Northern Soul is the UK's first gourmet grilled cheese restaurant, and sits in a shack of small shops near the Arndale, in the trendy Northern Quarter of Manchester City Centre.
The place genuinely makes you smile as soon as you approach and hear the music playing, and people inside chatting, laughing, and the staff themselves smiling and laughing too. They've embraced the casual rough-and-ready style, with chunky wooden furniture and exposed roofing, and bar seating giving full view into the kitchen, giving the place the feeling of a classic American diner, but with a modern twist.
The clever way this place is set up means that as well as bar seating and "booth" or table seating, there's also seating allowing you to sit outside and face inside, or inside and face out, to watch the world go by, and on a summer's day like today, the open feel of the place gives it a pleasant and happy vibe.
We took a seat at the bar, and were asked if we'd visited before, which we haven't. We were told to check out the main menu chalkboard, and when ready, simply order at the main till, give our name, and wait for our food to come out. The menu is hugely appealing, with simple "cheese toastie" style offerings such as "The Soul", to full meal sounding offerings such as Tandoori Chicken, as well as sides and soups, and nothing costing more than £6.50, which is very pleasant indeed. There was also a separate drinks prep area with a blackboard offering teas, coffees, and hand made loaded milkshakes.
We decided that we both fancied the Ham & Swiss, and ordered at the till, where it was nice to see that despite the place looking simple and rustic, we were able to pay by card. Drinks-wise I went for a pomegranate San Pellegrino, and my partner went for a Cookies and Cream milkshake, which at £5 seems a little pricey compared to the rest of the menu, but was very good quality, and thoroughly enjoyed.
It was satisfying to be able to sit at the bar and watch the kitchen team in their black and yellow aprons preparing our sandwiches, and using heavy presses to keep them pressed down onto the cooking surface to cook to perfection. This made me feel like watching an episode of Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives on Food Network, and I really liked that; it made the place feel genuine and unique. I could imagine Guy Fiyeri watching the sandwiches being made, and tasting them with satisfaction.
Our name was called out, and our grilled cheeses arrived in front of us, presented on gingham paper wrap with a pickle spear and a side of freshly made coleslaw. Just from looks alone this was no simple toastie, this was a big grilled cheese sandwich that meant business, oozing the secret three-cheese blend, and packed with delicious ham. The toast itself was perfectly smooth and crunchy from the sandwich-press method on the cooking surface, and gave a hugely satisfying crunch to bite through, followed by the warm and gooey delicious filling.
We both thoroughly enjoyed the sandwiches, and agreed the quality was superb. Even whilst munching our way through, we looked up at the menu, deciding what we fancied next time. I definitely fancy The Classic, with caramelised red onion chutney!
Looks can also be deceptive. Sure this was a toasted sandwich, but by the time I was half-way through my second half, I was getting full! This was a FILLING sandwich... when has that ever happened for under seven quid?
Northern Soul isn't fine dining, but it's simple and good hearty comfort food which makes for the perfect freshly made lunch that won't break the bank, which for Manchester's Northern Quarter is pretty rare, and as they also have a loyalty card, it's very tempting to make it a regular thing instead of just bobbing into the local Tesco Metro for an overpriced plastic packaged sandwich, or a lukewarm sausage roll from Greggs.
Love you, Northern Soul. Back soon!
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