Rola Wala Deansgate
Ian Jones, Food and Drink Editor
Role Wala is a new Indian street food-style dining destination on Deansgate, specializing in freshly made, high-quality, healthy meals, with an almost 50% vegan menu.
The name means “man that rolls” in Hindi, evocatively, and rolls certainly play a big part in the Rola Wala repertoire of dishes. Aside from a few very good sides (the masala fries might bend the healthy dining rule, but my word, they’re moreish), the menu is geared around a small but well-formed list of items, all made from scratch, daily, and prepared, cooked and handed over in a matter of minutes.
The naan wraps are a popular choice, and for good reason. They’re tightly packed with colourful chopped-up veg, and for meat-eaters, the Nagaland pulled lamb is a fine, richly-flavoured option. The venue is open until 3am on Friday and Saturday, so if you’re looking for a post-clubbing snack that won’t cause a coronary (sorry, Manchester’s kebab shops, I love you all dearly, but I’m on my last belt buckle), this is the one.
The tacos are as tasty as they are messy and sloppy. They arrive packed with a sauce-heavy filling, all dazzling colours with the ingredients tumbling about all over the place. They taste amazing but if you’re wearing your finest tux, best avoided.
But the standout option has to be the rice bowl. The rice grains are thick and chunky, cooked in that special way so they’re perfectly formed and don’t turn to mush (and frustratingly impossible to master, if you’re me). Go for the paneer – every mouthful containing a thick cube of this squeaky Indian cheese is a delight.
Whether you want to get a head-start on your January health kick or simply want to give your poor gut a break from the endless Christmas stodge, Rola Wala is the ideal place to fill up on healthy food that’s bright, fresh and delicious. Best of all, there’s a ‘buy-one-give-one’ incentive, which means that for every naan roll sold, another one is donated to a hungry child in the developing world. Great food, clean conscience, that’s the essence of Rola Wala.
