Sasso (September 2002)
At 24, Marcus Tognaccini admits he looks way beyond his years - but after six years working as head chef on the Trans-Siberian railway, who wouldn't! "It was a bit of a nightmare but it was a job I really wanted and it was the experience of a lifetime - although the Russian Mafia turned my hair grey, " recalls Marcus, who started out in Manchester kitchens at Michelin-starred Juniper in Altrincham. After a spell running another highly acclaimed restaurant, Felix, in West Didsbury, he has now opened Sasso (that's Italian for stone) on Chorlton's trendy Beech Road.
On the site of the former Primavera, one of the longest-established places to eat in south Manchester, it is aiming to offer new generation of Italinophiles something closer resembling the kind of food you actually eat on the Adriatic. Its manager is Marcus's dad Stefano and the family originally hail from Pisa. Says Marcus: "When Italian restaurants first opened here, they tended to cater for the English tastes so there was lots of tomato sauce and cream sauces. But as anyone who has eaten in non-tourist places will tell you, we don't cook like that. A lasagne, for example, is much more like a cake, without the tomato sauce, and will be served with a salad, not heaps of chips."
Sasso, which opened at the beginning of September, is aiming to offer decent traditional Italian grub at affordable prices with a nod towards the cuisine popular in modern establishments. So up there with the meatballs and proper Parma ham you will find innovative pizzas with ingredients like aubergines, chillies and capers. Mains include fillet steak with Gorgonzola, deep-fried scallops, and a fabulous fish platter with salmon, and crabcakes. Fish fans will also enjoy fresh tuna with balsamic vinegar. Puddings include pine-nut cake with bitter raspberry ice cream and chocolate fondant. Italian cheeses are delivered straight from the nearby delicatessen Buenissima, which Marcus also owns.
The great news for the south Manchester set is that prices really are eminently affordable -- starters range from £3 to £5 and mains from £6.90 for a pizza to £9.95-£11.95 for dishes with steak, veal and fish. House wine is around £9.50 to £11 a bottle, so that's about £20 a head for fashionable food in one of the most voguish parts of Chorlton.
"We've had a great response so far, too good," says Marcus. "I'm completely exhausted but it's brilliant." And at least the weather's better in Chorlton than Siberia!
48 Beech Road
Chorlton
Manchester
0161 862 9934
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