Keeping yourself fresh, tasty and relevant at 30 years old is a constant battle I know only too well, but it’s one they’re winning down at Don Giovanni’s. Having celebrated the big 3 – 0 last year there’s now a new winter menu on offer, and we jumped at the chance to go and sample some of the highlights.
We were greeted with a warm welcome and some and some warming cocktails (it’s 2-4-1 every day of the week right now) then convened in the impressive new function room, a £30,000 investment has gone into the impressive new space behind the dining area.
To begin with we sampled antipasto Italiano, a delicious selection of cured meats, aubergine, courgettes, olives, mozzarella, peppers & tomato served with grissini sticks.
The pasta course was some beautiful spinach ravioli in the classic, simple and fragrant butter sage sauce.
My favourite dish was probably the insalata di polpo, a warm octopus salad with potato, celery, olive oil, red chilli and lemon juice. The seafood was wonderfully tender and the dish really works well with the spice and zing of the dressing.
Tagliata di manzo is another new addition to the menu, sliced steak with rocket and parmesan, reminiscent of a carpaccio beef and every bit as moreish.
The final savoury dish to try is the capesante casereccie, seared king scallops on pea puree with red chilli, another winning combination.
A classic Tiramisu finishes the evening with aplomb, we were certainly spoilt.
A number of other diners admitted to not having sampled Don Giovanni’s before despite its reputation as bit of a Manchester institution. I’d fall in to that category too, but with some cracking additions to an already impressive menu it’s well worth a visit this winter time.
