Monday 10 November 2014

Volta, Didsbury, Manchester.

Unusually for us, we've not been out for a while and were even reluctantly forced to postpone a trip to the Lakes at the weekend due to us both being unwell. It's not stopped us eating like horses at home though but it was necessary to just get out of the house for a bit, as we were getting stir-crazy.
A big hearty meal out would be just the trick to lift our spirits, so we went over to Volta in nearby West Didsbury. We don't actually go out for Sunday dinner that much because with a few notable exceptions they can be generally quite disappointing.
I've been meaning to return to this place since our first visit (see here) when it opened at the start of the year. I love the interior, well considered but simple with quirky touches. A while back, I came across co-owner Luke's page on Pinterest which is a fine collection of inspiring photos of interiors, vintage French bistro shop-fronts and distressed old fonts etc. See here. Even the music playing (for example Womack & Womack's ace Baby I'm Scared of You‬), was spot on for a Sunday as you'd imagine with both owners being DJ's.
For me, it's these little details that all matter and add up to make the place what it is.
Despite his recent self imposed exile from twitter, (which is a shame as he was one of the most entertaining tweeters out there), I managed to contact Luke for tips and he recommended we go for the Roast platter for two. For £26 you get Roast beef, Pork and Poussin plus all the trimmings to share. The photos below don't do it justice. It was bloody massive, even for us.
First of all, the poussin was a big surprise. I never order chicken out much as it's so dull and bland but this was darker and full of flavour like the chicken you find in Spain. The pork and beef were of good quality too. This time we didn't fight over the crackling, I let Mrs B have first dibs. The roasties, if I'm being picky could have been a little fluffier inside. The rest of the veg were bang on. (Not overcooked). We devoured the lot and didn't even need extra gravy as we normally do, a large jug was provided for a change.
It's a winning idea serving a big platter like this with the three meats together. We couldn't manage a dessert, although if we had, I'd have loved to have seen a sherry trifle on the menu. Service was lovely, even Sam the dog* was treated like an old pal. The Sunday Dinner at Volta was just what we needed yesterday. It's definitely one of the best out there. Like the décor, they've sensibly kept the food really simple, but sourced important things like the meat really well. My only real criticism? You're gonna need bigger plates.
* It's dog friendly in the day. See my dog friendly Manchester post here.

Volta on Urbanspoon

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