It’s messy, it’s glorious, and it’s different
Adam is a senior What’s On and LGBTQ+ reporter for the Manchester Evening News, covering new restaurant and bar openings, food reviews, gig reviews, and issues that matter to the LGBTQ+ community. Adam joined the M.E.N in 2019 as a Facebook Community Reporter and also runs the LGBTQ+ Bulletin newsletter.
I headed to Foldies on a whim and maybe found my new favourite sandwich spot
A weekday lunchtime, and I find myself in the corner of a sandwich shop in the city centre absolutely drenched in honey.
It’s on the table close to dripping off the counter, it’s all over my hands, all over my mouth, my napkins are soaked and I daren’t even look down to see if it’s all over my white shirt, but it most likely is.
But I don’t care. I am in hot honey heaven and I’m not ready for it to finish.
Stopping off at Foldies for some lunch fuel, I was initially drawn in purely for its convenient location near to where I was working, and the simple lure of a good sandwich with a twist. I wasn’t expecting it to be this good.
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Foldies is on Bridge Street in the city centre
If you’ve been to Foldies before, which is run by the team behind Brewski, then you’ll know the drill. For those who haven’t – including me before now – their stonebaked sandwiches are made with double caputo 00 dough (the best for making pizza, I’m reliably informed).
Proofed for 12 hours, the dough is then folded and cooked at 400 degrees to be crispy, thick and divine. It’s then filled to the brim with an assortment of flavours, with toppings ranging from pastrami, Italian beef, confit duck or roasted butternut squash.
It’s not that I haven’t jumped on Manchester’s sandwich hype before. I love Ad Maiora, I enjoy a mighty Bada Bing every now and then and I can also appreciate what Fat Pats bring to the table, but I’m now ashamed to have missed out on Foldies for so long.
Foldies sandwiches are made with double caputo 00 dough, proofed for 12 hours, then folded and cooked at 400 degrees(Image: Manchester Evening News)
Located on Booth Street, practically just around the corner from the Town Hall and Chinatown, it’s in a great location so I really have no excuse to have ignored the sandwich shop since it opened at the end of last year.
Whilst there’s lots on the menu to seek out, it didn’t take me long to pinpoint exactly what I fancied – and it came in the form of the nduja honey pork shoulder. As soon as I saw it on the sign, I was ready and committed.
Featuring slow cooked pork shoulder, nduja honey, rocket, chimichurri sauce, slaw and crackling, it costs £12 – which I won’t deny is a hefty cost for a sandwich. But, as we know with the other big leagues in town, good quality costs. And it’s certainly not the most expensive sandwich in town.
Served in a bag, I wasn’t ready for the messiness to unfold once I got inside
In fact, topped up with a can of San Pellegrino and a bag of crisps, my total came to just £13.50 as part of a special lunch deal I was unaware of. So, an even better price to bear.
In terms of the sandwich, it’s decadent, it’s mighty, it’s divine. Yes, it’s incredibly messy – the honey and chimichurri combination leaks out in front of me before I’ve even finished taking the first bite, but it’s lovely.
The little bits of crackling fill me with nostalgia from the Sunday roast dinners at home, and the mixture of flavours really complement each other. It’s a little spicy, it’s a little sweet, it works.
The sandwich was impressive and delicious
The stone-baked dough is also delicious and certainly takes the sandwich up to the next level. But bring napkins, bring the wet wipes, and maybe even bring a change of clothes – the honey and sauce are unforgiving and will go everywhere.
Having accomplished my sandwich (with about 800 napkins to mop up the evidence), I realised there was still a big chunk of pork inside the bag that had not made it outside with the sandwich in tact. There was a generous serving and it was filled to the brim.
They may describe themselves as the ‘world’s greatest sandwich’ to no real accreditation, but I’m quite tempted to sort of agree them after this experience. It’s certainly up there, anyway.
It’s safe to say there were a lot of napkins used to clean up after myself
And it looks like we will soon be able to have Foldies’ sandwiches in pizza form too – having just recently announced they will be expanding their operation to late nights with their Dough2Go concept, which is inspired by the dough shops of New York.
The pizzas will be available in New Haven-style (very thin, with a charred crust) and in square form – starting from £11. The pizza expansion begins from September 2 and, thankfully, Foldies will continue alongside it.
Foldies is on 39 Booth Street, Manchester, M2 4AA.
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