Manteca

Finding a new restaurant that unabashedly places meat at the center of operations in a world that is more and more beset by moral quandaries is quietly exhilarating. And not in the hedonistic, macho-carnivorous manner that the BBQ craze did a few years ago, but rather with care, respect, and artisanship that invariably transforms into delectable, nuanced food. After a successful pop-up in Soho a few years ago, Manteca, a new informal salumeria and Italian-inspired restaurant has now opened a permanent location in Shoreditch.

On a Thursday, Esquire had an early table, and it was already packed with patrons examining plates of house-cured meats and tearing them into large pieces of just-oily-enough focaccia. Both the Puntarelle Alla Romana salad and the fazzoletti with duck ragu and duck fat pangratatto were revelations in their extreme umami-ness. Decadent, tactile, and calming. However, it's the little things that make Manteca worth stopping by and wasting a few hours in; you can begin with a bottled Campari soda, which is on disturbingly few menus, and after the pasta is finished, the staff will offer you additional bread to sop up the sauce.

Address: 49-51 Curtain Rd, London EC2A 3PT, United Kingdom
Phone: 020 7033 6642
Rating: 4.5/5.0, 518 Google reviews
Website: https://www.mantecarestaurant.co.uk/