Bar Caput review

When Cantaloupe announced it was closing this summer, a lot of SK let out a collective groan. This was the tiny Great Underbank spot that picked up a Michelin Bib Gourmand and a place in the Good Food Guide's Top 100 all from a kitchen measuring 75cm by 3 metres (!). So when Joshua Reed-Cooper and Mike Thomas said they were reopening the same space up as a Roman bar and kitchen, I was both curious and apprehensive. It's hard to watch a place you love get reinvented.

The vibe

There was no cause for concern. Bar Caput is at 71 Great Underbank, SK1 1PE. It opened in late August and the team call it their "little rione of Rome." The concept is built around Roman drinking and aperitivo culture designed to feel like a more casual neighbourhood bar you can drop by, rather than a big-occasion restaurant which Cantaloupe definitely was.

That's exactly what I did, meeting a friend there fairly early on a Thursday for a catch-up after work, the kind of plan that usually ends up as a couple of pints in the pub and a McDonalds on the train home. Not this time, we were very much more refined.

Starters

I couldn't decide on a starter, so we ordered two to share.

The Cacio e Pepe Fritto is Rome's cheese-and-pepper pasta, left to set, breadcrumbed and deep-fried. It's like a Roman cousin of arancini made with pasta instead of rice, crunchy outside, soft and creamy pecorino and black pepper inside with a fabulous texture.

Then the Lasagne Fritti, a deep-fried lasagne made from fine sheets of pasta layered with a ragù of beef, pork and chicken liver. The liver adds a depth that makes you pause and savour every mouthful, crisp on the outside and rich in the middle and it's the dish I'll be telling people about and ordering AGAIN.

Roman-style pizza

Next came the pizza, and we ordered two. Roman-style means thin and crisp so nothing like the puffy Neapolitan crusts that have taken over Manchester.

The Pizza Patate skips the tomato base altogether with a pancetta, potato and thyme topping and a full carb-on-carb situation. It was great, fantastic flavours, however I'm a classic salame girl, and the Pizza Salame won me over. It's topped with finocchiona (a Tuscan fennel salami), San Marzano tomato and fior di latte, and the fennel is what makes it. If you're only ordering one, get this one.

It's pizza made for a bar, something to eat with a drink in hand rather than a doughy slab that finishes you off for the evening.

Gelati

Obviously I found room for the homemade gelati (no it’s not a typio, it’s gelato in plural for those in their earlier stages of Duo Lingo) would be rude not to indulge and one scoop was enough to satisfy the sweet craving, we did one of each, chocolate and pistachio, both rich and velvety and the perfect finish.

To drink

All this was washed down with a glass of Casaretti Chiaretto and a sparkling water, because it was a school night. Chiaretto is a pale, dry rosé from Bardolino on the shores of Lake Garda. It's light enough for an early evening and it was a lovely match for the salame.

Don't let my sensible order fool you, though. The cocktails here are high end and the kind of premium drinks you might normally head into Manchester for. The list takes its cue from Rome's aperitivo culture (the Bicycle Thief mixes gin, Campari and grapefruit) and I'll be back on another Friday to work my way through it properly.

Verdict

I'll admit I had my reservations. Does Stockport really need another pizza place? But Bar Caput is more than that. It's a clear move away from Cantaloupe's more refined cooking that was very much an occaisional treat with the same quality, attention to detail and level of service. The flavours were a joy from the fritti to the last spoonful of pistachio. It's relaxed and unpretentious, but the cooking is a real step up from your usual pizza night.

Two starters, two pizzas, gelato and wine came to under £50 a head. You can walk in after work, eat something really quite delicious and still be home at a sensible hour. So yes, Stockport did need this one and Bar Caput fits very nicely.

Bar Caput is at 71 Great Underbank, Stockport, SK1 1PE. Book through barcaput.com or call 0161 546 0332. Been already? Tell me what you ordered.

I paid for my meal in full, and all views are completely my own.