Bury New Road, Prestwich
Folk is an independent café,
bar and restaurant with a community feel in the heart of Prestwich Village. It
occupies the former home of Solita, ‘the home of the Big Manc’, which closed
its doors unexpectedly in 2019 with little explanation.
Folk originated in West
Didsbury. By day, it’s a trendy café and eatery, serving a range of hearty
breakfast, brunch, lunch and dinner options. With an emphasis on inclusivity,
it’s both family-friendly and dog-friendly. By night, it’s a cosy drinking den,
with cocktails and live music.
Folk have taken over both the
old Solita building and the adjoining hardware shop, making room for separate
bar and restaurant areas. Solita appeared to become a little bit grubby in its
later years, but the restaurant has had a minor refurbishment and now feels
much fresher and cleaner.
Upon entering one of two
doors, it’s not exactly clear what you need to do or where you need to go. We
headed to the bar and were asked whether we were wanting to eat or just drink,
and then we were taken to a cosy table, big enough to seat three, in the main
restaurant area. As is often the case with these trendy bistros and cafes, they
don’t take bookings, which is frustrating when you’re planning your day around
meeting a friend for lunch. Still, arriving just before 1:00pm, we were just in
the nick of time, before it got too busy.
They have separate daytime and
evening menus. The daytime menu consists of brunch and lunch options and is
available throughout the morning and afternoon until 4:30pm. There are some
classic options, including the Full English Breakfast, with vegetarian and
vegan alternatives. Quirky and inventive options include the Breakfast Burrito,
filled with scrambled eggs and edamame beans, and the Mushroom Hash, served
with roast potatoes.
As we were there for lunch, we
both went for something a little more suited to the afternoon. There’s a
section entitled ‘For The Table’ – a selection of nibbles designed to be
shared. We ordered the Bread and Dips. There were three vegan-friendly dips
served with triangles of warm pitta bread, slightly grilled but still soft.
There was baba ghanoush, an entirely new concept to me. It’s an Eastern
Mediterranean houmous-style dip made with eggplant, tahini and lemon juice.
There was a mushroom and cashew ‘cream’ (although I imagine there was no actual
cream in there, given that it was vegan-friendly), which was delicious but had
a strange texture reminiscent of cheese curds, and an avocado paste which was
like a smoother version of guacamole. It was £7.50, which is rather steep for
bread and dips, but it makes a good sharing starter, so it’s not too bad.
 |
| Dips and Flatbread |
At one time, it was something
of a guilty pleasure. A quick-fix when you were dining alone at home, pushed
for time or simply couldn’t be bothered. Throw four of Birds Eye’s finest in
the oven and layer them onto generously buttered, thick white toastie loaf,
squeeze on some ketchup. Nowadays, it’s a staple on many a lunch menu, with
bistros and cafes offering their own, pimped-up versions.
Having it on a brioche bun
made it more like a burger. Brioche has a tendency to fall apart, which made
the whole thing a little messy to eat in one piece, but it was worth the mess. The
lettuce leaves gave it extra crunch. I asked for some additional tartare sauce,
as, when it comes to condiments of any kind, I’m all about excess. It came with
a bowl of seasoned fries, so for £8.95 it made for a hearty and filling lunch.
 |
| Fish Finger Sandwich |
They don’t have a dessert
menu, instead offering a selection of cakes which change on a daily basis,
including a range of vegan doughnuts. Unfortunately, I’d just started Lent, so
couldn’t take them up on that particular day’s specials of Chocolate Fudge
Cake, Strawberry Cheesecake or Pecan Pie, but I’d love to return for coffee and
cake at a later date.
The service was absolutely
fine, with our starter and main arriving in good time. The staff were all
friendly and attentive and, despite them being so busy, we weren’t rushed out.
I was with a friend who I hadn’t seen for a while, so we were grateful for the
chance to relax and catch up over a long lunch.
Our sharing starter, my fish
finger sandwich and an elderflower and cucumber tonic water set me back £15.20,
which is very reasonable. In what is perhaps a sign of things to come, Folk are
an entirely cashless establishment.
The evening menu, served from
4:30pm onwards from Monday to Saturday, is a mixed back of tapas-style nibbles,
meat and fish dishes. You could enjoy a ‘small plate’ as a starter or several
as tapas. Particularly appealing dishes include creamy mushrooms, halloumi
dippers and mini fish and chips. Larger plates include steaks, burgers, rack of
ribs, Thai green curry and Moroccan lamb tagine.
I don’t particularly like the
fact that it’s dog-friendly. I’m terrified of dogs so avoid them at all costs,
but that aside, it’s not very hygienic to have dogs around food.
With its festival of world
cuisine, chilled vibe and live music sessions, Folk brings something new and
exciting to the village which is constantly reinventing itself.
There’s no website, but you
can find copies of both menus on the Facebook page:
