[title]
In January 2018, The Manor closed to make way for a new concept. I felt a pang of sadness, having eaten some terrific meals there, but it made sense: one neighbourhood couldn’t realistically support three cutting-edge small-plates joints from the same stable (its siblings are The Dairy and Counter Culture, which are next door to each other, a short walk down the road).
This site has relaunched as Sorella. The menu is now Italian and offers up a conventional selection of nibbles, starters, pasta, meat/fish and desserts. Some of it’s very good. In particular, truffle arancini or homemade, pepper-crusted beef coppa followed by huge ribbons of al dente pappardelle with a tangy, parsley-strewn beef ragù, thick with meaty mushrooms. But the magic of The Manor is gone. The room is essentially the same (think classy Scandi farmhouse chic) but without the quirky elements that made it memorable. The ooh-aah dessert bar is no more. The intentionally wild graffiti in the loos has been painted over. Worst of all, the super-cool staff seem to have been replaced with the sweet but amateurish variety. Sorella is fine for locals after an elegant Italian, but it’s no longer a destination.