We were going to the cinema tonight, but we got fooled into thinking the sun was going to shine longer than five minutes and decided to stay home.  The sun has of course now disappeared, so I’m watching the football on TV, with a tall G&T and a box of chocolate fingers.  Classy. 

We did manage some culture on Saturday night though, when we ventured out to the Library Theatre in Manchester, to see an Alan Ayckbourn play.  This presented us with the quandary of where to eat that was nearby and would cater for an early sitting.  Luckily, Don Giovanni’s is literally across the road from the theatre, so at 6pm we found ourselves in a very busy Italian restaurant with our theatre-going buddies D & M.  (Well, we’ve been to the theatre with them twice now, which in our world means you’re ‘theatre-going’!)

I was impressed at how busy it was so early in the evening.  It’s obviously popular.  We even had a hen party arrive at one point, resembling an argument in a 70s fancy dress shop – big wigs, platforms, flares, headbands, you name it…!  The staff were friendly, but our waiter couldn’t seem to decide whether he was efficient or useless.  We had to ask for water four times and it didn’t arrive until the meal was over.  In contrast, he cleared away all the dishes from the starters whilst H was still eating his, which I always think is a little rude.  But despite the fact the courses came out suspiciously quickly, they were on the whole very tasty.

The starters of bruschetta were interesting.  The bread was definitely bread, not toast, which was a shame as the topping was a generous pile of tomato, onion and olives.  Strangely the (very generous) portion was encircled not only by a trail of pesto, but also a drizzle of sweet chilli sauce.  Odd and unncessary.

The main courses were an improvement though. I had the ravioli, which instead of the tomatoey sauce I was expecting -   as the menu said ‘a sauce of fresh cherry tomatoes, olive oil and rocket’ – came slathered in a very creamy/cheesey sauce, with whole cherry tomatoes and rocket sprinkled on top, together with a generous helping of wild mushrooms, which gave it a nice bite.  The portions of pasta were very generous, and I made the mistake of trying to finish mine.  My eyes, as ever, being bigger than my stomach!  I regretted it afterwards, as the dish became progressively more salty the more I ate, and the creaminess of it left me feeling bloated. 

H’s Florentina pizza looked and tasted spot on, with the egg yolk still runny in the middle.  I think D & M each had Farfalle, one with a chicken and veg topping, the other with a smoked salmon, tomato and mascarpone cheese sauce.  (I’m sure they’ll correct me if I’m wrong!)  Both of these dishes seemed to disappear without much trouble.

And of course I had to have dessert, bloated or not – although I don’t think I can use the “it’s research for my blog” line too often or I’ll be going up a dress size!  On this occasion, a portion of Cassata went down a treat.  It was partly nostalgia.  When I was a kid, and was taken out for Italian food, I always loved having Cassata for dessert.  The candied fruit and nuts in the middle of the ice cream give it much more character than normal ice cream and for a long time I used it as my yardstick to measure how good an Italian restaurant was.  This one wasn’t bad.

The location makes Don Giovanni’s a great spot for a quick but substantial pre-theatre dinner.  We sat down at 6pm and had three courses and were out in plenty of time for our 8pm show.  Apart from the slip-up with the water, it was a very enjoyable meal.  The menu is quite extensive, so there’s plenty of choice, with meat and fish as well as pasta and pizza.  I think next time though, I’d pick a lighter dish, especially if I’m following it with sitting motionless for two hours in a theatre with no chance to walk it off!

1. Sarah Hartley
   Jul 3rd 2008

   Glad you had a better experience than me; http://blogs.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/food/2007/09/lunch_break_don_giovannis.html
   When I saw the headline, I thought you might have had the performance in the restaurant!

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