Cocktail & Burger

Having heard about Cocktail & Burger from James Vs Burger we decided to check it out last Saturday. Situated in the former Hippo Lounge on Sauchiehall St, it does exactly what it says on the tin! 

Going in, the place is quite dimly lit with low hanging lights above the tables (yes I did bang my head off one) but it gives it a bit of atmosphere. The menu doesn't have a lot of choice, a few burgers,hotdogs, a couple of salads & some snack items but that isn't necessarily a bad thing. We decided to order 2 C&B burgers and a side of mussel popcorn. As the name suggests, cocktails are also a main feature, with a selection at £3.50 & premium ones at £4.50. 

After munching on our complementary cup of popcorn, our food arrived & it was surprised at the amount of food. Normally when you order a burger & chips, it comes on the one plate & you get a decent amount. Not Cocktail & Burger, they give you a good sized burger, not too big, not too small & a separate bowl of their "stealth" fries. 

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The C&B burger is topped with bacon & cheddar & on first bite, I have to say, the taste was amazing. It tasted like a good quality fast food burger without the horrible after-taste you get from say McDonalds or Burger King. On the side is a couple of slices of gherkin, red onion & cucumber to put on top of your burger if you wish. Unfortunately I didn't realise this & ate it before it was pointed out to me why it was there! 

                            
I don't know why anywhere hasn't thought of mussel popcorn before but it's fantastic! Just like chicken popcorn but with mussels. Really loved this & the pureed tartar sauce that came with it. Not for those who don't like anything too fishy but a must have for all fish fans out there. I'm still a bit confused about why the fries are called "stealth" fries, however, they were pretty good. Nice & crispy & also for the first time I've experienced, pre-peppered rather than pre-salted. 

                            

A big plus to Cocktail & Burger for supplying hot sauce as part of the normal set of condiments. Both of us are big spice fans so this just added to the goodness of the burger. And the fries may have also taken a spice hit too!


I can't believe these guys are doing 2 for 1 burgers all day at such a low price (C&B are £6.95 each) for such good quality. Despite not sounding like a lot to eat, we were both suitably stuffed after our venture to Cocktail & Burger. A repeat visit is on the cards!
                           

Lazy Sunday at Curlers

I've been having a craving for a good Sunday Roast for a while but haven't been lucky enough to get my hands on one. So on Sunday when asked "Where do you want to eat?", all I knew is that somewhere with a Sunday Roast is where I wanted to go. Remembering someone I know mentioning the roast they had in The Curlers Rest a couple of weeks back, we decided to go there.

Writing this, I've realised that was the first time I'd eaten in Curlers after they bought the pub from the Scream chain. I had eaten in the previous incarnation but the food in Scream pubs is enough to put anyone off pub food for life so maybe that's part of the reason!

After deliberating which type of roast to get, I decided on the 21 day aged beef with all the trimmings. Al (my other half) decided on the homemade cheeseburger with BBQ pulled pork, which I'd read good reviews about. We sat waiting for our meal with an Aspall each - very few places in Glasgow serve Aspall on tap so anywhere that has this gets a big tick from me!

Our dinner arrived & all I can say is there was a lot of food on my plate! The beef was accompanied with mixed veg (but no sauteed cabbage as was advertised on the chalkboard :( & someunknown white veg), a big yorkshire pudding, an army of roast potatoes & red wine gravy (which I had on the side). This was right up my street! I have to say I did enjoy the meal & surprisingly the gravy. I'm not a bit gravy fan, hence why I had it on the side but it was really tasty, the red wine giving it a less overbearing meaty taste I've found with other gravies. The only part of it I can really fault it the yorkshire pudding which was a bit too crispy for my liking, but that could just be me!

The cheeseburger with the pulled pork was also a hit. Al struggled to pick it up as the pork was falling out from all angles. I took a sneaky bit & it was really nice. The pork was melt in the mouth, with a nice subtle BBQ flavour whilst the burger rounded it off. By the time the burger was finished, there was enough pork on the plate to fill another burger! The exact description of the fries was "you could get these in McDonalds" & I have to agree. They were of the same consistency of McDonald's but without being drowned in salt. 

All in all, Curlers was a hit all round & we will definitely be back. I want a burger with pulled pork for myself!

Not such a good grilling

On Friday it was one of my close friend's 30th & I took it upon myself to sort out a surprise dinner for him. As he's a bit of a meat lover, I decided on Grill on the Corner - a no brainer, they do the best steaks in town! I did not expect to have such a hassle to not only book the meal but also be seated at our table on the night. Booking a table for 11 was such a travesty - it took me 5 days, 5 phonecalls (despite being promised to be called back) & deposit of £10 each before it was finally confirmed. 

We arrived at 8pm sharp to be greeted by the fire alarm which was going off. We had to stand at the bar area & watch whilst 3 fire engines turned up to figure out how to turn off a faulty fire alarm. 30 mins later (I kid you not!), the whining finally stopped & I was straight over asking to be seated at our table only to be told it would take another couple of minutes as they were pushing the tables together. It wasn't until 8:45 that we were finally seated at our table!! Not only did it take ages but I had dropped off a balloon before we arrived & they had failed to put it on the table before seating us. Not exactly rocket science to put a balloon on a table!! I've been to the Grill a couple of times before so knew that a steak is the only way to go. We finally had our order taken after 9pm - 1 whole hour after we had originally booked the table for!

For starters, I ordered the sharing platter (salt & pepper chicken skewers, thai fishcakes, duck springrolls & calarmari) with my fiance to share. It arrived & it looked pretty appetising. One thing I loved was that the calarmari came with tentacles! Never ever had that before. Overall the platter was very tasty - good calarmari, the chicken skewers had a nice kick to them & the fishcakes had a nice thai flavour to them. The duck springrolls weren't exactly to my taste & the garlic mayo wasn't lacking in garlic flavour - my only complaints about the starter.

Now it was time for the main event! I had been looking forward to this steak since I had booked the meal. I ordered a medium sirloin with champ potatoes & a side of green beans & shallots. I've had the sirloin once before & it was melt in the mouth deliciousness! The steak arrived & first bite was a big disappointment - it hadn't been seasoned!! Of all the things I would never expect from a restaurant that specialises in steak is for them to forget to put some salt & pepper on it. The cut itself was not as good as I had before but not as bad as other cuts that have been passed off as steak in other places. The champ potatoes had also been drowned in butter which took away from any taste the spring onion would have given them. One other member of the party was extremely disappointed with his rump steak which was so fatty despite being described as the leanest cut on the menu! 

For the prices you pay in a restaurant like the Grill on the Corner, you expect first class service, no need to ask to make an order, an amazing steak & a card machine that works!!! However, we didn't get this at all & my feeling is they can't handle large parties on a Friday/Saturday night. My friend enjoyed his steak which was the main thing as it was his birthday & the reason we had gone there but I couldn't help but mention my views to the manager. All I was told was that they were sorry & next time I come to ask for the manager & he'll make sure that we get the best table & best service - not sure if we will be back to take them up on that offer!!