Food review: Verso lounge, Stafford

It was the evening of Friday the 13th. Being superstitious the nerves were a little jangly. What could possibly go wrong? A delivery due earlier in the day had already been thwarted by the lorry getting a flat tyre. And a night on the town, surely nothing could happen to dampen our spirits. . .

Luckily for us there were no horrific happenings to make our night a washout. No booking debacles, nor order mix up and no hair in the food.

We arrived desperately seeking the perfect table quiet and tucked away from all the noise and hordes of diners. Finding such a dining spot inside was tricky, it was Friday night after all. My other half likes to pick the perfect table away from others and any high volumes. Tricky as it was pretty busy and when we found a table for two we swiftly got up to move after hearing the screech of a child.

Eventually we swooped into the Friends like comfy leather sofa in the window as a couple got up to leave.

It was bliss, it smelt luxurious and the squidgy cushions cuddled us up as dark descended outside.

As we cosied up we took in our surroundings which were not quite as standard as they initially appeared and were a heady eclectic mix of old and new. It takes a bit of getting used to as it’s a mish-mash of tastes but it does work really well.

The rather helpful manageress told us that the tables are all handpainted in Liverpool, and the sofas are made by a father and son team in France. Good job as we were super relaxed in it.

The frilly lampshades are all the work of an Argentinian designer and added a touch of Victorian lounge to the decor.

These are all nice touches – but somehow it would be nice to add some Staffordian character maybe with some local art or crafts showcased inside.

The atmosphere was bubbly and bright with lots of chatter and a fab 80s/90s soundtrack strumming out in the background

Now we were ready to be fed and watered. The menu has a lot to offer and it’s not run-of-the-mill food either.

It has an extensive brunch menu which makes it a lovely morning meeting place with friends and has dishes such as he usual fry-up and bacon butty to triple-stacked buttermilk pancakes and sweet potato waffles. It’s served all day so if you don’t quite make it down in the morning you won’t miss it.

There are also sandwiches, paninis, salads, burgers, main dishes and tapas. The mains include macaroni cheese, Bang Bang chicken noodles and Tin Pan Louie’s Beef Chilli with prices being pretty reasonable most hovering around the £9 to £12 mark.

My fiancé ummed and ahhed over the chicken, bacon and avocado salad, But with REM echoing around the room, he needed something more sub-sub-sub-substantial. (Can’t take credit for that, it’s his gag, such a comedian, what a lucky girl I am, it’s a laugh-a-minute!)

I’d already decided I wanted some tapas as I was in a pick and choose kind of mood and didn’t want to commit to one main dish.

It’s good value for money as you can get three dishes for £9.95 and as he’d decided to join me we were planning on devouring a feast.

We both fancied the patatas bravas with roasted garlic mayo, he also went for the teriyaki chicken with sesame dressing and spring onions and buttermilk chicken with chipotle mayo dip.

My tastebuds were tickled by the beef and pork meatballs in a rich tomato and red wine sauce along with spinach and goat’s cheese croquettes with tomato tapenade. We ordered some sides too: halloumi sticks with chipotle chilli jam and garlic bread.

There was a slightly long wait but it was a busy Friday teatime so they can be forgiven for that. but when it was served in front of us there was lots of it and an abundance of bread (we didn’t notice that the tapas each trio of tapas comes with ciabatta too). The accompanying dips with the dishes were all really lovely too and it was perfect for sharing.

Tucking in it was clear that tapas is something they do well. The patatas bravas was smoky and cooled by the garlic dip, the meatballs were a perfect size with a meaty flavour and sweet tomato sauce. My favourite were the spinach and goat’s cheese croquettes. The fine breadcrumb coating packed a good crunch and inside was a creamy, melting mix that was fantasically cheesy. The tepenade was sharp and tangy. You can never have too much cheese and the salty halloumi sticks were gorgeously gooey and perfect dipped in the spicy chilli jam.

He equally loved the buttermilk chicken which had a smoky dip, and the teriyaki chicken which had a fresh Oriental flavour.

The bread with olive oil and balsamic vinegar was a great extra and provided a nice break from all the heady flavours. We had definitely over ordered though with a lot of the bread left untouched.

We declined dessert but there was a sticky toffee pudding, cheesecake, sundae and brownie all on the menu.

It’s a great little place to go and it describes itself as a cafe bar. Judging by the inside it doesn’t really know what it is as it’s all things in one place. It will ahve some tough competition from nearby rivals The Apocethary down the road and Revolution by the riverside. The latter has loads of drinks deals, so Verso is in danger of missing out price-wise (Prosecco at £25.50 a bottle is a little steep when you can get two-for-one cocktails).

Our visit was made perfect by grabbing the comfy window sofa and we wouldn’t be a-Verso to making a return visit very soon. After all, it was a friday the 13th to remember for all the right reasons.