WELCOME to the Widowmaker. Not a phrase you might associate with leafy Didsbury, but then Solita is bringing NQs take on dirty food to the burbs on the site formerly housing Cibo and, before that, La Tasca. The dish in question consists of 24 inches of all-beef banger, smoked brisket chilli, chow chow slaw, deep-fried jalapenos, Monterey Jack, bacon and ball park mustard. On Twitter it looked menacing and as the plan for our second visit to Franco Sotgius latest venture was to test the fish options, reader, I passed.
The price of £15.95 might put them me off as a paying punter. Street Food top dogs Diamond Dogs were charging just £6 for a Chilli Cheese Dog to wash down the arcane ales at IndyManBeerCon. OK, the dog was mere pup in comparison and came in cardboard with a wooden fork that snapped, but you do get the feeling that simple snacks are belong elevated to titanic status because thats flavour of the month.
Ditto with another mouth-challenging, artery-hardening monster, also imported from the original Solita in Turner Street and the same prices as The Dog, the Big Manc. You get a mountain of Monterery Jack and a flood of special sauce over two six ounce minced chuck steak patties, iceberg lettuce and gherkin slices, all pinned together in a brioche bun. I had it on the first visit and enjoyed the half of it I could finish. There is a certain monotony, allayed by the layers of pulled pork, buttermilk chicken and beef pattie in the Once In A Lifetime burger (£16.90). Some eight inches high, its a challenge to eat again I couldnt meet.
But enough things carnivore. I am obviously out of kilter and crave fish. What we got, though was a mixed catch. Lobster and sweetcorn fritters (£6.90) are one of the new creations for Didsbury and are terrific their deep-fried crustacean sweetness accompanied by a tangy Bloody Mary mayo dip.
Good too was a debut special on the board behind the huge neon indoor Solita (this is not a discreet little bistro, but a 140 American-style joint that would like to be jumping). Popcorn mussels, same price, again deep-fried, came with a buttermilk-based ranch dressing with a slight Tabasco kick. Fleshy inside, lovely nibbles. In contrast lightly fried baby squid was just bland as was the charcoal-grilled seafood skewer (£13.90).
A swordfish main, at £12.90, also off the Inka grill (Franco is MD of the firm) came off much better, thanks perhaps because it was spread with an intense, garlicky, herby chimichurri sauce.
For puddings our waitress was keen to steer us towards her favourite, Peanut butter chocolate fudge with Oreo ice cream, but here we could never look any further than another new Solita signature dish, based on a more homegrown chocolate treat Jaffa Cake Ice Cream Pie with Gran Marnier sauce (£5.90). Its a take on an Italian semifreddo (Francos family is of Sardinian origin) and its a real winner.
I cant imagine this Solita not winning over the Didsbury public, either. On a Tuesday evening it was doing good trade, staff were young but genuinely enthused by the place, which is unrecognisable from before. Downstairs the walls are lined with caricatures of stars drawn by Stan Chow, a Manc employed by the New Yorker mag; the upper floor features a Manchester-themed 10 metre wall mural by Manchesters most respected muralist and graffiti artist Russell Mehan; while the outdoor terrace remains a great people watching spot (though perhaps well leave that till next summer).
The wine and beer list isnt the most exciting, though beers from Hawaii and Cuba add an exotic touch. Id recommend trying the Soli-Pa, a light golden ale brewed exclusively for Solita by Manchesters Privateer brewery. Because of our fish quest we drank a bottle of restrained Kiwi Sauvignon, Hidden Bay (£23.90). Against the big burgers the plummy house Montepulciano, at £5.95 a big glass, should hold its own.
Solita Didsbury, 10-12 Warburton Street, Manchester M20 6WA. It opens at 6pm on September 18 and will open seven days a week, from noon until late during the week and from 10am until late at weekends. Book via http://www.solita.co.uk or ring 0161 434 4884.
