On a recent girlie day out we ventured into the Northern Quarter and over to Sugar Junction for afternoon tea (which you can read about HERE if you missed it). As always afternoon tea,or lunch as it were, turned into drinks and then we all started feeling peckish again. Being on Tib Street it made perfect sense to call in the newly opened Superstore and see what the fuss was all about.
The décor is very ‘New York’ with steel and brick merged with wood. There is a long canteen style table in the middle of the dining area too which is great for a big group or more social dining. Fresh festive arrangements adorned the tables and it has a lovely, light ambiance. So far so good…
As usual we ordered some cocktails first and Charlie went for the ‘do you want a bag with that?’ whilst I chose the ‘breakfast mojito’. Initially the bar staff said they couldn’t make Charlie’s drink due to being out of Hendricks gin. Charlie, being the gin expert, recommended trying it with Martin Millers instead and the staff were happy to give it a go. The drink was lovely and refreshing from the cucumber whilst the Martin Millers really did work, even the bar staff agreed. My breakfast mojito was also good; thirst quenching, citrusy and light. Just what I needed.
Whilst waiting for our food we couldn’t take our eyes off these gigantic filled meringues… the cupcakes looked particularly impressive too with bourbon biscuits towering aloft their buttercream. When I got home I tucked into a box of chocolates I had been bought for Christmas and was so impressed I googled the brand, having never heard of them before. It only turns out that they are made by the same people! West33 are responsible and, oh my, if the chocolates are anything to judge on you need to try these bad boys. In fact they are probably worth a return visit for me, I need to try them.
Charlie went for the tempura battered cod served with chips, wasabi mushy peas and chilli tartare sauce (£10). I thought it looked a little pale and I’m not a huge fan of food being piled on top of each other. How do you get to the chips without risking throwing the fish across the room? Charlie assures me it was delicious with just the right amount of wasabi in the peas to provide a little heat without overpowering their flavour.
Lisa made most of the table jealous with her pulled chicken biryani served in a poppadum basket (£9), it really was a sight to behold. I thought it would be a little on the dry side having no real sauce but the chicken was juicy and Lisa polished it off no problem.
Cheryl chose the fish finger sandwich with chips from the special sandwiches board (£6.50) and the moment it arrived I wished I had ordered it. Thick slabs of fish golden crumbed in a crusty baguette, wow, it looks awesome and apparently tasted so. A real bargain for the price too, I was expecting something much more plain and bland than this.
Finally I went for the super lamb burger (£9) with a side of fries (£2.50). When I ordered the burger I was asked if I wanted fries and I found it a little odd that it didn’t come with them. When my burger arrived I was a little disappointed that the fries were really treated as a ‘side’ and more like they were always going to be part of the meal. I’m not averse to sharing food and I would have wanted something I paid extra for separate from my main course so I could share more easily.
The lamb burger was sweet and juicy but I’m not sure about the onion bhaji on top. It was huge and rather dry. For this to work perfectly for me it would need more onion and to be thinner so it crisps up more. I loved the idea though and the cucumber raita was the perfectly fresh accompaniment.
We had no room for dessert otherwise I would have inhaled one of those giant meringues! The dessert menu also looked good and overall I was really impressed with Superstore. They are still fairly new so I expect small changes will be made to make it perfect and, to be fair, they’re not far off. Friendly staff, attentive service, quirky menus and a relaxed dining experience. You can even pop downstairs to their convenience store where you can pick up some goodies to carry on your night in the comfort of your own home. What more could you ask for?
*Thanks to Charlie, Cheryl and Lisa for the loan of their pictures.
This meal was paid for.
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