Northern Soul Grilled Cheese

Manchester Piccadilly Station Approach

Warning: If you’re on a diet or trying to avoid carbs, you should probably stop reading now. For what you’re about to experience is the definition of carb overload.

Let’s be honest, who doesn’t love a stringy, gooey, cheesy toastie? Northern Soul Grilled Cheese is the UK’s first restaurant dedicated to the ultimate lunchtime comfort snack, serving up nothing but grilled cheese sandwiches.

In its original location on Church Street, on the outskirts of the Northern Quarter, it’s literally a wooden shed with a kitchen area and a few seats. I’ve seen people queuing on the pavements and round the block to experience the cheesy goodness.

Such was the success of the original shop that they’ve recently opened a second unit on the approach to Piccadilly Station. This is a much nicer, quieter space that is in keeping with the quirkiness of the original.

The chalkboard menu is based around ‘the soul’. The most basic of their sandwiches, it’s a three-cheese blend, featuring cheddar and mozzarella alongside a secret cheese, around which all their creations are based. After that, it’s up to you what else you want on there, from caramelised onion chutney to gammon and Dijon and tandoori chicken.

As well as sandwiches, there are Mac & Cheese boards: 20 ounces of creamy pasta served with garlic and rosemary bread for scooping up every last bit.

Can’t decide? Well, here’s the thing. You don’t have to choose. You can have the best of both worlds in the form of a mac and cheese on a toasted sandwich. I had the Mac Attack: the signature soul sandwich with added mac and cheese. Three layers of soft, gooey macaroni cheese oozing out of the toast, complemented with homemade Asian style coleslaw.

The Mac Attack

You might need a jaw of steel to get your mouth round it and you’ll struggle to hold it all together after a couple of bites.  Prepare to get very messy and, be warned, if you take a seat inside the Piccadilly venue along the window, throw away all your inhibitions, as there is no elegant way to tackle this beast. It’s truly special and a very modest £6.00 – a cheap and fulfilling lunch that will keep you satisfied for the rest of the day.

There’s an even-more deluxe version which features BBQ pulled pork. In truth, this is the sandwich I had my heart set on, but in a daze of excitement, a slip of the tongue at the till led to me ordering the wrong thing. Clearly the anticipation was too much for me to handle. Still, it gives me an excuse to go back a second time. And trust me, once you’ve demolished the Mac Attack, you’ll feel you need to justify round two.

As the weather (hopefully) turns chillier and the autumn nights draw in, head to Northern Soul Grilled Cheese for the ultimate winter warmer. The playlist, choc-full of Northern Soul classics, is almost as impressive as the food.

Catch them at the Christmas Markets from Friday 9 November.

See the full fromage selection at: http://www.northernsoulmcr.com/#our-story