'I tried the viral Greater Manchester pizza place and was left speechless'

Say it quietly but there is a Detroit style pizza trend about to take over the city of Manchester. Earlier this week saw the opening of a new motor-city inspired delicatessen in the city centre.

And earlier this year, a local fast-food spot in Rochdale called Thrashers made waves on social media for their own version of the pizza. The most recent eatery to throw their hat in the ring for Detroit pizza supremacy however is the Dough Club in Withington.

The takeaway on Queen Street took socials by storm for their unique hole-in-the-wall concept where customers can get affordable rectangular pizzas by ordering them online or through a QR code on arrival.

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I tried to review this spot back when it was opened a month ago, but every time I made the journey to the suburb I was met by signs saying they had sold out earlier than anticipated.

With the hype now slightly died down, and the queues, I figured now would be the best time to head down for my weekly halal place food review to see if it was worth all the fuss in the first place.

What is Detroit Style Pizza and how is it made?

The midwestern city version of the great Italian export is a rectangular deep dish pizza with a thick, crisp and chewy crust. It is embellished with all the regular toppings of a traditional American style pizza except they are cooked in high-sided rectangular pans that help it maintain its shape.

The Motor City pizza was created by Gus Guerra, a bar owner who tapped into his Sicilian mother-in-law’s cookbook to reinvent the wheel. Legend has it that he used her traditional dough recipe and cooked the pizzas in thick, steel rectangular pans that he borrowed from a mate.

Despite being found in the tiniest sideroad of the already bustling Wilmslow Road, it is very easy to find the Dough Club. Mainly due to their unmissable branding.

The serene white of the tiled walls and punchy red of the lettering makes it pop from its gritty surroundings of worn battered red brick buildings that have occupied that small slice of the area for years.

The branding gets an A* but we all know what we were really there for - the pizza. To order your slice you must scan the QR code found at the left of the hatch which takes you to their website where you are given a choice of four styles of pizza, four sauces and drinks.

The menu pales in comparison to some other spots that offer a lot more toppings to dizzying effect, but this is a small operation after all.

The pizzas are a ‘Classic Marg’ which is a margherita pizza with mozzarella, cheddar and hard cheese, basil and homemade Detroit sauce for £12. Then there is the ‘Pesto Patch’ made with mozzarella and cheddar cheese, red onions, green and red peppers, mushrooms, homemade pizza sauce and pesto aioli for £13.

Next is the ‘Smoky Chic’ which has bbq chicken, sweet red onions and more bbq sauce for good measure which also comes at £13. Finally there is the ‘Sweet Peps’ which is their version of a pepperoni pizza that is topped off with a drizzle of hot honey which will set you back another £13.

Each order comes in a box of four slices. I went for the 'Sweet Peps' at the advice of the bubbly cashier who talked me through the food hack of buying their hot honey dip to double the sweet and spicy flavour.

His recommendation was spot on. A lover of spice, I would have preferred the chilli to be a lot stronger, but the addictive honey and blend of smoky pepperoni and savoury cheese left me lost for words.

The toppings of the pizza were well cooked and sauces well seasoned but the real scene stealer for me was the base. The Dough club say that their focaccia based dough is proofed for 48 hours before being served to the public and the proof is in the chewing.

Light and airy in its feel, soft to bite but dense and chewy once devoured, it's easy to see why this place was such a huge hit. If there is to be a Detroit style pizza battle in the city in the near future, the Dough Club has made a very strong case so far.