Whatever happens to dining out come the future, discerning restaurateurs will always open places such as the new Manzi’s in Soho, and at considerable expense, because old-school glamour will never stop being attractive. AI butlers, vegan fried chicken shops in BoxParks and pop-up 1990s-themed hip-hop taquerias are all very exciting, but not if you need somewhere to host a group for a special occasion.
I needed somewhere that would take a reservation and be busy enough to cope with our inevitable noise levels, yet at the same time sedate enough for everyone to be able to chat. I needed starters, mains and puddings, so dinner actually felt like a proper night out, rather than a rush job. Also, it had to be a bit fancy, but not so fancy that it ended up costing £200 a head and our conversation interrupted every seven minutes by a server reverently explaining the process by which they collect the birch sap for the dressing on the confit giant prague celeriac.
