Galician Rib Eye Steak at Volta, Didsbury.

I seem to be eating nothing but steak recently. I don't mind though when it's as good as this Galician rib eye. I've previously explained what makes this meat so special here and in my recent Levanter preview here. Since then even Mr Rayner has ventured north to try them! (in vain sadly although it was wonderful that he loved Levanter).

We road tested these steaks way back in June and finally MrTxuleta's fantastic product was on the Volta menu properly last night. You will need to reserve them with a deposit though, I paid £20 up front with the sharing platter keenly priced at £55. Exactly the same steak will set you back £85 at Kitty Fisher's in London and even more elsewhere.
I knew it was going to be a good night, they had my favourite beer on tap; Beavertown Bloody 'ell Blood Orange IPA which belies it's 7.4% strength, it was going down way too easily. I lost the power of speech by the end of the night. The steak left me pretty speechless too. The meat was good in June but they've perfected the cooking method now;
"This time we put this big fat kilo of fat marbled beef on the plancha Spanish style and the results were extraordinary. We rendered the fat first then slow Cooked it in a low heat to a medium rare (it's very very thick) so it crusts up on the outside but perfect medium rare on the inside."

 It has a remarkable deep almost cheesy mature flavour. Even eating just the fat on it's own is a joy. The generous amount of fat of course is what gives this meat its flavour.
They're recommending pairing it with a Cair Cuvée 2011 from the Ribera del Duero. I could only manage a small sip on the night as any mixing of beer and wine results in the headache of death for me. It's exactly my sort of wine though and I can see will work very well with the steak. I've really enjoyed these intense velvety reds from this region before. (They even sell a good one at Aldi)

 I leave Volta in a bit of a booze/meat haze but I can recall precisely the taste of that exceptional meat and it may have spoilt all other steaks for me from now on, only this will do.

We paid £55 between two of us for a sharing platter.
These steaks will appear as a special again. Follow @Voltamanchester for updates.
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