Manco Restaurant of Rome: In Search of a Contemporary Key to Lazio Cuisine
Manco was created with one main ingredient: the dream that united four young chefs, Derscariu Cosmin, Edoardo Ceccacci and brothers Marco and Lorenzo Di Paolo, to open a restaurant of their own. The restaurant just opened last summer in Rome and it has been receiving a very good response from the public. Joining them is another young chef, Anastasia Paris, who came back to Italy from her experience in Melbourne, Australia to guide the kitchen of Manco.
"My very recent return to Rome was a choice of pure instinct and heart ," Paris confesses.
Manco has a distinct idea of creating a contemporary key of the cuisine of Lazio, executed with precision and delicateness in the hands of the Paris. She defines her kitchen to be direct and linear, without any frills wherein the palate is left clean to enhance the tastes. This is stressed with the use of raw materials with optimum quality and seasonality followed by the proper techniques. Less famous products are highly regarded by Paris especially the undervalued meat like lamb and rabbit. She originates from the region of Abruzzo where meat in the mountainous parts are main ingredients in the iconic dishes.
Their choice of furnishings is also characteristically youthful, being geared towards simplicity and essentiality that emit an effortless warm welcome to everyone. Inside, it can accommodate 30 while outdoors, there is space for another 20. The wooden sideboard and terracotta floor burst into a more contemporary style with black seats and a turquoise counter.
It is the latter that lends itself to the bar service and aperitif everyday from 18:00 to 20:00. The aperitif has a fixed formula which includes 3 food courses with a small supplement of €5 in addition to the cost of the chosen drink. The kitchen menu then reflects the ambitions of the young team and has its roots in the in-depth and curious research of the local area, Rome and its surroundings.
Every day the blackboard in the dining room is updated with the daily proposals of seasonal recipes as well as the vast choice of the à la carte menu. The prices of the starters, pasta, risotto and main dishes vary between €13 to €20. The coppa di maiale of Norcineria Cecchini with bean salad and with potato foam with oranges is a refreshing way to start a winter menu. Whereas the gnocco alla Romana with rabbit ragú and herbs is notably good as well as the very tender beef cheeks with pear purée with gremolata. And if available, do get the milk pudding drizzled with extra virgin olive oil. It's simplicity is so direct in the palate. The dry pastries like the Roman tozzetti, pangiallo, and pan del vescovo that originate from a long path of Lazio's past arrive on the table as well as the sour cherry and ricotta tart, and the torta di pane (breadcake).
Manco
Address: Via Adolfo Venturi 14, 00162 Rome (RM), Italy
Tel: +39 339 5694998
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100083570828226
Open from Tuesdays to Saturdays for lunch and dinner. Sunday open for lunch only. Mondays closed.