CityLife

Destinos

Destinos
Manchester city centre
November 2009

(Lunch review)

Overall: 4/5

CAN’T afford a mini-break in Milan? Take a meal at Destinos, look out on to the cobbles and Armani shop front opposite, suspend that tired reality, and you really could be there.

This is a lovely metropolitan, side-street trattoria – where Northern Quarter chic has a steamy Latin love affair with tablecloth tradition.

Where there are large pepper pots but the staff don’t sport moustaches and where your pasta and peas and glass of Moretti will whisk you back to that weekend in Italy you had when the economy was flying.

The purple colour scheme, lots of stainless steel and funky friezes give a contemporary, relaxed feel to the place while the white table linen adds the impression of classical standards.

There are a couple of easy chairs, too, for those just stopping off for coffee.

Zingy and bright

Destinos has a proper, modern Italian menu, not overlong and not out to reinvent the wheel, with a few specials thrown in for good measure – with pasta and pizza priced at between £6 and £8. The wine list is small but some blackboard specials fill it out.

We were given a cheerful welcome by the young, hard-working staff and shown to a table by the plate-glass windows.

Free, bite-sized brioche were quickly dispatched, as was the cheap and filling garlic bread (£2.95). My spinach ricotta tortelloni (£7.95) came with a silky cream sauce and fresh, fresh peas – all zingy and bright enough to light-up a Manc autumn. Opposite were decent, full-flavoured strips of fillet steak in another cream-based sauce with linguine (£9.95).

We had no time for dessert - but all looked good value at £3.95.  

Destinos – a must destination. 

Destinos, 50 Pall Mall, Manchester M2 1AQ ?(0161 832 4600, destinosrestaurant.co.uk).

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