Sometimes you want a three course dinner, beautifully plated, with delicately placed micro herbs on top of the dish.
And sometimes you want a big fat plate of comfort food.
Northern Soul delivers the latter. Well. And at the newest site on Tib Street, it’s not all toasted cheese sandwiches and milkshakes. There are main dishes, nibbles and booze. Yep, now you can finally have a beer with your toastie.
Or a big glass of fizzy Vimto, because Vimto.
Myself and the husband headed in ahead of Cider Club. I’d been having my nails did, he’d just finished work, it was cold and grey and drizzly, and we really did need comfort food. Something warm, filling and good for the soul.
Their newest site is in the old Simple in the Northern Quarter. Larger than the other two sites, there’s more seating, and it feels a little more restauranty. The music, Northern Soul obviously, is the same, and the attentive service is still the same.
So far so good. Time for the food and drink.
I opted for beer (as the husband had enjoyed a pint or two waiting for me to finish being prettied) and he went for Vimto. They’ve got a couple of beer options, including their own lager, which I went for. Light, and refreshing – pretty much the opposite of what we were about to consume.
We began with a devilled eggs. Not to everyone’s taste, but I rather like them. Creamy, a little touch f spice, just a mouthful to keep you going. And here is going to be my only grumble – as they’re fresh from the fridge, they could have done with a little more seasoning.
Right, that’s over, onto the good stuff. The mains.
Alongside the usual toasted heaven, and topped fries, there are some other plates available. No matter, the husband picked the chicken katsu cheese toastie which was delicious. Oozy cheese, breaded chicken (and plenty of it), crunchy slaw. Oh and giant pickle.
But I spotted chicken parmo. And not just any chicken parmo, but macaroni cheese topped with chicken parmo, pesto and slices of thick ham. Oh and more cheese.
I got pesto on my top. I didn’t care. This was bloody lush. Creamy, cheese, dense, rich, filling. The beer cut through the creaminess of it all. And I don’t mind saying I’d order it all over again, even if it meant getting pesto on my top again (luckily it was dark in the Crown and Kettle after, so nobody noticed, or was polite enough to ignore it).
It’s proper comfort food. It’s like that bowl of pesto and pasta you make at home that you then dump half the packet of grated cheese on top of, but dialled up a whole notch.
Oh but we weren’t done (we should have been, but, you know, more cheese).
We had a side of halloumi. Forget fries – I mean they’re great, but what you want are four chunks of halloumi battered and fried, so it doesn’t dry out toomuch and you still get that squeaky stringy thing going on.
Yes please, thank you.
Overall? Northern Soul are great at what they do, but this little addition of comfort – it’s got something kind of nostalgic about it. Hints of childhood with the Vimto and the eggs, along with hints of home – pesto and cheese.
Add in their Sunday lunch menu with it’s roast on toast, and their breakfast/brunch menu… I mean Frostie French toast, croques and waffles?
So. Who fancies another visit?
