"When we receive so many rave reviews for certain restaurants, especially from our trusted reviewers, we sit up and take notice, often rushing around there simply to add a touch of realism to the rating. Being big fans of Italian food we are normally left disappointed in Manchester - an exception to the rule was the superb Marcello's in Hale; popular with footballers and A-list celebs alike, it was well worth the trip until it sadly closed following the owner's unsuccessful battle with cancer. Carluccio's at The Trafford Centre may have filled the void but it's hardly a destination restaurant, especially for a romantic meal. This, we snobbily have to admit, was also one of our main reservations about Puccini's.
Located in an old 1970's concrete shopping arcade in Swinton, surrounded by banks, building societies and even a Victim Support Centre, it's hardly the most inviting places from the outside. This though doesn't seem to put off the many stars whom have visited here - which, looking at the photos on the wall have included virtually every player to have ever worn the red shirt of United and, believe it or not, the entire England team on one evening alone. In fact there's plenty of photographs of David Beckham, Eric Cantona, Ryan Giggs, Paul Scholes, Sir Alex Ferguson, Ruud van Nistelrooy, Ole Gunnar Solsjkaer, Sven Goran Eriksson, Frank Lampard and John Terry to make you realise their visits were not just one off occassions. In fact, it turns out the entire England team have visited on eight (yes, 8!!!) occassions and the Great Britain Rugby team are regulars too.
On tasting the food you can understand why - this is real Italian food cooked to perfection. My Wild Mushroom starter (£5.95) took me straight back to a grotto I once visited in Domodossola whilst the Mixed Salad, complete with asparagus and olives, could have also proudly been served in any Italian village - if only all other restaurants in Britain could learn from our European neighbours what a £2.95 salad should contain!
For the main course, I opted for the Pollo Sorpresa, a stuffed chicken breast with parsley and garlic butter, or 'Chicken Kiev', as it's better known in Swinton. At £13.95 including plenty of vegetables, this was very good value and quite simply the best chicken I've tasted in a non-Michelin star restaurant in the UK, even if the chef had been a little too generous with his extra virgin Olive Oil. The not-so-traditional Hawaian Pizza (£7.25) was also excellent and proved the chefs could adapt to a more Anglicised menu without losing any of their Italian style. The portion sizes are more than generous and, as I undid the top button on my jeans, I wish we hadn't have opted for the pizza-size Cheese Garlic Bread (£4.50) as an additional starter. That said, I was very glad I still found room for the excellent home-made Creme Caramel (£4.30).
The service was incredibly friendly with each waiter taking time out to 'get to know' the guests, enquiring where we'd travelled from and if it was a special occassion - we almost had our cover as 'secret reviewers' blown - but as birthday cakes were being delivered to almost every other table, you guessed it was a sincere line of questioning. A large fruit salad arrived ahead of the bill with compliments of the kitchen, and you could fully understand why Puccini's has gained the reputation it has with other reviewers as the best Italian in Manchester. Like the England footballers, we'll certainly be returning!" - restaurants of manchester 11/10/07 (visited on a tuesday evening)
