Monday 9 June 2014

Salvi's Cucina, Manchester.

There are still quite a few places in Manchester that I've not eaten in yet and Salvi's was one of them. As they've just opened a proper restaurant (the original branch was more of a deli), I thought it'd be a good time to go for lunch.
I really like the slightly rustic old school interior with the Van Gogh style chairs. When you visit new restaurants as I do, they all start to look the same. This was like somewhere you'd go to on holidays down that little side street you found by accident. They have a prime location too, just off Deansgate opposite Bill's, (not yet opened) and Byron.
I don't often visit Italian restaurants, primarily because there are not that many good ones in Manchester. Despite there being seemingly hundreds of them, they all appear to have the same old clichéd menu and massive pepper grinders etc. Also it seems to be a cuisine I could imagine myself attempting to perfect at home with a bit of effort and the right ingredients (and I'm no cook). Although simplicity can be deceptively tricky. We do though have about 10 Jamie Oliver books in the house for some reason, which we never look at. (We also have The Silver Spoon which really is a wonderfully comprehensive Italian cookbook).
Salvi's do seem to have quite a bit of a following on social media. I'd heard very good things about their Parmagiana di Melanzane, (£8) so I ordered that without even looking at the menu. Lovely, simple and comforting like my mum never used to make (fish fingers, peas and chips for us in the 70's).
Knowing about this website (the camera is a dead give away), they sent out a Verdure Fritte (mixed veg) for me to try.
I asked them for a mains recommendation which was the home made Ravioli of the day (four cheese and Italian sausage, £13) which I really enjoyed.
It's  good produce and hearty food, nothing to knock your socks off but enjoyable all the same.
Very decent coffee.
The only problem was when the bill came I was slightly shocked as it came to £27.50 with a glass of house red. It was partly my fault as I'd not actually looked at the prices before hand, but I'd have guessed it at around about the £15-£20 mark. I know they have expensive rates and rents but I'm at a loss to see how it cost that much at lunchtime. I think they should offer a set menu at around about £10-£15, it's a very competitive market in town right now. For example, you can get three courses at the excellent Mr Cooper's for £19! That's for cooking on a level above this too. Or even three courses including a glass of house wine and steak-frites for £18 at Côte Brasserie.
However if you remove the price element, I did enjoy it and it makes for a refreshing antidote to those bland uniform Italian chains and it would still most likely be my Italian of choice in the city centre because it's an independent.
*Paid in full apart from the veg sample.
* Please note that since writing this review, Salvi's have indeed started a £15 set lunch menu. (2 courses and a glass of wine), which is great news and great value.
Salvi's Cucina on Urbanspoon

4 comments:

  1. They must have known you were going to say that because they have just announced a lunch menu for £15

    ReplyDelete
  2. Be fair as well - 3 courses at Mr Cooper's and you'd still need to have lunch somewhere else.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Ha ha! Yeah I know what you mean, but they do bread now ;)

      Delete