Neil Sowerby Autumn is Zilli season at Cicchetti. Telegenic celeb chef Aldo has been recruited to create a series of dishes for the chic eaterie in the House of Fraser and its new sister restaurant in Piccadilly in London.
On the evidence of a taster meal cooked by the man himself, AZ looks likely to be a creative presence there for all seasons. While following the award-winning template of small dishes (cicchetti are Venetian tapas), he has obviously been hired to up the game.
So no resting on laurels then. After winning Newcomer of the Year in the MFDF Awards in 2011 and playing a key role in the San Carlo Group becoming one of the highest grossing restaurant operation in the UK, it would have been easy just to settle for more of the same. Most Italian eateries do.
Zilli does fish. He was raised on Adriatic shores. Perhaps the best of his restaurants (now, alas no more) was called Zilli Fish and his Fish Cook: From Shrimp to Swordfish is an essential primer for the home cook intimidated by scales and shells.
So it was no surprise fish featured heavily among the new dishes. Seared tuna with a chilli kick was good, a tuna carpaccio with artichokes better. Prawns with borlotti beans was sweetly judged â a perfect small dish.
Clams and pasta
Orecchiette, those little ear-shaped, egg-free pasta shells from Puglia, were daringly paired with vongole clams and porcini, while a monkfish plate called Rospo alla Sambuca almost convinced me I could like that sickly Italian liqueur.
The real surprise though was the hearty meaty one â Calabrese potato risotto with spicy Cantabrian sausage, perfectly matched with a dense red blend from Umbria, Castello di Corbara. Both splendid.
The peasant-friendly feel extended to the presence in dishes of savoury greens such as wild chard and cime de rapa (turnip tops), the last at its seasonal best just now. Attention to sourcing like this plus an encyclopaedic take on Italyâs culinary regional treasures bodes well for Cicchetti as this convincing brand expands further.
Cicchetti, 98-116 Deansgate House of Fraser, Manchester M3 2QG. 0161 839 2233. www.sancarlocicchetti.co.uk