Noi Quattro fired up
THE Italian pals behind Shudehill pastificio The Pasta Factory know their dough - and now they’re proving it with their new pizzeria, Noi Quattro.
Translating to ‘the four of us,’ namely Paolo Gaudino, Elisa Cavigliasso, Alberto Umoret and Daniele Bianculli, the new Smithfield Square restaurant serves a menu of Neapolitan pizza and cuoppi - cones full of fried street snacks found in the south of Italy.
Two giant, dual wood and gas-fired ovens take pride of place in the open kitchen, blasting the slow-proved dough at 400°C for 60 to 90 seconds to give a chewy, charred crust.
Diners can sit at the ceramic-tiled counter to watch the pizzaioli at work or test their balance after a glass of wine on the swing-seat table at the centre of the restaurant - bound to be the most sought-after spot.
The menu features a range of rosse (tomato-based) and bianche (white) pizzas, with toppings ranging from simple marinara and margherita to tris di funghi (San Marzano tomatoes, garlic, porcini, chestnut and portobello mushrooms) and montanara (mozzarella fior di latte, Italian sausage, wild broccoli and smoked scamorza cheese).
Like at The Pasta Factory, vegans are well catered for with options including the avezzanese (roasted potatoes, onions and rosemary) and dall’orto bio (San Marzano tomatoes, grilled courgettes, aubergines and peppers).
The friends have recruited three chefs from Naples, who have also worked at Ancoats’ acclaimed Rudy’s Neapolitan Pizza, and hope their pizza will compete with the best in the city.
“We saw that here were already a couple of good pizzerias in Manchester - none of them run by Italian people but really good - and the demand for this type of pizza was quite high,” said Paolo.
“In the two or three other places where the pizza is good there were long queues, you had to wait a long time, so we thought there was a possibility to increase the offering.
“We wanted to present a really good, simple pizza and we also have the cuoppi, which is more like a street food, but is typical of the restaurants in the south of Italy, and you cannot find really easily here in England.”
The fried snacks include whitebait, calamari, salted cod, zeppoline (dough balls) and courgette flowers, and a selection of nibbles and salads completes the concise menu.
“We want to keep the same positive things from The Pasta Factory - being Italian, fresh, not a posh place, and the simplicity of it,” said Paolo.
To wash it down there’s a range of Italian craft beers from breweries including Menabrea, Baladin, Brewfist, Amarcord and San Paolo, along with wines by the glass, carafe or bottle and a classic cocktail list.
Noi Quattro opens today at 120 High Street. Bookings are available at noiquattro.co.uk.