A few nights a go, I had the pleasure of being invited to Cibo, a wonderful Italian restaurant in Manchester City Centre. Located just opposite the Hilton on Liverpool Street, Cibo offers up a relaxed, intimate dining environment with a menu that focuses on fresh ingredients, with extra Italian heart and soul.
Bought to you by the team behind Don Giovanni’s, which let’s be honest is somewhat of a Manchester institution – you’ll certainly be in good hands. Let’s get stuck in….
We started with a classic cheesy garlic bread to share which was a very generous size and was probably a bit ambitious for just the 2 of us. It could have easily satisfied 4. But we managed it, don’t you worry!
This was followed by some delicious starters.
I’ve always been a big fan of calamari, so always try to have it whenever I see it on a menu. The calamari at Cibo’s was lovely and fresh, lightly battered with a tangy tartare sauce. Chris tried the Rape E Fagaeole, which I would describe as an Italian sausage casserole, with broadbeans and broccoli, I think some spinach may have snuck in there too. It was really tasty and came with homemade bread to mop up the precious juices. Highly recommended!
For our main course we both went for pasta. How can you resist when it’s freshly prepared on site. I went for a massive bowl of tube pasta, with smoked salmon, dill and pink peppercorns. Served a creamy sauce with a touch of tomato – so satisfying!
Chris decided on the homemade lobster ravioli, huge squares of freshly cooked pasta, packed with lobster meat. Served in a creamy lobster bisque with fresh chilli. The chilli is quite strong, so it’s perfect if you’re a fan of spice!
We finished the meal by splitting a tiramisu, a decadent layered construction of savoiardi biscuits, coffee liquor and super creamy mascarpone mousse. And trying to be as authentically Italian as I could, I washed this all down with a double espresso – does wonders for digestion so I’m told.
A huge thanks to Cibo for inviting us down to try out their menu – the service and food were excellent, I would highly recommend it!
The Manchester Tart 