Eating Neapolitan on King Street West ……. and coming across a bit of history

We found Capri’s by chance and what a stroke of luck.

Tina is Italian and is very picky about eating Italian food which often disappoints but not yesterday when we dropped into Capri’s on King Street West.

It helped that the food was authentic Neapolitan, which is where the family come from, and in conversation with the owner and his daughter it turns out that they are from the very next suburb to where Tina’s mum and dad were born and grew up.

But it was as ever the food which made the visit.  Tina went for the Spaghetti alle Vongole which is pasta with clams, garlic, chilly, parsley and datterini tomatoes and I had Pasta all ‘Arrabiata which is tomato sauce, parsley, garlic and fresh chilly.

They are the dishes Tina grew up with and the ones her mum cooks regularly.

We had been in town visiting the two exhibitions at Central Ref** and debated where to eat and slowly meandered past several Italian restaurants, as well as a few which are our favourites, but on that day none quite fitted the bill.

Still Tina fancied “some fish and pasta” and so we pushed on to King Street West, which as a historian is one of those forgotten areas of the city which included a gas works and the Shambles.

Now you won’t find New Shambles or Pork Lane, they disappeared along with the meat markets which ran from Deansgate back to Butter Lane during the 19th century.

The Shambles in 1849

They were the Bridge Street Market which fronted Deansgate down to New Shambles and then the delightfully named, Pork and Carcase Market which stretched from New Shambles to Butter Lane.

And even before the markets vanished Pork Lane had became Pork Street.

But with redevelopment the street vanished for ever under a series of buildings and befitting the areas new character New Shambles became a continuation of Southgate.

All of which is a bit off the track.

So, I will return to Capri’s which opened in November when the owner decided to start up his own business after working in various Italian restaurants.

At which point I could fall back on pictures of the food and a listing of the menu, but where would the fun be in that when you csn go online and explore the food for yourself?*

Pictures; Pictures of Capri, 2023, from the collection of Andrew Simpson, Butter Lane, and Back Bridge Street, 2016 from the collection of Andrew Simpson and the Shambles in 1849 from the OS for Manchester & Salford, 1849, courtesy of Digital Archives Association, http://digitalarchives.co.uk/

*Capri's, https://caprismcr.co.uk/

** Curry Mile, https://chorltonhistory.blogspot.com/search/label/Curry%20Mile

and

Manchester Ship Canal, https://chorltonhistory.blogspot.com/search/label/Manchester%20Ship%20Canal

Back at Fumo

Now we have friends who trawl the restaurant reviews, carefully weighing up what is said, picking their way through individual sites and then making their decision where to eat.

Not us, when we are home in Varese, north of Milan or down in Naples where Tina’s parents come from, it’s about falling across places and making a rash decision, and usually we are not wrong.

And so it was yesterday having wandered up into the city along the Oxford Road corridor we happened on Fumo at 1 St Peters Square.*

What caught Tina’s eye was the Strozzapreti, a mix of pasta, asparagus, fennel, peas, mint, broad beans, mascaprone and pine nuts and because I can never resist mushrooms I was drawn to the Pappardelle with porcini, truffle oil, shaved parmesan & basil.

So that was it, we went in and were not disappointed.

The food was excellent and the service perfect.

At which point I could just rehash their web site with the history of the restaurants, but for that you can just follow the link.*

Instead I shall mention Federica who served us, and whose recommendations for what we might like to eat and drink were spot on and to the manager who came from Sardinia and suggested places to visit on the island we hadn’t yet been too.

It was a long pleasant afternoon, punctuated with conversations in Italian with both Federica, and the manager.

Which is not to ignore the other staff who were busy attending other diners.

And because it is a long time since we had a favourite place to eat, I shall just say that this is it.

Location; Manchester

Picture; the inside of Fumo, courtesy of Fumo

* Fumo, http://www.sancarlofumo.co.uk/fumo-manchester/#

The cabinet maker, a restaurant called Tre Ciccio and a story of Altrincham

Now I like the way that stories have a habit of bouncing back, which is what happened to the one about an  Altrincham ghost sign.*

At the time, the picture of the brick warehouse with the name G.W. BONSON picked out at the top of the building was just an interesting example of a ghost sign, which is a record of a business long gone.

In this case, it refers to G.W. BONSON who after setting up a carpet beating business at the age of 23 in 1881, moved into this fine brick building in 1894, and started trading as a cabinet maker, upholsterer and furniture outlet.

At the time, that was pretty much it, and while I promised myself I would go looking for more on Mr Bonson I never did.

And then by chance a friend took us on a mystery trip to a new restaurant.

We had no idea where we were going or what to expect, but as we walked up Moss Lane into the heart of Altrincham, there was Mr Bonson’s warehouse, complete with the ghost sign and below it picked out in black the name Tre Ciccio!**

I have to say eating pizza in the former warehouse gave me  a sense of continuity with the past, and that becomes the rest of the story which began when two friends“started one magical summer’s evening meal in the Campania region of Italy, and ended by becoming the masterminds behind who we are today.

Invited to the extremely popular La Terrazza in restaurant in Calvanico by the lovely Scafuri family, we experienced an evening like we never have before.

From owner Michele managing his hungry guests from his scrap of paper and pen, to the mouth watering authentic Neapolitan pizzas, roast chicken diavola, Cacciatore and freshly picked porcini mushrooms that we devoured, we were left craving much, much more!”.

More than that it set them off with the idea that these simple Italian dishes could work here, and the success of the restaurant Tre Ciccio! proved them right.

We were there last night, on a cold Thursday evening and the place was full.

At which point I could write in detail about my pizza, the starters, or Tina’s roast chicken, but I am no food writer, just a jobbing historian, so instead I shall let the pictures do the business and recommend the place.

And as historian I was intrigued at how the shop had been converted into the waiting area where you can watch the pizza’s being made before gently being slid into the giant wood burning pizza oven.

The old wooden ceiling and some of the original features have been retained, while in contrast the restaurant which was the workshop, has a contemporary feel with a roof which can be pulled back on those rare days when the sun shines and you could be under a Neapolitan sky, consuming San Marzano tomatoes, Amalfi lemons & buffalo mozzarella direct from the south of Italy.

And that is about the extent of my food writing, so instead I suggest you step into Mr Bonson’s warehouse and enjoy a night at Tre Ciccio!

Location;   Tre Ciccio! Altrincham

Pictures; Mr Bonson’s warehouse, 2016, from the collection of Andy Robertson, remaining images courtesy of Tre Ciccio, 2018

*Finding a ghost sign in Altrincham, https://chorltonhistory.blogspot.com/2015/02/finding-ghost-sign-in-altrincham_19.html

** Tre Ciccio!   https://www.treciccio.co.uk/

At Fumo ........... yesterday in St Peters Square

Now we have friends who trawl the restaurant reviews, carefully weighing up what is said, picking their way through individual sites and then making their decision where to eat.

Not us, when we are home in Varese, north of Milan or down in Naples where Tina’s parents come from, it’s about falling across places and making a rash decision, and usually we are not wrong.

And so it was yesterday having wandered up into the city along the Oxford Road corridor we happened on Fumo at 1 St Peters Square.*

What caught Tina’s eye was the Strozzapreti, a mix of pasta, asparagus, fennel, peas, mint, broad beans, mascaprone and pine nuts and because I can never resist mushrooms I was drawn to the Pappardelle with porcini, truffle oil, shaved parmesan & basil.

So that was it, we went in and were not disappointed.

The food was excellent and the service perfect.

At which point I could just rehash their web site with the history of the restaurants, but for that you can just follow the link.*

Instead I shall mention Federica who served us, and whose recommendations for what we might like to eat and drink were spot on and to the manager who came from Sardinia and suggested places to visit on the island we hadn’t yet been too.

It was a long pleasant afternoon, punctuated with conversations in Italian with both Federica, and the manager.

Which is not to ignore the other staff who were busy attending other diners.

And because it is a long time since we had a favourite place to eat, I shall just say that this is it.

Location; Manchester

Picture; the inside of Fumo, courtesy of Fumo

* Fumo, http://www.sancarlofumo.co.uk/fumo-manchester/#