafood on the menu – one of his favourites was the monkfish and so I heeded his advice. This arrived buried in softly cooked cherry tomatoes, which mingled with fat black olives and a hint of chilli heat. The fish was perfectly cooked – just on the cusp of done, the sauce finishing the process.
As a side dish, I added some Lyonnaise potatoes and noted the waiter nodding in agreement. When they arrived, I could see why. Buttery, rich, slightly sticky – they are dirty in a good way and with the acidity of the tomatoes and salty olives… Forgive me. I’m drooling a little bit.
The garlic and herb lamb with pan fried gnocchi had, apparently, been distracting Keeley ever since she’d examined the menu ahead of our visit and so was her choice of main. She adored it – and it’s easy to see why. Tender lamb, cooked to your preference, sweet sticky sauce, suited her sweet tooth perfectly. The gnocchi – soft on the inside, pan fried to crispiness on the outside made it a lovely rich dish. As a side, a bowl of crisp fries continued our carb fuelled meal.
And so to dessert – and again a difficult choice. Keeley eventually settled on the chocolate torte, which, in spite of my lack of affinity with chocolate desserts, was very very good. Looks can be deceiving and this was much lighter than expected, with a delightful melt in the mouth texture.
It’s at this point, I must point out that our neighbours, in a rather When Harry Met Sally moment, exclaimed rather loudly over her prune pastry dish. I cannot of course, vouch for how good it was, but had we not already ordered, we’d have uttered those words…. ‘I’ll have what she’s having’.
However, I had already ordered – orangeflower sponge, with stewed rhubarb, patisserie cream and rhubarb glass. The Madeira sponge was a surprise and not an unpleasant one – rich, heavy, it’s a style of cake I know and love as my mum used to bake it for me every birthday. It’s richness lifted by the orangeflower alongside the sharp rhubarb, vanilla cream and bitter glass hit every tastebud in turn.
Verdict? I’ll happily come back. Though it’s a little expensive for me to head over to on a very regular basis, the service was great, the food fabulous and the cocktails…? If you get chance to try the Capri Collins, you should, anything that involves gin and a scoop of lemon sorbet is a good thing in my book.
I’ve given this place a wide birth since the infamous AA Gill review which, If I’m being honest, I found hilarious. Plus the heavy handed Manchester United Red/Rosso nonsense has always had a whiff of the naff about it. However, your balanced and warm review has piqued my interest somewhat. I think I might be increasing Mr Ferdinand’s bank balance very soon.
Goodness, perhaps you’re Manchester’s answer to Mr Gill. You should consider GFB Stocking as a new handle. It has a rather classy ring to it.
Thanks for the blog by the way, it’s always well written and a pleasure to read.
I recall that review well and the subsequent furore. Though I found it rather funny and indeed can probably find some of the characters as described in the city, I can just as easily do so in London, Liverpool and Birmingham.
I won’t state that Rosso is the best Italian in Manchester, as I certainly haven’t eaten in them all and to do so would be a sweeping generalisation, but the service, food and drinks were very good – all much more pleasant than I’d been led to believe from previous visitors.
For the comparison to AA Gill, I thank you, my writing is certainly not as flamboyant and wry as his, so it’s very flattering believe I have a fraction of that ability.
As for the rename? I’m not so certain. I suspect I may end up with a different sort of visitor than I currently enjoy.
If you do visit, please let me know how it goes.