Situated in the Food Forum at Times Square, Manzo recreates a rustic Italian steak house with a warm ambience created by its wooden décor, hanging hams and an open kitchen. With a homely setting, Manzo has a huge dining area where guests can find brick walls lined with wine, plate cupboards and hanging pots and pans. Napkins are stitched with a simple picture of a cow showing where respective cuts come from, a nice touch that matches perfectly well with the menus and placemats. It is not ideal for those who are looking for a more intimate meal, as the whole dining area is very open and can be quite loud. However, it is a great venue for family dinners and gatherings of large groups of friends.

Named after the Italian word for beef, it is not a surprise to see that meat dishes takes up half of the menu, which includes beef, cured meats, poultry, sausages and burgers. We start with a minestrone soup with summer vegetables and pesto. The selection of the vegetables itself is fresh and in season and matched with the soup base which carries a faint herbal scent. It is a mild and not entirely memorable starter. Making much more of an impression is the burrata with vine tomatoes and basil. The tomatoes are fresh and juicy and we like the variety of yellow, cherry and larger tomatoes, as well as the creamy runniness of the fresh burrata. For mains, we select a USDA ribeye. The steak is nicely cooked to medium rare as requested with clean grill marks. Though some parts of the meat are chewy, the flavours of the meat are locked in and taste good with just the right amount of seasoning. The other main is a linguine vongole with garlic and white wine. The most disappointing dish of the whole meal, the linguine is bland and oily with a minimal amount of clams. For dessert, we recommend the mouth-watering tiramisu with almond ice cream. It is rich and smooth and the almond ice cream and amoretti matches perfectly with the tiramisu.

Manzo has an impressive wine list which gives wine lovers a wonderful selection of wines ranging from HK$300 to HK$ 4,480 per bottle. Diners can also choose wine by the glass from 18 different wines. On the wine list, there are helpful Robert Parker and Wine Spectator scores and the servers are also able to recommend wines to pair with your dishes.

Due to the open and spacious setting, it can be difficult to get the attention of the waiters. They could also improve on their timing of serving the courses, our side dish came when we were nearly done with the steak. On the plus side, they are knowledgeable with the menu and wines.

A three-course meal for two including wine is around HK$900. Considering the location in Times Square and the quality of dishes, the price is acceptable.