First GBK experience

In my quest to eat burgers at as many different places as I can, one that had slipped under my radar was the Gourmet Burger Kitchen. I always see vloggers, Zoe and Alfie ordering in and obsessing over their skinny fries. 

Last Friday me, Mum and baby Noah went for a trip to IKEA and needed some food. As we were travelling to the Metro Centre, I wanted to visit somewhere we don't have in Middlesbrough. With Italian and Asian off our list for the night, we decided to try out GBK.

Like many other burger joints, GBK has a great selection of burgers with unique combinations of fillings as well as lots of sides and extras. As there were so many delicious choices, I found it very hard to decide. The waitress brought over a special deal menu which meant we could get a burger, fries and a drink for £9.95 after 5pm. These were standard burgers including plain, cheese and also chicken. However, after looking at the full menu we had seen some extras that we definitely had to have. On Mum's chicken burger she had Camembert and I had truffle cheese on my fries.

I went for my usual cheeseburger and it was really lovely. It was well done on the outside but still juicy in the middle, quite similar in taste to Burger King but much better quality meat. The fries were to die for, I wish I could live in them! They were so different from what I've had before and so good with the truffle cheese.

With the deal, there was only a selection of three drinks and from these, we both chose a strawberry and elderflower soda. It was very fruity and refreshing.

I  really enjoyed my first experience to GBK even though I still didn't try their skinny fries that Zoella is always banging on about. I will definitely be back again when I'm in the vicinity of a GBK.

If you've visited, what's your favourite burger from their menu?

Burgers in Amsterdam - Burger Fabriek

You know me, whenever I go out for food in a new city I have to find a great burger joint. Although we didn't go looking for anything special, we stumbled across this place whilst on a short trip to Amsterdam. 

Burger Fabriek is on the main shopping street tucked away under the pretence of a quick takeaway. You can get a quick takeaway from here but it's quality grub. There is a little seating area out the back that encapsulates all things I love in interior design - industrial and rustic.

The menu was quite overwhelming with the different burger and hot dog options to make your own or a choice of pre-put-together meals. I chose to go with the Black Angus burger topped with cheese and Matt had the same burger with an egg as well. We accompanied these with a portion of chips to share and some dips.

The burger was lovely and tasty. Topped with everything I like in a burger including lettuce, tomato and gherkins with a special sauce. They were a bit skimpy with the sauce but luckily I had my extra to douse on. Matt enjoyed his burger although it was a bit messy with the egg! As this is basically just a takeaway restaurant there were no toilets so unfortunately, we couldn't wash up afterwards. The chips were yummy and overall the meal was very filling.

If I'm ever back in Amsterdam and need a quick bite I'll definitely head back here. There is so much on the menu that I didn't have the chance to try. I also think they have a proper restaurant so that would be cool to visit as I bet it's the same style and same amazing food.

Have you been here? What did you think?

Feasting at the Fat Hippo Underground

I've already professed my love for a good burger, but as I've previously mentioned my favourite burger resides in London. In my search for something a little closer I ventured to Newcastle's Fat Hippo Underground.

Hidden in what looks like a cellar, accessible via a door on Shakespeare Street in the centre of town, is this trendy burger restaurant. When we arrived, on a Saturday afternoon, I expected it to be busy but it was fairly quiet and we got a table straight away. After browsing the menu I knew that I'd be going for something similar to a cheeseburger, which in the Fat Hippo was the American. It came with triple fried hand cut chips whilst Mum ordered the Italian Job, breaded chicken with mozzarella, sun-dried tomatoes and pesto mayo in a massive panini bun which came with normal fries. We also got a portion of onion rings.

As we were in Newcastle for S Club 7 on the night we decided to indulge in a naughty slush. I picked the Berry Smash which had vodka, passoa and grenadine and Mum picked Last of the Summer Slush which included gin, limoncello and elderflower. Both were blitzed with ice to create a slush consistency. So nice and refreshing.

When the food came we were amazed by how much we got. There was so much, we knew we'd never be able to finish the lot, especially including the onion rings. My burger was delicious. So juicy and flavoursome. All the sauces and toppings made it so tasty. The chips were amazing as well coupled with Fat Hippo's signature burger sauce. Mum enjoyed her chicken burger but I think it was all a bit too much considering we had the onion rings to eat as well.

Overall the food and the drinks were great and the restaurant decor was brilliant. When I am back in Newcastle I'd definitely visit again.

Get your meat fix here - Meat Market, Covent Garden - London

By now you should all know how much I love a good burger! It has to be juicy, tasty, good quality and full of lots of cheese and salad! The one place I know I will get a great burger is Meat Liquor or its sister restaurant Meat Mission. So on a recent trip to London, I knew the logical place to visit was Meat Market, situated in Covent Garden.

As with the other restaurants, the design was super cool. I'm not sure how I'd describe what they'd done with this one, maybe retro canteen? It was very bright, colourful and funky! You order at the till and then sit down waiting for your name to be called to collect your grub. As with all of the Meat Liquor restaurants I went for a cheeseburger! What a bore ey, but it's my favourite. Matt changed up his order and went for Phili cheesesteak and we shared a portion of fries. There was the option of refillable drinks which I took full advantage of and also the option to have water if you fancied.

We both really enjoyed our food, scoffing it down as quick as we could. If only I could eat here more often but it would do nothing for my waistline! This is definitely treat meal material. After looking over the menu again after this visit I discovered they did ice cream floats and wish I'd had one! Next time maybe.

Have you been before to one of the Meat Liquor restaurants? What are your thoughts?

Time for food and a movie - Tyneside Bar Café Review

A typical date night for the majority of people involves going out for a meal and then on to the cinema for a film. So what could be better than the place you are visiting for food being right next door to the cinema! Established by the same people who run the Tyneside Cinema, the Tyneside Bar Café is their latest venture combining great food and drink with the delights of cinema.

Me and Matt visited recently to see what it was all about and try some of the lovely food. We arrived at around 1.30pm on a Saturday afternoon and the place was very busy so we struggled to find a seat we were comfortable in. After playing musical chairs as people left, we finally settled right at the back of the venue in some cosy seats. It seems the cafe has tried to fit in as many tables as possible which means everyone is a little bit on top of each other and trying to get through the tables is a bit of a maze. When it is less busy I'm sure this is fine but when all the tables are taken it is a bit of a hazard.

When we were settled we went up to the bar and ordered our food which was done quickly and with ease! They have a great selection of alcoholic drinks but we both settled on soft drinks, I went for a Fentimans Cherrytree cola for a change. For our meals, I picked the Tyneside cinema hot dog in a brioche bun with onions and fries and Matt settled on the royale with cheese which was a ground rib burger in a soft bun with Olgeshield cheese, gherkins and fries. Mine was lovely but a tad messy to eat especially when I added the tomato sauce! Matt enjoyed his and said it was a really good burger.

For dessert, we decided to get the cookies and milk and the popcorn pannacotta. I picked the cookies and they were delicious and warm! Not sure if I had milk or cream with them though as it was quite thick and frothy but it was lovely on the cookies. We picked the pannacotta to try between the two of us but we weren't really keen on it. I think as neither of us had had pannacotta before we weren't sure what to expect!

Overall we had a lovely time at the Tyneside Bar Café, the food was lovely, the service was brilliant, we just thought it was a little overcrowded. If we were local I think we'd be down quite a bit to catch some of the free films they screen whilst enjoying some food.

*Food was provided free for review. All comments are honest.

Almost Famous Burgers Restaurant Review, Manchester

Another place that was recommended by the blogging community for food in Manchester was Almost Famous Burgers. Although I was still quite full from dinner I knew that I couldn't pass up a burger and fries. The place was quite dark and gloomy but very trendy with graffiti on the walls, metal pole room separations and even a giant gorilla. The menu is limited but you are bound to find something you like if you are into meat, specifically burgers. I went for a River Phoenix burger which was a double cheeseburger with bacon, bbq fried onions, frazzles, baconnaise, chipotle ketchup, redneck bbq sass and chillies but I didn't have the chillies! Matt went for the Butter Blood and Bleu burger, a double cheeseburger with rare flatiron steak, chorizo, chillies, grilled onions, peppercorn and bleu cheese sauces and mustard mayo. We accompanied these monsters with a mix of normal and sweet potato fries.

These burgers were outrageous, both very juicy and full of flavour. The combination of stuff, although piled high and hard to get your chops around, were exceptionally well put together with great complementing tastes. I cut mine in half to tackle whilst Matt decided to get his knife and fork out. Our fries were sprinkled with a bit of spice and when I asked for ketchup they only carry spicy ketchup. There was no relief for me!

I wish I had had more room to finish my burger as I made a poor effort. It was a great burger joint that I'd revisit but it still doesn't knock my favourite off the top spot.
Have you been to Almost Famous Burgers? I hear they've opened in Leeds too!

Bill's Restaurant in Manchester (Review)

Recently we took a short trip to Manchester in which we made sure to pick some brilliant eateries. One that we chose, that I know you'll all have heard of, is Bill's Restaurant. Lots and lots of bloggers have been recommending Bill's and I've only just had the chance to try it. I am happy to report that I love it! Bill's strapline is breakfast to bedtime, so we decided to pop along for lunch. Inside everything is back to basics and there are a lot of up-cycled items. There were gorgeous pieces of lighting including beautiful chandeliers and industrial downlighters around where we sat. There were lots of yummy items of the menu but in the end, I chose a halloumi burger, fries and a pink lemonade float with vanilla ice cream. Matt picked a macaroni cheese with butternut squash and a side of sweet potato fries.

The burger was lovely. Having it in a sesame bun was just right and it had a little bit of sweet chilli sauce inside with the salad which complimented it perfectly. It was supposed to have hummus and peppers in but they aren't my cup of tea and it tasted just as great without them. Matt enjoyed his macaroni cheese but he said it could have done with a bit more cheese. I'd never had an ice cream float before but I decided that Bill's would be the place to do it. It was so sweet and sickly but also tangy because of the lemonade. I had a good go at drinking it but couldn't finish it all!

The atmosphere was lovely in Bill's and I wish we had one up here, even if it had to be in Newcastle! In Bill's, you could also buy some of the items they used in their menu such as jams, chutneys and items of dinnerware such as teapots. We didn't make any purchases as it was our first time but I can imagine after a few trips we'd have our favourite bits that we'd like to take home.

Have you been to Bill's? Do you like it?

Copenhagen - Day one - travel

As you will know if you follow my twitter or Instagram, I recently went on a city break to Copenhagen for a few days with my boyfriend. It was a gorgeous city with much to see and do. I wanted to write up a little diary of my days there so thought I'd split this up into a few posts. First up, day one, the day we arrived and got to grips with Denmark.

We flew with EasyJet from Manchester which was super easy and no hassle at all. The flight was only an hour and a half so we touched down in no time! Instead of getting a taxi we decided we'd figure out the trains which were actually so simple as they'd put a short cut on the machines to get a ticket to central station. Easy peasy! The train took around 10 minutes so we were ready to scout out our hotel in no time.
Our hotel (First Hotel Mayfair) was very close to central station and pretty close to the rest of town including Tivoli Gardens. It was super stylish and very posh, I'd definitely recommend it to anyone considering the trip. After we'd dropped our bags and freshened up we went to explore.
Starving from having only had our breakfast at Manchester Airport, we set out to find somewhere to eat. We picked the first good place we saw which happened to be MAD (Modern American Diner), Copenhagen's very own American Diner. Except it doesn't look like the American diner's I know you are thinking of - red booths, cheesy music and chirpy Americans serving food. It was much slicker with an orange colour scheme, clean interior and great service. With my new found love of bacon, I decided to go for the smoked bacon and cheeseburger, whilst Matt went for the Philly cheesesteak sandwich and we shared sweet potato fries. And oh what fries they were. We both agreed that they were the best sweet potato fries we had ever tasted. Seriously you need to go just for these. It was gorgeous food which had us all fired up for a walk into the centre to do some shopping. We came across all the usual tourist shops, takeaway food joints but then we also found many clothes shops. Some were pretty naff but one that I particularly fell in love with was Monki.
It is the sister brand of Cheap Monday, which you might have heard of as they are stocked in Urban Outfitters, which is also a Scandanavian brand. Their clothes were very simple but had gorgeous autumn colours and great comfy fabrics. I tried on a few things but nothing felt right until I spotted a gorgeous oversized green coat. I was pretty much in love and had to buy it right away. It cost around £50 which I think is average for a coat in England so it wasn't much more expensive than people think. As we went for our walk we spotted Nyhavn, a gorgeous waterfront street surrounded by amazing coloured houses. It was so pretty and scenic - lots of pictures were taken! We also stumbled on my new favourite convenience store, 7-Eleven. You may have seen or heard of 7-Eleven before in relation to America, I certainly had. I didn't, however, realise how amazing they were going to be. They had slushie machines (one with Cocio), fresh pastries, healthy food and drinks like smoothies and juices and a whole bunch of other sweets and snacks. I just loved it. The variety of stuff was amazing and I eventually got a Cocio slushie which was like a super cold milkshake. Mmmm.
We went to bed pretty early because we'd woken so early to drive to Manchester to get our flight. Day two was the day of lots of attractions so it will be split into two posts...