Per Tutti

Liverpool Road, Manchester

Per Tutti is an authentic Mediterranean restaurant which brings a hint of holiday to the streets of Manchester.  Located in the heart of Castlefield, just a stone’s throw away from the iconic Hilton Hotel, it’s the perfect place to indulge in a spot of Mediterranean cuisine at any time of the day. Per Tutti aims to create a dining experience which is home from home, whether it be for a power breakfast before work, a morning coffee with clients, a late lunch with friends or dinner with the family.

We visited Per Tutti on a sweltering Sunday in June. With the doors flung open onto an al fresco dining area, I felt like I was abroad. As we moved inside to avoid the sun, it felt like we were in a restaurant just off a little winding side street in Italy. It had a real summer vibe. It was nice and quiet when we arrived too, ideal for having a nice, long catch up. The staff were very attentive.  I’d booked the table for 1.30pm, but, en route, we stumbled across the Manchester Day Parade. We found a relatively quiet spot in the shade outside the restaurant, so I popped in and asked if we could delay sitting down so as to continue watching. They were absolutely fine about it, and we meandered in once the parade was over. 

Per Tutti means ‘for all’ in Italian, and their impressive menu certainly boasts something for all. It merges together flavours from across the Mediterranean,, although I noticed the majority of the main menu definitely has an Italian feel to it. There are pizzas, pastas, salads, meat and fish dishes, all sounding delicious and averagely priced.

We kicked off proceedings with garlic bread, because in an Italian it has to be done. Now, when my foodie friend and I eat out together, this is the one foodstuff which always causes fierce debate. Why? Well, because my friend likes it with cheese, whereas this would be my last choice. In my opinion, tomato is the way forward. If not, then plain will suffice. On this occasion, we solved all our problems by splitting the difference, literally. We requested a half ‘n’ half. Well, that’s all the rage with pizzas these days, so why not do the same with garlic bread? We had half cheese, half plain. It was perfect. Granted, I am, sometimes, apprehensive about plain garlic bread, as it can be quite dry, and sometimes there just isn’t enough garlic – especially if, like me, you like it to be overloaded. This was quite possibly the most delicious garlic bread I’ve ever eaten. It was bathed in garlic butter. 

Half 'n' half garlic bread

Our main course was a classic with a twist: Surf & Turf Carbonara. Carbonara is one of my favourite pasta dishes, and, let’s be honest, you can’t really go wrong with it. It’s not something I tend to order when I’m out, as I’d eat it at home. However, this was so much more than your regular carbonara. There were strips of fillet steak, tiger prawns, smoked pancetta and red onions tossed with spaghetti, egg yolk and parmesan. The steak was deliciously succulent, grilled medium, which made cutting through it very easy, whilst the prawns were juicy. Both added an extra depth of flavour to this tasty classic. That said, I like my carbonara to be creamy and rich. This surf and turf version wasn’t quite creamy enough. It did, however, make for a lighter lunch in the blistering heat. Every cloud. 

As is typical with a pasta dish, there was much more than there looked to be when the dish was first placed in front of me. The strips of steak and the prawns helped to bulk out it, making it much more substantial, so the cream wasn’t strictly necessary. Topped off with a huge king prawn, it was beautifully decorated too.

Surf & Turf Carbonara

My friend was stuffed to the point of bursting after we’d finished our main. As it was my first time at Per Tutti, I couldn’t possibly leave without trying a dessert. So, ever the trooper, I took one for the team. Somebody has to do it.

The dessert menu was uninspiring. There was nothing on it that jumped off the page and made me really want to try it. I toyed with the idea of the Lemon and White Chocolate Pavlova, before settling on the Black Forest Brownie. Chocolate brownies are never my first choice, but this was a brownie with a twist. It was tasty and certainly rounded off the meal very nicely, but it was nothing exciting.

Four little brownies were served on an enormous plate, topped with a dollop of clotted cream and a scoop of what was supposed to be cherry sorbet but was actually more like ice cream, and the whole thing was drizzled in salted caramel. The brownies didn’t really taste much different from a normal chocolate brownie, which was disappointing. The cherry flavoured ice cream was delicious and was definitely needed to soften the stodge, as the brownies were very rich. It was nice enough, but not my favourite. The Lemon & White Chocolate probably would have been more up my street, lighter and more refreshing. 

Black Forest Brownie

The party at the adjacent table ordered Sunday Roasts, which looked scrumptious and are available as part of a special Sunday set menu – two courses for £15 or three for £20. If it’s a midweek lunch you’re after, they offer two courses for £10, which is sensational value. There’s also a morning menu, serving up both continental and hot breakfast choices, making it the ideal choice at any time of the day or week. 

Despite spending over three hours at Per Tutti in what became a very lengthy lunch, not once we were made to feel rushed. We chit-chatted for hours and the staff left us to it. It’s such a relaxing establishment, perfect for a top-quality, affordable lunch. Per Tutti succeeds in bringing the Mediterranean to the streets of Manchester.

All the menus can be found online at:

http://www.pertutti.co.uk/menus/