Years ago some parts of Salford were thought of as no-go zones, where a fear crime forced house prices to plummet, leaving many people trapped in their homes in negative equity. So in 2003 property giant 'Urban Splash' came up with the idea of turning hundreds of traditional Victorian style terraces into fresh modern homes, and with the help of local authority and other agencies work begin on what was to be a multi-million pound regeneration of the Langworthy-Seedley district that was to stretch far beyond the 108 'upside down houses' now known as Chimney Pot Park. There are now brand new local shops on Langworthy Road, both primary & secondary schools have been demolished and rebuilt and there are modern community centres offering classes & activities for all. What more could an area need?
Despite the great changes in Langworthy, there were still few places you could go for a casual drink, where the surroundings were equally as vibrant as the homes built within it. Local couple 'M&M' decided that if no one else was to invest in the idea, then they would... as so arrived Monty's.
Monty's, which is less than 2 miles from both Media City UK & Manchester City centre, is a small contemporary pizzeria on Langworthy Road that offers great food, a variety of drinks including specialist bottled beers, and a warm atmosphere. Named after the couples' beloved dog, this place has been created for the community.
We visited on a Wednesday to try out their midweek deal, 2 homemade pizzas and a bottle of wine for £20. A deal that is well worth its cost. We chose the Corleone from the specials board which was topped with prosciutto, mushroom & bacon, and one from the menu topped with prosciutto, rocket, sun blushed tomatoes and parmesan. The dough is thick but light, and with a decorative swirl of balsamic to finish they were quite simply, a delight.
After enjoying our pizzas & large portion of Olives to start, it would've been rude not to try a dessert, even if it meant we could only manage a shared one, so we stretched our stomachs to squeeze in this amazing chocolate brownie ice-cream sundae!
Monty's don't have 'house wine', even on their 'deals', so on recommendation we went for a bottle of 2013 Douglas Green Sauvignon Blanc which went down far too easily. So easily in fact that we actually had 2!
Their chalkboard bar displays their small cocktail menu, humorously named 'Tiki Bugger' and contains a rather Salfordian sounding 'Sex Ont' Beach'. I tried the Mai Tai, which after all that wine was quite refreshing.
After our meal we sat on the benches outside the front of the bar with the owners, and learnt how Monty's came to be. It was fascinating to hear the story of a young couple who feel like their area has so much more to offer than the reputation it's struggled to shake off over the last 10 years. They took a risk by opening Monty's only 3 months ago, not knowing how it would be perceived by the local people in a bid to bring more life to this ever-changing area of Salford. For that, I wish them the very best of luck in the future... and I for one, will be definitely be visiting again soon.
