If there’s one thing in the whole world that has my heart beating ten to the dozen at just the thought, it’s carbs. The Godliest form of nutrition around is an umbrella for some of the greatest foods out there, including, of course, the reigning King of carbs: pasta. A highly versatile dish that can be suited to pretty much all palates, pasta has been there for many of us in the darkest of times. From being a skint uni student with only 30p in the pocket to feeling sad and low and in desperate need of a heartwarming dish – pasta’s had our backs through it all.
But while we’re more accustomed to chucking a bag of the dried stuff into a pan of boiling water, throwing it at the wall and calling it a job well done, the pros do it a little differently. The pros, of course, being Italiana Fifty Five – a bright and happy Italian restaurant found just off of busy Deansgate.
When it comes to doing Italian grub right, only Nonnas and Italian chefs know the score, providing flavours that we beige-loving Brits could only dream of recreating. Which, we guess, is where the idea to use an entire wheel of parmesan came in for the talented team at Italiana Fifty Five: flavour, flavour and more flavour.
Cooking up an absolute storm in their kitchen before decanting a whole portion of pasta on top of a massive wheel of parmesan, Italiana Fifty Five offers a seriously unique table-side experience, blowtorching the top to melt the cheese while mixing in the pasta to give it an even coat of cheesy goodness. The result is tasty parmesan in every single bite, a dream that couldn’t possibly be achieved by the standard 30-second table-side shave that most restaurants offer.
In addition to their Flaming Parmesan Pasta, Italiana Fifty Five also serves up a variety of other authentic Italian dishes, including pizzas, pasta, fresh fish, Mediterranean-style meats and more – all of which are served within their bright and happy restaurant which oozes Amalfi Coast sunshine vibes.
To wash it all down, the restaurant has a fantastic selection of Italian wines on offer, too, ranging from whites, reds, rosés and sparkling.
Find them at Italiana Fifty Five, 3-11 Liverpool Rd, M3 4NW and Unit 4 Great Northern Warehouse Deansgate M3 4EN.