CONFIDENTIAL wandered to Sole on Turner Street a week ago and found it closed. We tried again on Saturday. Same result.
Oh no we thought. A promising and aspirational fine dining venue had bitten the dust. Big shame.
Sole will reopen in four weeks time into a more accessible dining venue, with less of the fine dining aspect.
But we were premature. Sole is to be reincarnated.
Adam Draper, the restaurant manager, told us: "Sole will re-open in four weeks time into a more accessible dining experience, with less of the fine dining aspect and more a robust down to earth feel in line with the general Northern Quarter ambience. The food was doing well but the more informal aspects less so - such as the bar in the basement - and we feel we need to broaden our audience in that direction."
But will the fishy emphasis go?
"No," says Draper. "In fact we've just bought a lobster tank, so we still have a focus on fish although the menu will be much broader than previously. Not everything has been settled yet, there are still decisions to be made."
Interesting change of direction that. The location couldn't have helped in terms of fine dining, Turner Street is a little lost. But at least there is some salvation for what Confidential thought was a lost Sole.