FIRST it was Altrincham Market House setting out its stall for the Mackie Mayor Building on Swan Street, now its mini-neighbour Sugo Pasta Kitchen is also aiming to repeat its success in a hip location just across in Ancoats.
The plan is for the Puglian-inspired, pasta-centric eaterie to open in early 2018 on the ground floor of Sawmill Court – a new 158-apartment development currently under construction behind the Halle St Peter’s on Murray Street, with pleasing symmetry the heart of Manchester’s original Little Italy.
A statement on the Sugo’s Facebook page reads:
“It’s official; we’ll be opening our second restaurant in Ancoats. Since we opened our first restaurant in Altrincham in the summer of 2015 not a day has gone by without someone asking us about expansion! The truth is we’ve been really happy doing what we love to do in Altrincham. It’s given us time to hone our skills, really concentrate on our menus and build a great team.
“After a few visits to the regeneration project in Ancoats we fell in love with the place. Our earliest memories of Ancoats were as rehearsal space when we were all in unsigned bands – it’s fair to say it’s moved on a bit since then (and so have we!)
“After thinking long and hard about the area, the history and the people we’ll be serving, the idea of a stripped back 60 seat southern Italian Pasta Kitchen filled us with joy! So… it’s on, it’s happening and we’ve got our work cut out over the next few months.”
So that’s twice the size of the current Sugo, a victim of its own success with punters queuing to savour its authentic take on al dente pasta and long-simmered sauces on an monthly changing menu. Though that formula has just been revised to a more stable menu, allowing signature dishes to remain and emphasising it all treads beyond pasta bowls. Witness the glorious dish below – Puglian burrata with charred chicory, peach and chilli marmalade.
It’s typical of the attention to detail shown by the trio of young owners frustrated with a UK Italian restaurant culture they felt rarely reflects their own Italian heritage. For Jonny and Michael Marcolgiese and Alex De Martiis it was a return to the family roots – importing their pastas and oils from Puglia – even the earthenware crockery they serve it out of.
Now they will have a more high profile showcase in a neighbourhood described as the ‘UK’s hippest’ by TravelSupermarket. Rudy’s Pizza, Squid Ink and Seven Brothers have led the way and, there’s even hope for the snail’s pace arrival of Rudy’s neighbour, Goose Fat and Wild Garlic. They’ve recently installed a front door!
Sugo, 22 Shaw’s Road, Altrincham, WA14 1QU. 0161 929 7706.