Return To SoLiTa

I've been blogging for roughly a year now, and sometimes inspiration runs dry. One thing I've tried to avoid is being repetitive. But sometimes, something tried and tested is too good not to share... plus I can only ever share a few dishes each time I ruin myself in a burger shack. So without further ado, I present you with the Once In a Lifetime burger, courtesy of SoLiTA.

That's beef and bone marrow patty, Monterey Jack, pulled pork, onion rings, buttermilk fried chicken and 'slaw with BBQ.
If you've been with me from the start, you'll remember last summer's Breaking Bad-themed night at the same venue. That trip was all about meth-inspired meat. This time, it was a once in a lifetime experience... and I didn't even order the damn thing!

SoLiTA is set to open a second spot, in Didsbury, in the very near future, setting a dangerous trap for my Friday nights and most likely a third post for the guys from South of Little Italy (get the name now?).

So, until then, let your eyes wander and your belly rumble...

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Burgertown, Manchester

Ask me where you'll get the best burger in Manchester and I'll have two words for you: 'Almost Famous'. Almost Famous is probably Manchester's worst-kept culinary secret. Down a back street in the popular Northern Quarter, the burger shack was keeping hipsters and students salivating over it's beefy monstrosities before a fire forced them to close in July.

The fire turned out to be somewhat of a blessing, as the company re-opened for business last week in a new meat paradise in the much larger Great Northern Warehouse across town (right next door to my favourite bowling hotspot, All Star Lanes). Almost Famous has always been notoriously difficult to grab a seat at - they don't believe in reservations - but the larger premises has gone some way to easing that. Then again, tables are still likely to be like gold dust on a Friday or Saturday.

The menu offers up burgerry satisfaction for under £15 a head and it would be impossible to complain about the food coming out of the kitchen. Each burger on the menu gets pants-tighteningly better by the ingredient. A couple of highlights include a rare flat iron steak atop a double cheeseburger and burgers garnished with beef flavoured Monster Munch and Frazzles - there's nothing these guys won't do.

After a few minutes of soul searching, I stumped for the Baddaboom burger. So much goes into it that I'll simply have to quote the menu:
Double cheeseburger, garlic butter brioche, bacon, chorizo, onions, marinara, famous sauce, french's sauce, parmesan, chillies.

And that's one of the less loco burgers. The food gets so messy that they don't even bother with napkins. Instead, in a move I'd recommend all restaurants to make, we were handed a full roll of kitchen paper to keep things from getting out of hand.

There are plenty of killer sides as well, if you've the gastric capacity for it. I opted for the Winning fries, a healthy batch of skin on and sweet potato fries with house seasoning (and baconnaise for dipping), and wings in 'redneck' sauce. The wings also come in a spicier 'suicide' or 'pho-king' sauce, and there are plenty of chillified pile-up plates. Plus it's all served up in traditional diner-style baskets (like all food should be). 

Of course, no eatery is complete without a decor to match the food. As shady as a brothel, the new Almost Famous has been designed with a 'twisted Disney' theme, and there's wall art adorned with a badass Mickey Mouse throughout. There's also a healthy smattering of alternative models photographed getting close and personal with the burgers... y'know, just in case all your blood isn't in your stomach.

 And what's a burger restaurant without a cheeky photobooth for dessert?

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Down And Dirty

My parents have been offering to take me out for a flatwarming dinner for a while now, and this week, a month after I moved out, we finally got together for some nosh! As I was given choice of cuisine, I suggested we try out Mud Crab in Didsbury, a restaurant/bar renowned for it's burgers and  cocktails.

Not my parents' usual kind of place but the menu caters for all (sea bass for Mum) and my Dad and I were drawn in by the Build Your Own Burger section. I went with the Original Dirty Burger which, as its name suggests, is a good old fashioned meat-fest.

I've come to the conclusion that when it comes to food, if in doubt, add the pig. Which is exactly what Mud Crab have done with the Dirty Burger, throwing a healthy serving of pulled pork on top of a grilled cheeseburger. Their house BBQ sauce, which is mixed with caramelised onions, ain't too bad either.

You also get the option of adding bacon (always bacon), fried egg, onion rings and SPECIAL FRIED CHICKEN! All tied together with a generous helping of seasoned fries - on the one hand, heart disease, on the other, BBQ goodness.

Of course, that's just a small corner of the menu. Mud Crab do all sorts of food, from pancake breakfasts through to massive calzones. No matter what you choose, it's in a great setting (it's the kind of place where they grow flowers out of old paint pots) and the waiters are probably more relaxed than you are when you release that belt buckle...

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Meth Monday

I'm not usually one for getting hooked into TV boxsets, but while I was ruining my social life  marathon training earlier this year, I sacrificed a good month to racing through the first four and a half seasons of Breaking Bad. If you're not up to speed with Breaking Bad, it's basically about a chemistry teacher (played by Bryan Cranston - Hal from Malcolm in the Middle) who is diagnosed with cancer so turns to cooking crystal meth in order to ensure his family's financial security when he's gone.

I was pretty pleased, then, when Solita in Manchester's Northern Quarter announced on Twitter that they were doing a Breaking Bad theme night. I've been wanting to try out Solita's famous menu for a while so it was the ideal opportunity.

As well as a Breaking Bad pub quiz, fancy dress and a couple of the best episodes, Meth Monday was all about the food! First off, we were presented with a crystal Blue Margarita and the menu of the culinary bloodbath that was to come. I'll apologise for the photos now - it was pretty dark so leave it, yeah?

Breaking Bad is based in Albuquerque so all of the food had a New Mexican twist. For starters we had pulled pork taquitos (or enchiladas to the untrained eye). Salsa, sour cream, pulled pork and deep fried jalapenos. B-E-A-Utiful.

Next up was the Breaking Bad Burger, which is part of Solita's regular burger menu - other pop culture inspired meatfests are available. I have to admit, the burger was pretty intimidating after the sizeable starter: One six ounce steak patty, two pieces of fried chicken, monterey jack cheese, tortilla chips, chilli sauce and roasted pepper. I'm getting meat sweats just thinking about it.

And finally, after the meat onslaught, came a ma-hussive slice of cheesecake, decorated with a little more crystal to send me off into a food coma until about midday today. 

I'm off to Berlin for a few days for hopefully a few more tales. For now, I'll leave you this link to a pretty graphic anti-meth campaign that I saw today. Cos, like, drugs are bad, mmkay?

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