30 Years in the Making: Don Giovanni’s Reviewed

Italian chefs, Italian suppliers, Italian food; Don Giovanni’s – still got it at thirty.

When we are seated in our fabulous Veuve Cliquot/ Hermes orange booth by the exceptionally smart and attentive manager Ahmed, it is apparent that Don Giovanni’s does not just reserve class for it’s seating. We are treated with utmost attention and taken through the menu so as to guarantee we are going to get exactly what we fancy. Thanks to the walk-through, we of course do receive exactly the kind of food we headed out for in the first place.

My Mozarella Fritta (£5.95) which consists of deep fried buffalo mozzarella in a sweet chilli sauce (sundried tomato also available) is completely delicious and precisely what I was craving. The new additions of Bruschetta Al Funghi (£4.45) and Gamberoni Grigliati (an ample serving of grilled giant king prawns in a butter sauce – £8.95) are also gobbled up to resounding admiration. So far so classy.

Additions to the menu are small but monumental, and the dishes we enjoy between us account for most of these changes. The tweaks to the thirty-year-old restaurant’s menu are testimony to new Italian head chef Raymond who has moved on to the site on Oxford Road from San Carlo in Hale. After his starters delight us so greatly, we wait expectantly for what is to follow.

Chris barely has time to speak as he inhales the whopper of a T-Bone steak from the grill (£22.95), loaded with peppercorn sauce, while Aaron struggles to make a dent in the enormous portion of fresh lobster risotto (£15.95) he is served. Both are exceptionally impressed. The rack of lamb (£18.95) meanwhile, lives up to the kind of standard that is expected by the high class orange upon which I’m sat.

After the exquisite dishes created by the head chef descended from Milano and his chef’s own hands, the desserts come as a disappointment. It’s no secret that the finale to Don Giovanni’s meals are not made on site – the dessert fridge is clear to see – but compared to our top class savouries, pudding does land a little flat.

Thankfully, the cosmopolitan reputation that the restaurant exudes is rescued by the wide range of liquor that is available. Ask for a twist on the 1894 for a tipple that would not look out of place in a Bond movie, or an aviation for something equally as strong. For fans of fruity cocktails, the Bourbon Smash is excellent and refreshing.

Don Giovanni’s, we can confirm, has still got it. Flirty at thirty, the establishment ensures that it’s customers have a truly wonderful experience with their food. All while sat on that alluring high class orange.

Contact

1-2, Peter House, Oxford Street, Manchester, M1 5AN

0161 228 2482

[email protected]

dongiovannis.co.uk

@dongiovannis