Hugo's Manly Wharf

Hugos Manly
Shop 1, Manly Wharf
East Esplanade, MANLY
Ph: (02) 8116 8555 Fx: (02) 8116 8585

No a more picturesque setting exists than a balmy Springtime evening on Manly Wharf. Watching the Sydney ferries roll in on a Friday night full of exhausted city-workers ready to hang up their suits and ties, if only for a weekend away from the rat-race, to dipsomaniacs ready to let their hair down, Manly style.

Falling somewhere in the middle, I dined out with long-lost uni buddies, Masty and The First Lady Who Never Was. Cocktails, the first order of the day, followed by a chilled bottle of Carlei Pinot Gris. The First Lady Who Never Was (who I only see once a year) quipped "You love Pinot Gris". Even with the passage of time, I didn't realise I was so predictably transparent. The place was busier than a one-armed cabbie with the crabs. Not even a self-confessed, fumbling youthful dalliance with the maitre'd by The First Lady Who Never Was, could get us a table any quicker. When we were eventually seated, we had one of the choicest waterside deck tables, the view from which, only got more enchanting as the night wore on. Or perhaps that was just the cocktails weaving their magic?

Hugo's by night - where everyone becomes beautiful

The menu is extensive, although a sheer cursory glance around the restaurant revealed that pizza is the signature Hugo's dish.The food at Hugo's isn't great, but it is good. A starter of fried calamari with rocket, chilli sea salt & lemon aioli, had crunch and bite with a little bit of heat,  and was perfectly married with the lemony mayonnaise. My pizza was artichoke with pancetta, chicory, taleggio, chilli & lemon. It was super thin and possessed a crisp base. The only way I like my men, and, my pizza. A side salad of tomato with fresh buffalo milk mozzarella & capers, transported Masty back to romantic travels across Italy she shared with her now-husband, pre-children. Nostalgia is a beautiful, but dangerous thing. All in all I had a great night, too much wine, too many cocktails, and being violently reminded of both on my trip home on the Manly ferry.

RATING OUT OF 10:  PRICE: 6/10 SERVING SIZE: 7/10

CRUNCH FACTOR: 7/10 SPICE: 7/10