Newly refurbed with lovely booths around the edge, stunning lighting and minimalist décor.  Those big open windows which wrap around the whole unit give the whole space real presence.  Nice crockery, good glassware and broadly upmarket table settings. 

Generally, the new look is a stunner and the feels suitably high end.

Some of the bare walls give the impression that they are crying out for some embellishment or maybe a spot artwork to match the other walls.  And the music got a bit up there in terms of DBs at some points of the evening.

We paid a few quid under £90 for 2 starters, 2 mains, a shared pudding, an optional tenner service charge, and a bottle of San Pel sparkling water, to give those beaten-up livers a bit of a break as much as Dry Jan never sees the light of day around here.  But all in all, the value was balanced with the quality.

Wine markups were fine, with the entry bottle (Villa Rossi Sangiovese del Rubicone) weighing in at a respectably restrained £24.95, which accounted for a 3x markup on the RRP, which was again perfectly acceptable really.

Looking further down the list; the iconic Antinori Solaia is on there for £375, and that retails at about £325, so a mere 1.1x markup on such a stellar drop is astonishing value for money.  I never drink super spenny wine in restaurants, simply because I begrudge paying a fortune for the privilege of somebody opening it for me and such wines should be opened hours before you arrive, but I may treat myself the next time we are in!

£6 for a bottle of San Pel is pushing the boundaries.  We almost ordered wine on principle.

Garlic Bread with Tomato (£8.5) was the crowd pleaser that we hoped it would be.  A well baked crust with a very pleasant texture, topped simply and classically with bags of fresh tomato and some token slivers of basil.  It’s a dish which can't really fail to go down well. 

Steak Tartare (£15) seems to be a classic dish in any nation's culinary repertoire.  Giovannis was a solid version, with chunky pieces of hand chopped steak, dressed really well, carrying the right amount of seasoning and then topped with strings of potato to add that all important textural element. 

Orecchiette Arrabiata (£16.5) showcased some perfectly al dente pasta, which was clearly made with love, dressed in a fresh tomato sauce, coming in a hearty portion too.  The stereotypically British/Italian massive pepper mill added a few flecks of pepper and a smile. 

Chicken Parmigiana (£19) was a real favourite of the table, because let's face it, who doesn’t love some form of fried chicken.  Juicy within, encased in a properly seasoned crispy fried exterior, with some rocket and a swoosh of sauce to complete things.  This disappeared without much resistance.

We decided to posh things up and dodge the regular fries which were suggested for the above, and instead went with a side of Polenta Chips (£6.50).  It was a good call, and the nuggets of crispy fried polenta, dressed with grated Parmesan and pesto mayo, went down a treat.  

And then finally onto pudding; a shared Cheesecake (£9) was a highlight of the evening's plates and was in this case a Sicilian ricotta variant which came plated with some spiced cherries.    Made in-house, the base was just the right thickness, with a lovely rich filling in the right ratio, based to perfection.  Delicious.  

But, the Arrabiata lacked chilli punch, and the Parm's crust quickly lost its crisp after being served.

Friendly and polished from the moment you arrived.  One lady remembered us from a previous visit which always makes a customer feel welcomed. 

A bit of a wait for our table led to an unattended wait at the bar, and starters initially arrived before the mains, but generally we received a friendly, slick service which made us feel well looked after and valued as customers.

The newly launched/latest iteration of Manchester's oldest indie Italian has come out swinging, and whilst they opened a couple of months ago, we prefer to give places a bit of time before heading in to do reviews as it's only fair.  But you get the impression that no wait was needed to be honest.

Sure, it's a new restaurant per se, but the guys feel as if they've been there for a million years, the menu is confident and accessible, and the drinks offering is also strong as much as we chose to opt out of the beverages on this occasion after a heavy month of indulgence.

Generally, it's just a real crowd pleaser and feels right for the market in terms of product and value, being ideally situated to make the most of footfall from surrounding theatres and the bustle of upper Oxford St.  The menu contains something for all tastes and budgets and is studded with all the classics and obligatory dishes, accented with a selection of elevated options for those who prefer something a bit different from their usual Carbonara.  It wasn’t difficult to find something for the whole table, as much as for the purpose of a review which hopefully resonates with you readers, we opted for the more typical and popular plates on this visit.   But we will return to explore further.  And that's the biggest question when reviewing anywhere; would we go back?

We went in for a solid, tasty meal, set in a lovely dining room with a great ambiance, and we walked away having receiving exactly that.  So yes, we would indeed return, and will indeed do just that.  So should you, and there's a good reason why these guys have been around since 1984.