In mid-December Pastificio Mangio opened up on the interestingly named Knightrider Street near to St.Paul’s cathedral in the business district of the city of London. I was in the area just before Christmas so popped in for a look…
“Pastificio” in Italian means “pasta factory” and “Mangio” is from the verb “mangiare” meaning “I eat” and it’s a small place aimed at takeaway – specifically stuffed/filled pasta – that’s their niche, with deli items on the left of the shop as you come in selling Italian drinks, flour and condiments etc and on the right a counter serving up the main attraction, filled pasta…
Pastificio Mangio – filled pasta selection
There are 3 varieties of filled pasta available each day to eat hot or take home and cook yourself and the focus is very much on fresh, organic and seasonal ingredients which are prepared on site. When I visited the pasta was split into 3 different categories: Tradition, Season & Gourmet, with the traditional option being spinach & ricotta ravioli, which you could have with a herb butter or shallot sauce. The seasonal option was potato and rosemary tortelli in a pumpkin and bacon sauce, but being a true foodie I opted for the gourmet option which was mushroom thyme cappellacci with a parmesan fondue sauce, and this is it:
Pastificio Mangio – mushroom & thyme cappellacci
It’s £5.80 for pasta on its own or £7.50 for a meal deal (pasta, salad, cheese & bread), I’d recommend going for a f
Pastificio Mangio – focaccia
You can also order a filled focaccia on its own for £3.70 and there’s a selection of other bread and sweet cakes provided by Soho based artisan bakers Princi.
Pastificio Mangio – bread selection
But it’s not just pasta and bread, they also sell tubs of fruit for £3 and healthy salads for £4.50 but who really goes to an Italian for salad!?
Pastificio Mangio – ewe’s cheese, pear & honey
For something a bit different, you could go for Italian ewe’s cheese with pear and honey for £6.40 – a wonderfully creamy & strong but not overpowering cheese with fresh pear and a drizzle of honey, which isn’t something you usually find in Italian takeaways (or at least not the ones I go to!)
Mangio is doing something a bit different with their slow food approach to pasta, made on site by Italians (from the Emilia-Romagna region) with their emphasis firmly focussed on stuffed pasta, and of course the fresh ingredients that go into it. I expect this place to be a big hit with city workers.
Opening hours:
Monday-Friday: 8.30 – 17.00
Saturday/Sunday: Closed
For more info visit:
www.mangio.co.uk
https://www.facebook.com/MangioUK
