By Lucy Lovell
Lunch at Volta had been on my to-do list
for far too long, and the glorious spring sunshine was enough to entice me to
the laid-back, leafy suburb of West Didsbury.
Volta is a flexible space, and flits effortlessly between restaurant, café and bar according to the weather or time of day.
We were welcomed by co-owner Luke Cowdrey, who handed us the lunch menu and cautioned us that this was only a stripped down version of their evening service. However, contrary to his pre-warning, we were presented with a fantastic menu bursting with fresh, seasonal ingredients. If this is lunch, I’ll definitely be back for dinner.
We started with a gorgeous potato, beetroot and asparagus salad. The colours were a celebration of spring, with crisp pink beets, verdant asparagus and a silky, well-balanced dressing.
The crockery was pretty tasty too. The electric
sky-blue bowl holding the salad was from a pottery in the hand-made haven, Hebden
Bridge.
The sea bass main, sourced from Chorlton fishmongers Out of the Blue, was delicate with wafer-crisp skin. The fillet was balanced by the light earthiness of braised puy lentils, and lifted with the addition of buttery charred leeks.
The team at Volta are passionate about good food– and this shows in their products. Ever impressive, the affordable menu at Volta lends itself to relaxed dining with serious food.