After a £2 million makeover, Cibo is now open at the very top of King Street, breathing new life into what was the Lancashire and Yorkshire Bank and formerly the celeb-magnet Rosso, co-owned by Rio Ferdinand, its name a nod to his alma mater.
Where the focus might have been more on who was walking through the door than what was coming out of the kitchen back in those days, now that’s flipped and the Italian classics landing on the arabescato marble table tops are pretty sensational.
Among the primi piatti, the arancini con scamorza were scented with smoked mozzarella, and came with a pungent truffle aioli, along with the not often spotted Rotolata – rolled pizza with parma ham and sweet and sundried tomatoes.
Risotto con asparagi was verdant green, the asparagus still with bite and generously loaded with pecorino, while the penne with Calabrese sausage and nduja was spiced just right.
But the star of the show was the stunning squid ink ‘spaghetti neri’, a whole half lobster laying across black strands of thin, homemade pasta. The sauce was rich with the scent of roasted shells and tomato.
The spicy penne with nduja and spicy Calabrian sausage was rich with tomatoes and homely, herbal with fresh basil.
Exclusive to this site – Cibo also has outposts in Wilmslow and Hale – is a selection of sharing cuts from their Josper grill.
The veal cutlet was a proper showstopper, dramatically charred on the bone, perfectly cooked inside and carved at the table. It melted. Also on the bill is a 42oz tomahawk bone-in rib eye, and a classic chateaubriand, both to share.
Even the chips – reminiscent of the chippy, but elevated – nailed it, as did a shellfish platter, heavy with fat red prawns, perfectly seared scallops, mussels, fried calamari and a heavily scented saffron mayonnaise.
It’s a menu befitting the grandness of the interior.
Cibo is open now at 43 Spring Gardens, Manchester M2 2BG
