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At almost three years old, Volta has come to know its strengths. People come from far and wide to this informal bistro to enjoy their small sharing plates, deli boards and charcuterie, washed down with a superbly made cocktail or something special from their wine list. In a relatively short time, Volta has won a number of awards, both locally and nationally, as well as attracting the attention of a national food critic or two.
More often than not, the place is bustling most evenings, despite lots of local competition on Burton Road. Even though they keep some tables available for walk-ins, it’s advisable to book ahead to be sure of a seat. Though to be fair, a wait at the excellent bar isn’t exactly a hardship.
As a direct result of Volta’s reputation, owners Luke Cowdrey and Justin Crawford were approached to transform the restaurant at The Principle Hotel in Manchester (formerly The Palace) into a similar bustling hive. Volta’s small sharing plates and larger dishes have been a big hit in the city centre since The Refuge by Volta opened in September, but inspiration for constant improvement works both ways. The People’s Lunch, a regularly changing bowl of soul food for £7.50, has proved so popular at The Refuge that it’s now available at Volta.
Volta is that rare type of place that lends itself to the occasion
Volta’s relatively new Head Chef Jake Buchan (ex-Damson) and his sous chef James McDonald make a great team and have recently started serving a more comprehensive daytime offering. Volta’s extended lunch menu is now available between 12pm – 4pm Tuesday to Friday, and has been designed to cater for those wanting anything from a quick and hearty sandwich to a few sharing platters, to a more leisurely two or three courses.
On our recent visit, three People’s Lunch choices were chalked up on the specials board – we couldn’t choose between them, so shared all three (of course). Butternut squash pearl barley risotto with lemongrass and wild mushrooms was one of the most imaginative vegetarian main courses we’ve enjoyed for a while; filling and comforting, with a satisfying chew and multi-layers of taste from the vibrant lemongrass to the earthy mushrooms.
We also tucked into Volta’s take on bouillabaisse, the hearty French fish soup. This one was chock-full of mussels, cockles, tomato and saffron and topped with a fillet of sea bass – a perfectly delicious dose of minerals and vitamins, essential for keeping winter colds at bay. This slipped down a treat alongside a chilled glass of Picpoul.
The final dish was so pretty, we didn’t know whether to look at it or eat it – we did both, obviously; confit duck leg with a vibrant beetroot and crème fraiche mash. We’ve never had pink mash before and now we’ll never be able to look at plain old white mash in the same way again. It was a true bowl of comfort food with the tender soft duck meat working well with the creamy mash and slightly crunchy seasonal spiced cabbage.
If The People’s Lunch doesn’t tickled your fancy as much as it tickled ours, then you might fancy picking from the small plates selection which range from nibbles like olives, sour dough and Volta’s 50/50 sweet potato fries, to the rich and popular deep fried Monte Enebro goat’s cheese.
Lunchtime diners can also choose to work their way through a cheese, meat and Spanish charcuterie sharing board or one of Volta’s excellent sandwiches; BLT, char grilled steak or Dovedale blue cheese.
Quite a few dishes from Volta’s popular evening menu are being served at lunchtimes now including their famous lamb shawarma with flatbread, rare breed steak frites, Beer fed Dexter beef burger or, on the other end of the scale, quinoa salad with pomegranate, walnuts and beetroot.
To match the newly extended lunchtime offering, the front of house team has also increased the range of wines they offer by the glass as well as having an extensive choice of local and international craft beers. Those who require a more sober afternoon can choose from a menu of excellent loose leaf teas blended by their Hebden Bridge supplier – perhaps with a slice of something from that day’s cake selection too.
Volta is that rare type of place that lends itself to the occasion whether you need a quick lunch, a slow lunch, a spot for tea and cake, a family Sunday lunch or a cocktail over a few plates of good grazing food.
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