San Carlo Fumo, Manchester

1 St Peter's Square, Manchester

Fumo is one of my favourite restaurants in Manchester. Part of the renowned San Carlo group, it’s Italian tapas as its finest and, for a food lover, the perfect opportunity to sample a little bit of everything at the highest quality.

Located at the top of Oxford Road, just off St Peter’s Square, it’s a stone’s throw away from the The Midland Hotel, the Palace Theatre and a whole host of bars, pubs and clubs, making it a real hub of the city centre. I previously walked past Fumo on my daily commute into the city, and by lunchtime it was always heaving with businessmen and women enjoying executive lunches, which isn’t surprising, given the stunning interior and top class food. 

As soon as you arrive, the attentive front of house staff take your coats and show you to your table, immediately making you feel at home. It’s the little touches that immediately make Fumo stand head and shoulders above the rest.

The tables are a little too close together for my liking. We were initially seated on top of a couple who were already eating, in such close proximity that I didn’t even want to discuss the menu for fear of being overheard; we may as well have been sharing a table. It was only 5.30 pm and the restaurant wasn’t full, so I don’t understand why we had to sit next door to a table that was already occupied. Thankfully, this issue was quickly resolved when we were moved somewhere more spacious. It’s a shame, as the intimate feel of the restaurant is ruined by having too many tables crammed in. 

When ordering ‘cichetti’, the Italian translation for tapas, or more literally ‘small side dishes’, the general recommendation is three or four dishes per person. The two of us may have got a little bit carried away, which is incredibly easy to do as you’ve never been so spoil for choice. We ended up with eight dishes between us, but every one of them was a winner.

There’s a welcome twist to Fumo when it comes to the way in which the food is served. Rather than everything arriving together, your dishes are brought out in stages, a couple at a time, which means that you’re not pressurised to rush through anything in order to avoid the food going cold.

We started with mushroom bruschetta and two pasta dishes: spaghetti carbonara and mushroom pappardelle.  The crispy bruschetta was gorgeous, stacked high with mushrooms, truffles and pecorino cheese. It was a case of mushroom overload, with the pappardelle being stacked with oyster mushrooms, coated in truffle oil and topped with parmesan cheese, whilst the carbonara was creamy and delicious, made in the authentic Italian way with raw egg. It is, understandably, one of the most popular dishes, and this was quite possibly the best I’ve ever tasted. The pasta is so delicious that I could order three or four dishes and eat it exclusively.

Mushroom bruschetta

Mushroom pappardelle (left) and spaghetti carbonara (right)

Next, we had two fish dishes, a pizza and a side of sweet potatoes. I told you we went overboard. We had fillet of sea bass, served with rocket and drizzled with lemon juice and seared tuna steak nestled on a bed of mixed lentils and tomatoes. The sea bass melted away in your mouth, whilst the tuna arrived looking positively raw, but was mouth-wateringly succulent and juicy. The flavoursome lentils with their smooth texture and sweet tomato flavour beautifully contrasted the crisp, salty tuna. The pizza I could have lived without. The dough was exactly right, neither too stodgy, nor crispy, and it was topped with tomato, mozzarella, ham and mushrooms. It was tasty enough, but it didn’t set my mouth alight. The little extra of sweet potato, whilst not necessary, was delightful. The sweet potatoes were perfectly cooked and served with onions and crispy pancetta.

Clockwise from top left: Pan-seared tuna steak with mixed lentils, fillet of sea bass, ham and mushroom pizza, sweet potato with onions and pancetta.

Fumo is a culinary delight which allows you to dabble in all the delights of a fine Italian restaurant in one sitting. It’s expensive, with the fish dishes costing £8.95 each, so it’s not the place to eat if you’re on a budget. However, for a special occasion it’s more than worth it, with the quality of the food and the size of the dishes accurately reflecting the cost. Whereas the more traditional Spanish tapas is made up of nibbles and starter dishes, the dishes at Fumo are miniature meals, meaning the portions are significantly larger, so there’s plenty to go round.  

Unsurprisingly, I was too stuffed to even think about dessert, which was perhaps just as well given that we’re in the middle of Lent. I do know from previous experiences that the desserts as equally as stunning as the tapas, and I would, most certainly, recommend the sampler, which continues the mix-and-match mood with small bites of a selection of desserts from the menu. 

San Carlo Fumo is pure luxury, with an extensive menu full of taste sensations, each individual dish a sensation. You can eat as much or as little as you like, pasta, pizza, meat, fish, salads and antipasti. It’s earned its rightful place as one of my favourite restaurants in Manchester, and I’m genuinely excited each time I return. You feel like you’re in the middle of the city centre, with quality of the food and the ambience easily able to rival the likes of Rosso and the haunts of the affluent Spinningfields. I would urge you to treat yourself to a dining experience that will leave a lasting impression. 

Website: http://www.sancarlofumo.co.uk/fumo-manchester/