03-10-2014
Manna’s sign (tel. +39.02.26809153). The restaurant in Milan recently underwent a substantial yet subtle restyling. The goal of this operation was to create greater coherence between the decor and the personal and clear-cut cuisine of Matteo Fronduti, patron and chef
Visiting Manna means most of all meeting him: Matteo Fronduti. He’s the chef and owner of the restaurant, however, as putting his face on everything he does is something very important to him, during the service he also takes the responsibility of managing the dining room. An “everywhere man” you will notice right way, with his imposing figure, the expression that may seem grouchy but in fact hides a straightforward and sharp friendliness.
The journey of this Milanese chef starts with discovering this passion perhaps a little later than his average colleague: after graduating from the Scientific Lyceum, Fronduti decided to put himself to the test with this job, starting from an “ordinary” restaurant, with no special gastronomic desires, in order to understand if that might really be the right road to take. Once he confirmed to himself this was the case, he arrived at locations of a much higher level, such as Armani Cafè, Trattoria del Nuovo Macello, D'O.
A detail of the restaurant’s first room and bar, in its new version
And while Piazzale Governo Provvisorio – in the Turro neighbourhood – is not exactly in the centre, those who decide to go there will find out it is a very pleasant place, that gracefully maintains the old, popular Milanese spirit, with a pedestrian area surrounded by bushes and a few oleanders, with a nice and old cascina, recovered and renovated, right in front of the entrance to the restaurant.
So just like five years ago Manna, even with regards to the decor, was born following just the ideas of Matteo Fronduti, even the restyling presented a few days ago – and designed by Alberto Barbieri of Bda Studio – starts from the head of the chef, even though it has also followed some stimuli that arrived from the closest guests: «many told me that my food didn’t perfectly match the style of the decor. So I wanted to make the latter more linear, modern and minimalist, focusing on wood and on a sharper chromatic choices than in the past».
Matteo Fronduti together with Alberto Barbieri, the architect who managed the renovation
For instance, the “menu dell'ignoranza” [menus of ignorance], are not to be missed, periodically presented by the chef who can therefore allow himself the luxury of playing with de-structuring and recomposing dishes that are potentially not very refined, but very fun. Smile and irony are always present in Fronduti’s take on cuisine, and indeed he names the dishes in a light-hearted way: Aldo Fabbbbrizi is a dish of maccheroni with cheese, pepper and lamb liver, Giscard D'Estaing is an onion soup with grated gruyere.
And should you think these are not very refined dishes, bear in mind that Fronduti’s extraordinary talent is in fact the capacity of transforming what could appear as the most predictable thing in the menu into something surprising, proving that simplicity can be reinvented in a very tasty way. Manna Piazzale Governo Provvisorio, 6 Milan +39.02.26809153 Average prices: starters 11, first courses 12, second courses 19, dessert 9 euros Closed on Sundays
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Journalist, based in Milan. At 8 years old, he received a Springsteen record as a gift, and nothing was the same since. Music and food are his passions. Author and broadcaster at Radio Popolare since 1997, since 2014 he became part of the staff of Identità Golose Instagram: @NiccoloVecchia