lifestyle
Something Is Cooking In The Kitchen At Solita, Harrogate
When I heard that Solita Foodhall in Harrogate had an Italian chef making their pizzas it seemed a good excuse to pay a visit.
The idea behind Solita Foodhall is that you have a selection of different foods. There is a section that offers cured meats, cheese and wines along with rare spirits. Perhaps you would prefer a fish selection, or you could choose from the rotisserie and grill section besides the pizza section.
You can still order the burgers that owners Shoot The Bull are known for, though it seems that, for Harrogate residents, just offering burgers would not have such a wide appeal.
Nachos
The restaurant is on two floors with an outside terrace, though anyone who finds a flight of stairs a bit of a challenge will be pleased to know that there is a lift which takes you to the upper floor and the terrace.
The decor is similar to many restaurants these days - a bit cheerless with concrete roofs - though if you are concentrating on what you are eating, why bother with what the ceiling looks like? The same policy applied to the Sistine Chapel would have saved a lot of bother wouldn't it.
New York Deli Pizza
A good starter is the Halloumi Fries that comes with ranch and BBQ sauce. If you fancy something with a bit more bite then the Nachos loaded with in-house made guacamole, salsa, cheese, jalapeños and sour cream will have you reaching for a glass of water. Hotter than a good July day.
Three of the pizzas on offer are not really classic pizzas. I tried to New York Deli, which has toppings of Wagyu beef pastrami, Saurkraut and mustard. Somehow mustard does not really go with pizza - even with Beef Pastrami.
Fabio does make a good pizza with a good base though next time I would probably choose one of their traditional classic pizzas. The combination I had on my pizza was not ideal.
KFB Burger
The burgers are what you would call 'proper burgers' though the KFB comes with Kentucky fried bacon, jalapeños, BBQ sauce and cheese. The chips appear to be deep fried so beware of this if you like a lighter option.
The dessert menu is not too large though the Banana and Chocolate Brownie served hot with a scoop of vanilla ice cream was a moorish delight.
If you fancy a glass of wine they offer a selection of the top 1% wines in the world, which are available using the Enomatic preservation system. This ensures that each glass from the bottle is as good as the first. Apparently there is only one other restaurant in Harrogate that uses this system.
The service was friendly and attentive. The concept is a good idea. By offering something different in Harrogate it could be a recipe for success - just take care with what type of pizza you order!
Solita Food Hall, 33-35, Parliament Street, Harrogate HG1 2RE
https://www.shootthebull.co.uk/