Having been out of the country (and therefore my home city of Manchester) for the last four years, I’m still trying to catch up on the latest trends and eateries to have hit the high street in my absence. Guys, there’s a lot.
Prezzo is one of the trendy chain restaurants that I hadn’t heard of before I set off travelling; they now apparently have over 300 in the UK, including three in Manchester alone. So when I was asked if I’d like to pop down and try out the new summer menu at their restaurant on Deansgate, I willingly obliged, and dragged Scott along with me too.
The restaurant itself is sleek and stylish, much more so than a few other high street Italian restaurants that come to mind, and I appreciate their monochrome colour scheme.
We perused the menu, which was overwhelmingly filled with pizzas, pastas and entrees, and decided to start with a couple of cocktails. I opted for the Aranciata with white rum, elderflower and San Pellegrino orange, which was really refreshing and slipped down a little too easily, while Scott went for a pick-me-up in the form of the Espresso Martini, which was nicely presented with coffee beans and had a smoky foam on top.
Then we moved on to appetizers. We decided to choose one item from the new summer range of dishes – the Superfood Bean and Goat’s Cheese Bruschetta – and one classic item – Mozzarella in Carrozza (fried mozzarella, because Scott had apparently been having a craving for it).
I liked the fact that the bruschetta was made with sourdough bread and that it wasn’t overly crunchy (oft the downfall of some restaurant bruschettas, because all of the topping falls off as you bite into it), although I was a little surprised that the toppings were cold. But as it’s supposed to be a summer dish (and a superfood one at that), it was definitely refreshing and not overly-filling, which is probably the point. As for the mozzarella, well, who can go wrong with fried cheese? Nobody, that’s who. Tasty in its simplicity and served with a tomato salsa.
We opted to try three different dishes for the main course, a) because we’re a bit greedy and b) because we honestly couldn’t make our mind up about what to order. The order was for Lobster and Crab Tortelli, a Duck and Sweet Chilli Pizza and a seabass dish that was on the specials menu.
The tortelli was creamy and a little spicy, with red chilli and spinach in the saffron sauce. There was just the right amount of filling and although I would have really enjoyed the dish had I ordered it on its own, it wasn’t the star of the show for me.
The pizza came with its own mini Prezzo pizza slicer – a nice touch, I think you’ll agree, if you’ve ever cut into a pizza with a knife and fork and had it nearly slide off your plate – and was topped with slices of duck, red onions and rocket, along with “roquito chilli pearls” – the main reason we ordered it. These “pearls” are a new addition for the summer menu and promised to be like little bites of sunshine in your mouth. And they didn’t disappoint. They were sweet and spicy and offered little pops of flavour when you bit into them. If I was Prezzo, I’d start putting them on everything, stat.
Next up was the seabass which, despite being a punt from the specials menu, ended up being the star of the meal for me. It was served with a Sicilian aubergine ragu which was tangy and rich, and which I could easily have finished a whole plate of. It also came with a side salad of courgette, rocket, mint and lemon, but I was far too stuffed by that point to attempt to eat anything healthy.
Having never set foot in a Prezzo before this experience, I would say that I was pleasantly surprised, by both the friendly staff and the selection of food and drinks – a breath of fresh air when it comes to chain Italian restaurants.
- 82-84 Deansgate, Manchester, Lancashire M3 2ER
- Open daily 12pm – 11pm
- http://www.prezzorestaurants.co.uk/restaurant/manchester-deansgate/
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