Volta, Didsbury

We visited Volta as it was approaching the end of January, eager to take advantage of the January 50% off food promotion. Volta is based on the former site of Rhubarb on Burton Road, which is packed with a range of good eateries.

The menu is quite short with a range of small and larger plates. We like the idea of small plates, as it gives us a chance to try more dishes. We started with smoked feta, beetroot, hazelnuts and dill, a vibrant plate with the beetroot puree, nice textures however we couldn’t quite taste the smoky notes from the feta.

Sea bass, fine beans and olive tapenade is a safe combination yet tasty dish. However the sea bass didn't seem the freshest as it was rather fishy.

We have never tried haggis before but we loved this, big deep fried patties of haggis which were packed with flavour. We thoroughly enjoyed this dish and the mash accompaniment. 

The smell of lemon on the lamb chops along with the spices filled the air, Mrs Nom couldn’t wait to tuck into the meaty and fatty lamb chops, and they delivered in taste and were well cooked.

Negroni cured salmon, fennel and orange salad with the sprinkle of pumpkin seeds. It was quite a chunky piece of fish but the salmon was slightly bland.

The dish of the night was undoubtedly the Dexter rib on the bone. A fantastic piece of steak, perfectly cooked medium rare and the chips were great and fluffy in the middle.

We also ordered the bone marrow dish from the specials board but unfortunately one of the two marrow bones was rather large and wasn't roasted through to melt the marrow. The staff handled this well and took it off the bill. 

By now we were full to the brim but desserts were calling. We ordered the chocolate pot and brandy and raisin ice cream served with an expresso shot for pouring over the ice cream. Perhaps we should of picked some lighter desserts but they were a good sweet ending to the meal.

The venue quickly filled and the bar was packed to the rafters when we left with plently of people waiting for tables for food. We like Volta for trying to be new with some great ideas and dishes, whilst others need tweaking but the steak is a must try at a shade under £20. Its better than steaks at some specialised 'Grill' restaurants at a more wallet friendly price.

And The Dish Ran Away With The Spoon, Didsbury

I always crave a slice or two of cake! I find it hard to cut cakes out of my diet; I would rather look at the dessert menu first before I glance at the main menu. When Mr Nom told me he was taking me to “And the dish ran away with the spoon” I was super excited!  A little gem of a cafe situated on Burton Road in Didsbury.

Luckily we found a table by the window as we sat down the cafe was brimming with new customers who had to wait for a free table.  I was overwhelmed by the drinks and cakes on offer, this was cake heaven! The beverage list was also large and interesting, I love selecting drinks just as much as I like food.

Mr Nom wanted to share the Nutty professor iced mocha, but I decided I wanted the banoffee iced latte.  We would feel sick together I guess! Mr Nom told me to pick the cakes as he eats anything. I went to order but I kept running back to ask whether I should get the Special (Cherry Almond cake) or the Blueberry Surprise cake. I was just like a kid in a sweet shop! After a few minutes I settled for the Rose & Pistachio cake, no surprises there since I love pistachio and I’m a huge fan of rose as well.

The Nutty professor iced mocha was made using hazelnut syrup and double chocolate ice cream.  The drinks were rather light actually, not thick so they were easy to drink.

The cakes hit the spot too; looking at the photo now makes my mouth water.  The rose and pistachio cake was light and moist, and most importantly, not too sweet, just how I like my cakes. The blueberry surprise cake was equally as scrumptious.

I was rather tempted to purchase more cakes to take home; I had my eye on the salted caramel brownie as they kept staring at me. However I refrained myself, we will just have to come back and try the rest of the menu. If you are a cake lover like me, you definitely need to visit here.  Slightly out of the way from the City Centre but it’s worth it and as a bonus, the cake and drinks are extremely affordable.

Cibo, Didsbury

Cibo in Didsbury has been a restaurant Mr Nom and I have been meaning to go to for a while, discovering it served Venetian tapas; it was definitely a place we wanted to visit.  Finally we found a chance to go for a light lunch before my Masters graduation. The interior of the restaurant was modern and stylish, a great spot for a couple of drinks and nibbles.

With not a lot time we went for the lunch deal which at £10 for a selection of 3 cicchetti, any dish and side from the main menu is a good deal.  There were six items on the cicchetti menu so we ordered one of each which consisted of stuffed artichoke wrapped in lardo, aubergine ball, arancini sicciliani, scamorza wrapped in speck, baccala montecato and crostini ricotta broad bean & mint.

The cicchetti was presented nicely, little bite sized morsels, to my surprise the aubergine ball was really flavoursome which I was not expecting. The arancini was delicious as well, one of Mr Nom’s favourite nibbles. The crostini was a perfect fresh and light snack. I could happily eat more of them!

From the main menu we ordered the braised octopus, stuffed belly pork and lobster ravioli as an extra dish. My favourite tapas would have to be the ravioli lobster. The sauce was brimming with flavour and the ravioli was well made.  My least favourite was the octopus as I found it a little tough, possibly because it was braised. However the stuffed pork was delicious and the crackling was nice and crunchy.

For our sides we ordered the zucchini fries and the rosemary roast potatoes which came in generous portions, I kept mopping up the delectable sauce from the lobster ravioli with the sides.

A new menu has recently been launched and I already have my eye on a few dishes that I want to try. The swordfish carpaccio, octopus salad and the monkfish are amongst the new dishes which have sparked my interest.  This always happens; as soon as we visit somewhere then new menu items are launched not long after, all the more reason to return!

The Rose Garden, Didsbury

The Rose Garden in Didsbury is somewhere we have planned to visit for a long time; the last time I had it booked for my birthday but felt too rotten after drinking too much the night before!  Some half a year later we finally got a chance to celebrate my Masters graduation.  Parking proved to be quite difficult but we eventually found a space in one of the side streets, the residents must hate people parking in front of their houses. 

It was a very hot summer’s night and we spotted a window table by the door as we approached but this was nabbed by the couple just in front of us.  Usually we avoid the tables by the door like the plague.  At first we were seated towards the back end of the thin dining room, the heat was overwhelming and our server noticed this and reseated us immediately to a free table closer to the open door.

Since we had decided to visit the menu has changed a couple of times but as always we pretty much had already decided what we were going to order before we arrived.  For starters I chose the pan-seared cod cheeks with smoked applewood rarebit, pancetta crisp, spiced cauliflower purée and tomato salsa.  It was seasoned a little heavy with the pepper as it kept hitting the back of my throat. Otherwise it was a great dish as I loved the pancetta crisp and the spiced cauliflower puree combination.

Mr Nom chose the spring lamb carpaccio, slivers of mint crusted loin of Cheshire lamb with sweetbreads, broad beans, peas, pea shoots and minty vinaigrette.  I tried some of this and it was a cool summer dish and the popcorn chicken like sweetbreads went well with the cold lamb and mint dressing.

The heat in the restaurant was overwhelming since we arrived and I’ve never experienced heat like this whilst eating before.  It was so hot the ice in the drinks melted within a few minutes!  A few fans maybe needed during these few weeks of sweltering heat whilst it lasts.

For mains I chose the lavender duck, roast goosnargh duck breast with blackberry & lavender glaze, sweet potato mash, roast beetroot, sweet potato crisp and a blackberry sauce.  I was instantly drawn to this when I first saw the menu; the description seemed really interesting with the combination of ingredients and flavours.  Mr Nom said I liked all things with lavender, even suggesting for him to use lavender detergent!  The dish was a triumph, the lavender worked extremely well with the duck, the flavours were well balanced. Nearly all elements blended together perfectly, the only slight negative being I could taste orange in the sweet potato mash which left a slight aftertaste in my mouth. Nevertheless, the blackberry and lavender glaze was tasty as I kept mopping up the duck with it!

Mr Nom selected the seaside special, fillet of irish turbot with scallop & herb mousse, English samphire, shrimp croquette and tarragon velouté.  I had a bit of food envy when I saw the meaty fillets of turbot.  The scallop mousse was divine and the fish with the tarragon velouté was heavenly.  A great fish dish, I like that there were two generous pieces of fillet whereas I’ve seen meagre portions elsewhere.

By now the restaurant was cooling down with less people and as the skies were darkening which was a relief.  As always I found space for dessert and we decided to share a raspberry & dark chocolate mille-feuille puff pastry with strawberry coulis, fresh raspberries, raspberry jelly, dark chocolate mousse and chantilly cream.  The dessert was what I expected with the sharp raspberries cutting through the rich dark chocolate. I suppose it was not too heavy of a dessert to end the meal.

The highlight of the meal for me was my lavender duck dish.  I wish we hadn’t waited so long to visit as we were impressed with the combinations and flavours of everything that we ordered.  Most of the dishes on the menu are also available as part of the set menu which seems great value and something we will definitely return for, although probably on a cooler night.