Best 'cheap' eat! (Gourmet Burger Kitchen in General)

Member Name: wastingtime

Product:	Gourmet Burger Kitchen in General
Date:	28/10/08 (278 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: How a burger should be done

Disadvantages: Expensive by comparison

When you go to a good restaurant sometimes you are still tempted by the Burgers on the menu, but it feels like it's a cop out, like you could have gone to McDonalds to do that instead of going somewhere nice. And let's not lie, some burgers are nice, I'm not talking the processed meat with processed cheese, I'm talking about a damn fine burger which really will get you salivating. This is how I feel anyway, and so while walking around Leeds looking for something fairly cheap and chearful to eat I stumbled into here.

Gourmet Burger was in fact a New Zealand idea but it transpired over here, with the first restaurant being opened in London, since then they have opened chains nationwide, this includes:

Didsbury
Leeds
Liverpool
Manchester Spinningfields
Wilmslow
York
Edinburgh
Birmingham
Milton Keynes
Oxford
London and Greater London (they have 29 restaurants in that area, and I have no intention of listing them all, not because I am lazy, I just don't think it would be over useful)
Basingstoke
Brighton
Bristol Cabot Circus
Bristol Park Street
Cambridge
Lakeside
Tunbridge Wells
Windsor
Cardiff Mermaid Quay

That should mean where ever you happen to be in the Country, mainly England it has to be said, that there should be one fairly close to you.

The thing I really enjoyed about this place is just how different it was, gone are the days where people can get away with making mediocre run of the mill food. This is especially relevant in Leeds, to really get along in the market here which is crammed full of restaurants and bars, you really have to offer something different that will appeal to a broader audience.

The meats that you can have inside your burger are, Beef, Chicken, Buffalo, Wild Boar and Lamb. They also have a vegetarian and salad option which I will get to later down the line.

I love trying new foods, and I remember being in Italy a few years back and eating Wild Boar for the first time, such a strong tasting meat I have eaten it again whenever I have seen it on the menu, but that isn't to say that you would too. For instance if you wanted to stay to the more traditional beef option then may I suggest any of the following:

Cajun
100% Aberdeen-Angus Scotch beef, smoked chilli mayo, salad, mayonnaise & cajun relish
Jamaican
100% Aberdeen-Angus Scotch beef, mango and ginger sauce, salad, mayonnaise & relish
Blue Cheese
100% Aberdeen-Angus Scotch beef, aged Stilton dressing, salad, mayonnaise & relish

If it is chicken how about?

Chicken Camembert & Cranberry
Fresh breast of chicken, camembert, cranberry sauce, salad, mayonnaise & relish

What I am driving at here, is it really is a twist on your normal burger, you can order pretty much any extra's you like on our burger as well, so, if I was going to stick to the Wild Boar, and I probably would, it is likely that I woiuld get some chorizo with it as well.

The food is a great taste, and you are treated as if you have just bought a steak, being asked how well done you would like your meat. The food is a fair price and does range for what you order, you could get away with going in and spending £5-£6 if you saw fit, but if your going to treat it as a proper lunch out then you are looking at about £15 per person.

The burgers don't come with any sides, so I suggest you order chips, if there are two of you then one portion will suffice, and then what is nice is the wide range of sauces that they offer to accompany them.

GBK Sauces
Garlic Mayo, Blue Cheese, Satay (n), Chilli, Barbecue, Sour Cream or Smoked Chilli Mayo

Okay, now I am a massive meat eater, I don't understand not having a meal without a large dollop of some creature or another, but for all the vegetarian amongst us, then here are some of the vegetarian options:

Veggie & Camembert (v)
Portobello mushroom, aubergine, red pepper, sweet potato, camembert, rocket, mayonnaise & onion jam

And whereas I try and avoid salad if I can, here is something that someone might enjoy if they were to go to a burger bar and have a salad *sigh*

NEW Moroccan Salad (n)
Grilled chicken, couscous, sun-blushed tomatoes, pine kernels, raisins, piquillo peppers, lemon, coriander & olive oil

All in all, it is likely that for two people with a couple of drinks that you will do in £30 if you go here, and that may seem expensive bearing in mind you could go to Maccies and feed two for £10, but there is no comparison in the qaulity. One is a burger which has had some real thought go into it, and one is something that is processed and is only good for grabbing on the go.

I apologise if people think I have put a bit much of the menu on here, I wanted to stress the point that the food is truly different from anywhere else I have been to and I didn't know how to explain it otherwise without giving examples.

If you do want further information on the chain, and maybe a more in depth look at the menu, then follow this link:
http://www.gbkinfo.com/index.php

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Thank you to everyone who brought to my attention the 241 voucher on moneysavingexpert, because of this I hope to go back and fill my boots with meaty goodness on Thursday!

Summary: Fantastic if your looking for something different