Manteca

British-Italian nose to tail

house-made ricotta

I usually avoid Italian restaurants in London as I found many to be underwhelming while charging silly money for simple dishes. Manteca label itself to be an Italian-inspired restaurant and for me, that is not something exciting at all. However, when I discovered one of the men behind the concept is David Cater of Smokstak, who is a legend of open fire cooking, this is a game-changer for me. Manteca champions nose-to-tail cooking using a whole animal, and that is clear to see on its menu, with dishes such as ragu, jerky, and sausages. What really caught my eyes are the grill dishes, with chops and whole fish, which is the main difference vs a standard Italian restaurant.

coppiette, roman style pork jerk

pig skin ragu, parmesan, crispy skin

tonnarelli, brown crab cacio e pepe

I got to admit my meal got off to a weak start with the pork jerky, it was so tough to chew and overly seasoned, very unpleasant. The pigskin ragu was much better thankfully, it was a clever dish that you would use the crispy skin to scoop up the pork ragu so the ragu was almost like a dipping sauce. The pasta of tonnarelli was pleasant but pretty much on the same level as many other pasta restaurants around London. What really impressed me was the grilled duck breast, it had a great depth of smoky meaty taste with a really tender texture. The seasoning was just right and I enjoyed the quince garnish, which added a sweet fruity tone to balance off the rich taste of the meat.

pork chop, kalibos cabbage

creedy carver duck, grilled breast, sausage

Apple cake and olive oil ice cream

My experience at Manteca was far from perfect, there were some questionable dishes, but as well as some really top-notch dishes, mostly sitting in the grill session. Interestingly enough at the same time, these are the less 'Italian' dishes, and I found the classic Italian dishes to be less impressive. I visited when it was newly opened so the service was a little slow, I waited for over 45 minutes between my starters and mains, not ideal especially when the restaurant wasn't even full. To sum it up, do come here for the grill dishes and the more interesting starters that you won't find elsewhere in a classic Italian restaurant.

Food 3/5


Average cost without drinks and services:
£45

49-51 Curtain Rd, London EC2A 3PT

https://www.mantecarestaurant.co.uk/