solita

so i went to solita today as i read lots of good reviews about it. i was probably their first customer of the day since i entered right at their opening time. my first impression wasn’t a very pleasing one because as soon as i sat on my table, i realized it was dirty and there was some sticky sauce on the menu. my knife wasn’t washed properly either and had somefoodstuck onto it.

moving on, i ordered the veg halloumi burger with cheesy fries. the presentation of thefoodwas fantastic. the cheese on the fries was mouth-watering and i just couldn’t get enough of it. then i tried the burger, which had halloumi that wasn’t well grilled. the outer-side was fine but it was just not well done on the inside. it was really chewy and i could not eat the other half of the halloumi. the burger tasted a lot better without the halloumi and the portobello mushrooms were delicious. if you’re a veggie, maybe give the other burgers a shot or ask for the halloumi to be well done.

i was served by angie who asked me how thefoodwas. told her about the halloumi and she offered to get another burger which was really nice of her, even though i refused. she genuinely seemed to care about what i thought of the food, which you don’t usually see in many restaurants. finally, when i asked for the cheque, angie had given me a generous discount, which was pleasing.

overall, it was an okay experience but i am sure it can be better. special shoutout to angie who had a smile on her face throughout and made the whole experience worthwhile.

solita , where do i even begin? it’s been the talk of the town for quite a long time now. so much so, that it’s got the same ratings as manchester house  and the french on zomato. why does that matter? manchester house and the french are both fine dining michelin wannabe landmarks in manchester whereas solita is a small restaurant situated in the unassuming northern quarter – that is one impressive feat. this weekend, i decided to drag seb and matt to the northern quarter and see (and taste) what all the fuss was about. it was cold, wet and grey outside but it just had to be done and i am so glad i went because thefoodhere really is something special! solita is situated on the corner of turner street in an unassuming building, you could easily walk past it and not even realise the restaurant was there but make sure you walk in, i promise you won’t regret it. the interiors are very basic and industrial with simple black tables and leather chairs. the feature wall covered in comics is

as you may have read in my review of the northern quarter takeover 2013, i was brave (or stupid?) enough to enter the solita in the street hot wing challenge yesterday.
now i do love spicyfoodand i’m always complaining when things that are supposed to be hot turn out not to be (i’m looking at you almost famous ‘suicide’ sauce’) but i have to admit that the more i learned about what the competition entailed the less good of an idea it seemed.

first time here and thefoodwas amazing!!

quick service and super friendly staff.

i had the sunday lunch burger and my fiancé had the big manc burger.

the sunday lunch burger was perfect, it came with a side of mini roast potato’s and gravy. my only critique is that there should of been more gravy as it was a bit dry without it. however i didn’t actually ask for any more! so i can’t complain.

my fiancé loved the big manc and he had the salt and pepper fries with it.

very impressed with all the food.

we tried both the american beers on the menu and their some of the nicest drinks we’ve had.

definitely try blue wave!

will definitely return again (hopefully soon!)

i'm never a big fan a burger, so take this review with a grain of salt.

first of all, the interior is nice, and i got table on the basement, so that's fine with me.
i went there friday evening, arrived around 7 pm, and honestly the service was kinda slow, and we were expected to leave in 8 pm. honestly, if you want us to get out of there fast, then serve ourfoodfast.
we had solita sharer for starter, and it was amazing. the spring rolls really lives up to the hype, it was heaven on the mouth. i almost order it for take away, but there was no room left after the burger. my friend said the mac 'n' cheese balls were amazing too, so you can't go wrong with this menu. the fried baby squid was also good, i enjoyed that one a lot.
to the burger, well, i ordered walk of shame, and it was good, but i expected some special sauce but it was just like another burger, however, the patty is good. there was no vegetable whatsoever in this burger, and did i mention it was double patties?

summary:
coming back for the spring rolls.

very disappointed with solita. been twice and both times would rather have a mcdonald's burger. and that's saying something as i hate mcdonald's. average burgers. nice staff and restaurant though.foodjust not up to scratch.

i decided to try a fewfoodoptions and started with the steak eggs benedict. slicing through the eggs and steak was impressive, the steak was perfectly pink and the yolks exploded everywhere. unfortunately the hollandaise tasted of barely anything, the capers were a nice touch and did provide a much needed hit of vinegar but there just weren't enough to compensate for such bland sauce.

solita the name comes from the phrase 'south of little italy, hence so li ta get it? i always like finding out the reason behind names of brands or businesses as i had to do that as an exercise regularly in university so never got out of that habit!

the first thing that comes to my mind when i think of solita is lots of cheese and massive burgers - and that m'dear is a great thing! how can anybody resist something as delicious and naughty as cheese and succulent tender burger (woohh). i only tried theirfoodbefore at the northern quarter street party so never actually went inside to see what the restaurant actually looks like. jenny (my manager) was visiting me in manchester and she suggested we have dinner together so i had the opportunity to show off my lovely city. the first thing i focused on was obviouslyfoodand then i remembered she mentioned to me that she loves cheese. the first thought that popped up my head was the burger i had at the nq street party and i just knew i needed to take her to 'south of little italy'. she was also living right opposite at light apartments which obviously came in handy (that is what i call a win-win situation).

we went in and a very italian looking waitress got us seated, the place was packed even though it was a monday evening. i have to mention that its a very small and compact restaurant so even a few people can make it look like its really full - which to me could be a big advantage for any business as it can look very popular. i ordered for buttermilk fried chicken burger with extra cheese (nom nom nom) and a moreto (mexican beer) and i just have one word for it - delicious! the inca grilled veg which jenny ordered along with her chicken breast and cheese looks pretty damn good too! thefoodwas very filling and definitely satisfying after a long day! the price was definitely on the steeper end, so yeah it's not cheap by any means, a meal for two would be easily 50 pounds with drinks.

verdict : can't wait to have one more of those face sized burgers again!

firstly, if you are searching ‘manchester restaurants’ in google, having a little look on some review sites or simply browsing twitter, you cannot escape the buzz around so lita. it is everywhere, even sitting in a darkroom having a quiet pint around the northern quarter, you will hear people saying ‘fancy a quick burger at so lita’ or ‘have you been yet’, people love it.

this place encapsulates everything that is good about thenq. the inside is sleek and quirky. the cartoon strip on the main wall, the smooth red padding around the bar, it screams super cool. the service is casual just like many bars in the area and i love this. i want my waiter/waitress to be friendly, attentive, and helpful if needed without being overbearing. you get that here, you are coming for a burger not a suit and tie 3 course meal.the casual approach makes you feel relaxed and you can sit back and enjoy the atmosphere.

speaking of which, it is fantastic. even at lunch this places gets pretty packed, but thefoodis still served up with ease. if you are looking to dine between 7-9 i would suggest booking.

so the food. i am a sceptic, i was thinking that the fuss was simply just created by good pr and an active twitter feed. however, if you make it into the company magazine best burgers in the uk list or the highly enjoyable bacononthebeach.com best burgers in manchester you are doing something right. i went for the manc-hatten burger (£12.90), this is topped with a panko fried black pudding which is mushy and flavoursome, not these hard edged ones you get at asda. the burger bun was soft, as was the burger itself. that is what hit me when i took my first huge bite, the juices simply ran into my mouth to create the perfect burger taste. the lancashire sauce and melted cheese simply created a well rounded flavour and one that needs another bite even before the previous onehas been swallowed. i cannot over-emphasise how lovely and moist the meat is.

i had to try the 60—40 mash, this is simple it is 60% potato and 40% butter. it is awesome. that will be all. try it.

if you are looking to keep things simple, the back to basics burger still has the same moist texture as the other burgers and keeps the price down a little. that said you can enjoy a good selection of foodie delights on the lunch menu which seemed very popular when i was there.

i heard people ordering the lownbrau beer without evenlooking at the menu, i would suggest the solitabrau is a lovely accompaniment and is always better than a carling. it is always nice to see a few different beerson draft that you can’t get anywhere else, makes me feel all special.

atmosphere 5/5- even at lunch.

service 5/5

value 4.5/5

i’ve been a bit obsessed with japanesefoodrecently but was far from convinced by this concept, until i tasted it. ramen noodles are cooked and formed into ‘bun’ shapes which are used to replace the bread! between them is a 6oz patty, spring onions and a delicious spicy, sweet yet savoury sauce made from mirin, soy and my favourite condiment sriracha.

we are no experts on the manchesterfoodscene but what is clear is that solita has been making a big impression this past year and firmly making its name not just on the manchester map but the national map also. we've enjoyed twitter conversations with larger than life owner franco while the grill counts trusted bloggers like @hungryhoss and @sped98 as fans. it has already notched up (according to urbanspoon) a mind bending 51 blog posts and on our recent visit to manchester we felt compelled to check it out.    the restaurant at solita is based around their inka grill, a british rival to the josper, and the menu is therefore centred around burgers, steaks, and all the usual accompaniments. but franco has an eye for making a splash so as well as classic style burgers (bacon double cheese), there's amusingly quirky additions (the big manc is a lancashire big mac) and some new, off the wall stuff, such as the ramen burger. throw in on top of that a nod to popular culture, the breaking b

i whole heartedly recommend this place, and when i'm in manchester and fancy a good burger, this is where i always think of! pop along for lunch sometime, it's worth it :) they servefoodfrom 12pm until late, and the bar is open a little later still.

the big manc is solita’s take on mcdonald’s big mac. the mega manc is the same but with an extra burger and layer of brioche. i was amazed at how closely solita has managed to replicate the fastfoodicon of burgers, even down to the special sauce. being a closet big mac fan i thoroughly enjoyed it and would go as far to say it’s one of the tastiest and best cooked burgers i’ve eaten. my mate tucked into the big manc with a topping of incredibly tasty smoky and spicy brisket chilli. he too thought the burger was an absolute triumph (he isn’t gregg wallace, by the way). a word of warning – you will pay the best part of £20 for these burgers but they are an unforgettable eating experience. i’m still suffering from the meat sweats three days later.

i dream solita dreams.. i went to solita with the boys on my way to france for a weeks skiing....absolutely awesome place and i cant recommend this enough. normally im a total fine diner but this place is magical and the other end of the spectrum...its a man vfoodestablishment and i bloody love it.
i wanted to try the anal ( apocolypse now and later ) naga chilli burger but it had been taken off and replaced by the " life aquatic" burger..... i made a good choice. moist chuck steak patty topped with atlantic dressed crab claws in a soft brioche bun and skewered with huge shrimp.
other burgers to grace the tables are the rossini ( fillet steak burger with foie gras and madeira sauce ) the sunday lunch burger ( exactly as it says on the tin ) and the hungry hoss ( you just wont get through it )
solita is a mecca for comfortfoodeating , all well researched and well sourced recipes and cooked to perfection. from the heart , i cant recommend this place enough and the sooner the management get it up and running as a franchised chain the better.
i dream solita dreams.

solita was absolutely buzzing and as soon as a table was vacated it was immediately re-occupied again. only one reason for that , it`s simple….they`re providing the customer with exactly what they`re wanting. amazing home madefood, northern portions and menus filled with excitement that totally guarantees a return visit.