SoLIta Manchester Krabby Patty

Review of SoLIta Krabby Patty Burger

Website: http://www.SoLIta.co.uk/

What they say:

Tempura fried soft shell crab, sriracha mayo, lettuce, tomato, wasabi pumpkin seeds.

Price: £13.90.

Calories: Unknown.

It’s time for Solita again, a place fast becoming a favourite of mine among an increasing number of great burger joints.

It was lunchtime, and not busy yet. A far cry from some evenings where there is a substantial wait, testament to the popularity of Dom and Fran’s enterprise.

I checked out the burger menu, as well as the specials. On the board were the words “Are you ready for Anal?”

Hmmm, not really in the mood today, and it turns out this thing is a special hot burger – Apocalypse Now And Later. I’ll leave that one for Burger Lad®.

Something else caught my interest. Something I’ve never had before. The Krabby Patty. Soft shell crab, sriracha mayo, lettuce, tomato and curiously wasabi pumpkin seeds.

I’ve avoided the hot Anal and gone for something with wasabi instead. Oh well…

So this is a crab burger where the burger is a whole crab that can be eaten as it comes. No hammering or cracking. Terrific.

Solita is a great place, one I’ve covered before. As I write this, the menu is apparently about to undergo some changes, with four long-standing burgers due to retire, presumably to be replaced with new delights.

So, a brief wait for my Krabby. Then it arrived. Legs everywhere. Just look at the pictures! You’ve never seen anything like this.

SoLIta Manchester Krabby Patty
Grrrr. I’m Krabby…

I started by pulling off a leg (and feeling a bit guilty about it). The crab is battered and was great and crispy, but understated in taste, as crab is.

The meekness of the meat was partly compensated for by the heat in the mayo. The wasabi pumpkin seeds were few in number and set out on the top of the bun so could easily be discarded if they’re not your thing.

SoLIta Manchester Krabby Patty
SoLIta Krabby Patty…

Each bite was rewarded by the heat of the mayo, crunch of the batter and slight hint of crab, which has a very soft, unimposing taste and texture.

The bun, as with all Solita’s ingredients, was well-chosen. When I got a bite of just bread around some of the limb-free edges it was fluffy and tasty all by itself.

A crab burger though? Well, visually striking of course, with limbs akimbo. But the heart of a burger is the taste and I’m afraid crab just doesn’t have enough. It’s so mild.

SoLIta Manchester Krabby Patty
It’s a bit of a catch…

The lingering taste after each bite was the spicy mayo, and that’s just not how it should be.

It’s not Solita’s fault. Nobody could ever accuse them of not being interesting or adventurous. I just don’t think crab lends itself to a burger.

I wanted to enjoy this, I really did. And I did enjoy the fact that it was fascinating and unique.

But I won’t have it again. I’ll definitely be back to Solita. Just try and stop me! But I will be taking some meat that’s been done in their Inka grill next time.

SoLIta Manchester Krabby Patty
A whole crab inside…

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