WARNING! Below you will find pictures and
descriptions of what could well be some of the tastiest and naughtiest food
being served anywhere in Manchester at the moment.
DISCLAIMER: I cannot be held responsible for
your imminent overindulgence and burgeoning waistlines. (Top tip: wear loose
fitting clothing… preferably with elasticated waistbands.) Please also be aware that I ate all this as a guest of the restaurant and did not pay for the food!
Another point to note is that the pictures
contained below show ‘tasters’ and, in some cases, trial versions from the new
menu. Expect real portions to be bigger and/or presented differently.
Readers who follow me on Twitter may be aware
that on Wednesday I was invited to a special ‘press lunch’ – we were given a ‘Press Release’ but I’m not going quote
from it as I’m pretty sure you will have read the information already in
several blog posts, and various other print and online media.
Instead, I’ll give you some insight to some
of the ‘behind the scenes’ previews that I was lucky to be a part of over the
last few weeks, building up to what has been called the ‘hottest opening of the
year!’.
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| Bacon Jam on Sourdough Toast |
Before you get too excited… no, I cannot
provide you with details of the secret ingredients in their SoLita Rub; reveal the mysteries of the
delicious Bacon Jam on Sourdough Toast
or the cloak-and-dagger techniques behind the infamous Deep Fried Coke.
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| Deep Fried Coke |
Several weeks ago I got a phone call from Dom
Sotgiu - the former Manager at the popular Teacup on Thomas Street (see here). Dom informed me that he was now managing a new
restaurant based in the Margolis building; conveniently situated with easy
access to the main thoroughfare of the Northern Quarter and Manchester’s Market
Street.
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| Inka Grilled Veg with Smoked Butter |
As “someone who knows about food”, Dom wanted
my opinion on the proposed menu – this is before the SoLita name was born.
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| Mac 'n' Cheese Burger with Pulled Pork |
From day one, dishes such as the Truffled Egg on Toast; Prestwich Salt Beef with 60/40 Mash and
Mac ‘n’ Cheese with Pulled Pork
caught my eye.
Whilst, I was the first to admit that a) this
was not the cuisine which I generally write about, and b) the whole trendy NQ
thing is not my usual scene – what peaked my interest and kept me returning to
taste and advise* over the last few weeks was Dom’s passion to source good
quality organic and free range ingredients; cook from fresh and with love. (*See
me as a freeloading taste consultant.)
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| Rooster Scratchings |
Drawing from Dom’s Irish Italian heritage as
well as his knowledge and understanding of the unique vibe of the Northern
Quarter, the menu soon started to take shape and look like something I’d like –
a menu with obvious ‘New York’ Italian influences with a home-grown Manchester
‘edge’.
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| Salt Cod Balls with Salsa Verde Mayo |
Striking a perfect synergy of all that is
good from NY, Italy and MCR also come from the owner – a down to earth, Salford
born, ex-army “scally done good” that I’d describe as a ‘proper Manc’ – not
your choc-ice tweeting premiership footballer or fat tongued mockney that may
own other ‘Italian’ restaurants in the city.
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| 'Olives and things' |
Of course SoLita is not just another Italian
restaurant, the name refers to it’s location ‘South of Little Italy’ as Ancoats was once well known
and not the cuisine - although the Italian influence can be seen on the menu
with the excellent Inka Grilled Veg with
Percorino and Orzo Pasta; the
homely Uovo Pomodoro with Sourdogh
Soldiers and some top notch Nocerella
Olives (and things) from Sicily.
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| Cabrelli's Ice Cream with Bacon Candy |
The Italian connection also come’s from the
inclusion, on a number of the dessert dishes, of Cabrelli’s Ice Cream - one of the area’s original ‘ice-cream
families’.
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| Uovo Pomodoro |
Over the last six weeks I managed to blag my
way to a number of tastings - some dishes fell by the wayside (I lament the
loss of the Bury Black Pudding ‘Boudin Balls’)
Most however, with a few tweaks, developed
into top notch menu items – a few, I’m sure, are set to become some of the most
talked about plates of food currently being served anywhere in Manchester.
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| Pulled Pork Sundaes |
One dish that has already caused quite a stir
on Twitter is the Pulled Pork Sundae
– at first I thought this was a bit of a gimmick but soon realised this dish
can more than talk the talk. The 60/40
mash is a heart-stoppingly good combination of 60% potato and 40% butter;
the pulled port is meaty and generous and the BBQ sauce is one of the best I
have tasted.
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| Classic Burger with bone marrow and Triple Cooked Chips |
When I hear the phrase ‘Dirty burger’, I
think sleazy, greasy and wrapped in paper. SoLita’s
Burgers are made with high quality chuck steak supplied by @frostybutcher
and studded with bone marrow which melts in the Inka Grill to give that desired
chin dribbling sensation – that served within the sweet demi-brioche bun makes
for an altogether more high class level ‘sleazy snack’ – think the ‘Belle de
Jour’ of burgers!
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| It's all about the INKA! |
One thing that makes the burgers so good is
the Inka Grill – I have written about the merits of these before in one of my
posts about Aiden Byrne’s The Church Green (see here) but SoLita is the first restaurant in Manchester to
have an Inka in their kitchen (MCFC have one too but they’re not a restaurant).
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| Hanger Steak and Triple Cooked Chips |
Another Inka Grill dish is the Hanger Steak -
prized for its flavour, this cut was traditionally kept back by the butcher,
hence its nickname the "butcher's
steak".
As with all steaks, tenderness can be sacrificed for flavour but the Inka
Grill cooking method makes works wonders to readdress the balance. The result
is one of the best Hanger steaks you’ll eat – it was certainly one of the most popular dishes amongst
my fellow bloggers at the official tasting.
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| Jacobs Ladder |
Another star of the Inka Grill section of the
menu is undoubtedly the Jacob’s Ladder short rib – 48 hours in the sous vide
water bath followed by a charring in the Inka makes for a cut of meat that
tastes as impressive as it looks!
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| Inka Grilled Pineapple |
For me, the Inka Roasted Pineapple, marinated
in Havana 7 Rum and molasses is the standout dessert.
I could go on and on about the cocktails,
craft beers, ales and ciders and house wines, served in carafes but you’re much
better off going and seeing for yourself. There’s bound to be a tipple that
takes your fancy – personal favourites include the Fentiman’s sodas, excellent
coffee and unusual smoked Bavarian beer Schlenkerla Rauchbier.
With private dining
spaces available and a stylish clubby basement, SoLita should surely become one
of the city’s busiest hotspots - so get there early; be prepared to queue and
remember my warnings!
Follow @HungryHoss
