Fumo by San Carlo - Manchester — Restaurant in Manchester

San Carlo Fumo – Fresh Italian food that is comforting to eat

Thank you for the hospitality that I received when I visited your restaurant last Friday for a pre-theatre meal.

Food and menu

The menu is small but it includes all the popular Italian dishes that people love and share. It also caters for a variety of diners whether it is Meat based, Sea food or Vegetarian.

For Starters there is the delicious Garlic Bread in which you can have it with soft melting cheese or on a Tomato base. You can also have a mixture of Cheese and Tomato if you want the taste of both worlds.

There is also Calamari on offer, Prawns and Italian Rice balls to name a few.

For the Mains there are some Pizzas on offer with different toppings to suit your style. There is great Pasta dishes on offer from Ravioli, Spaghetti Carbonara and Lasagne. In the Grill section there are Burgers and Steaks for the big meat eaters too.

If you have a sweet tooth then there is the rich and indulgent Chocolate and Hazlenut Cake. There is also the lovely Vanilla Cheesecake and Tiramisu that is creamy and light too.

For the Starters the Calamari was tasty. It was crispy and golden on the outside. It was soft on the inside. The Mayonnaise dip really complements it too. The Prawns were in a sauce that was full of flavour. They were big juicy ones that melted in the mouth. In addition the Arancini Rice Balls were great. They were very tasty.

For the Mains the Lobster Ravioli was superb. It was beautifully presented. The Ravioli Pasta was soft with just enough filling inside. The sauce on the plate added flavour and punch. The Roast Potatoes were perfectly cooked. Crispy on the outside and soft with butter on the inside. The Onion Rings are a good addition to a meal as they have crunch on the outside and have an Onion flavour inside. It was all cooked fresh which I loved too.

For the Dessert the Tiramisu was heaven. It was a lovely light sponge with Coffee and Chocolate on the top. The addition of Strawberries and Raspberries added a refreshing touch. It was a great treat.

Service

The service was good. Everything was cooked fresh and was presented beautifully. The waiters were attentive, friendly and gave us the time to choose the dishes that we wanted.

Lighting and Access

The lighting at San Carlo Fumo was decent as a whole. The table that we had at the restaurant had good lighting which helped to enjoy my meal. In terms of access there are 2 steps to go up once you enter the restaurant in order to get to the seating area.

Parking

Parking is available at NCP Oxford Street. If you have a Blue Badge then you are still required to pay even when parked in a disabled bay. Alternatively you can park at a nearby one that is free or one that is pay and display.

Pricing

This is a fine dining restaurant so the dishes are pricey. However as the food is presented beautifully and is cooked fresh then it is worth it once a while.

If you love Italian food that is cooked perfectly, is tasty and is full of flavour then San Carlo...

The worst experience of dining out I have ever had in my life. My meal had a black hair in it that looked like a pubic hair. We where completely disgusted by this and I said that I didn't want to have it replaced as it put me off completely. Myself and my Mum had agreed to share our mains and was going to half each of them. After this I didn't want to eat anything. My Mum finished her meal and then the waiter brought me over my meal again, I explained I can't eat it now as I have been put of. He said sorry and said please eat it which made me feel really uncomfortable as a customer. Why would I want to eat food that I am worried is not sanitary. To also make matters worse my Mum had finished her food so it wasnt like we could enjoy our meal together and have a lovely time like we planned. When the bill came the only removed meal was my meal. To be honest I was so shocked the whole bill was not wiped given the fact we had such a poor experience and the whole situation ruined the evening. I asked the waiter if she thinks it is fair we have to pay, she said they have removed the cost of the meal with the hair in it. I explained my feelings about this and said that regardless of the meal with the hair being removed the experience has been ruined and I don't feel it's fair to charge us. She sent over the male waiter and he then explained we had eaten the other food and therefore we must pay. He showed absolutely no understanding or consideration for what had happened at all. My Mum told him we are happy to pay for the drinks and starter but the two main meals should be removed of the bill as we had plan to share food and the whole experience had been ruined. He didn't want to do this and it was only because people where now looking over to the table he agreed to do this. When he returned he said 'happy now' and I said no I am not. He then looked at me with disappointment and shock as if I should be impressed that an establishment that is so lucrative and well known thinks it's acceptable to still charge someone after serving food with a hair in it. He then proceeded to tell me that this has not happened for over 8 months Asif this should reassure me about the level of hygiene. This is not McDonald's and it should never happen. The whole evening was ruined and just left a really bad impressed of the business for me. I have gone to San Carlo in Liverpool for years and go 1s a month and never ever had an issue. This experience has made me never want to put another penny in the business again and I will also be telling everyone I know how it made me feel and saying they should never come to the restaurant. Don't let the nice decor and name fool you.. this place is dirty and unclean. Take close note of the light shades when you look up and the amount of dust on them. The whole place needs a deep clean and they need lessons on how to manage disappointment customers without trying to transfer a level of guilt onto the customer for being very upset about their poor experience. I am simply disgusted. AVOID...

Unfortunately, never again, and we have always been fans, and whenever we are in the UK, we make a beeline for this restaurant chain. I am sorry to report that it way underpar on this occasion, and here is why.

We stayed at the Midland Hotel in Manchester and went restaurant in St Peters Square on Thursday 20/1 at approximately 8.15 pm. It wasn't bustling, and we managed to walk in and get a table. GREAT.

The waiters were incredibly polite as usual, and we ordered our food. I had the duck salad to start, and if I compare it to the Ivy, the Ivy wins hands down. That is minor, a personal preference, nothing more. I would recommend trying the duck salad at San Carlo.

During the starter course, I asked a passing waiter if I could have another drink, not a problem, but he didn't even have the courtsey to ask my partner if she would like another one. Thankfully she didn't at the time which I already knew, but that is not the point—unprofessional, a missed opportunity.

I ordered the pizza piccante for my main courses, and my partner had the ravioli stuffed with spinach and ricotta, que the negatives.

My pizza looked fabulous; mmmmm I had been looking forward to this, and then I cut into it, urgh. It was like a scene out of kitchen nightmares, the one where Gordon picks up a slice of pizza and everything falls off, the pizza goes into limp mode, a deflated balloon, you get the picture.

There was no way in this world that I could have cut it into slices, picked it up with my hands and eaten it. It was shocking, and it required a spoon. Halfway through I gave up and left it. I'm not eating this, and my partner's ravioli was warm at best.

At no point during our main course did a waiter approach and ask if everything was ok? Now they could very well deny this point. However, if they have CCTV, this will prove my point, nada, not a single approach, wouldn't last five minutes in a call centre. Could have ordered another pizza, heated the ravioli, saved a customer.

When the plates cleared from the table, it was visible to the waiter that half the pizza had been left, yet he still did not ask how the meal was—a missed opportunity, once again

We sat and finished our drinks, and during the period, which was at least 20 minutes, nobody approached us to ask if we would like to see the dessert menu, did we required any more drinks or even a coffee. Missed opportunity once again. We are fed up, that's it, time to leave, never to return.

Some may say that I should have spoken up and said something at the time and you would be correct and trust me I am not afraid too; however, my partner asked me not to; I respect her wishes.

I'm sorry, San Carlo, once...