Mangio

Despite the area around St Paul’s cathedral being well served for restaurants (there’s GBK, Pizza Express, Strada, Yo Sushi, Café Rouge etc) and a variety of chain and independent takeaways (Degustibus and L’Express) I think there is space for this one that opened just before Christmas.

Mangio is in a great location – at the corner of Knightrider Street and Peter’s Hill – that’s the pedestrian walkway linking Millennium Bridge with St Paul’s. It’s in a new building and hidden under some modern portico arches. So whilst it’s primarily a takeaway establishment (there were plenty of office workers in there yesterday) in the summer I predict a roaring trade amongst the tourists – especially if they have kids and seat themselves to eat on the steps outside or on the nearby riverside admiring the views.

I decided to take a seat on a high stool in the corner, but there are also a few seats against a counter that looks out of the window. So a perfect place if you are dining on your own and don’t have much time to spare.

The décor is clean, white and modern. It feels Italian as there are various jars and goods on the shelves to buy so it doubles as a deli. There were four staff behind the white counter (which has rather nice pale blue cabinets in the front giving it a homely feel) where all the cooking action can be seen.

Blackboards display the daily specials of filled pasta (ravioli, tortellini, lasagne – including a vegetarian optionetc) and sauce combinations. Soup is also available for £4. San Pellegrino dominates the drinks cabinet (orange, my personal favourite lemon/limonata and water) but there is also Diet Coke.

I choose some gnocchi (potato dumplings) for £5.80 which arrived in a cardboard box with plastic cutlery. It was a sizeable portion (I could have easily shared it with another person). The gnocchi glistened with a light coating of olive oil and were dusted with parmesan cheese. The small nuggets of toasted ham added a pleasant saltiness. The dumplings tasted fresh and light.

It’s certainly warming and carb-filled, comfort food for a cold day. And ideal if you need some energy to fuel your running or gym programme. There’s also an option to take out pasta to cook at home to save you a trip to the supermarket.