After reading so much about Meat liquor I was very keen to give it a go, especially as my diverted bus passes by it every morning. It is under the NCP in Welbeck st on the site of what was the Spaghetti House many years ago. My father used to come for lunch here every week back in those days and had his usual table. Since then it has gone through many different guises though no one has lasted long. Maybe a burger and booze place could turn the site round. There is no obvious branding on the outside and the painted over windows really make you think it is an abandoned space. So on entering you are all the more surprised to see it packed. We popped in at 12:30 on Thursday and it was already busy. The décor is eclectic to say the least, lots of graffiti type murals, an assortment of odds and sods furniture, a loud rock soundtrack playing. It reminded me a bit of the old Rib Shack.
In between trying to figure out where my dad’s table was in the rejigged interior we scanned the short menu and ordered a couple of beers, a cheese burger for me and my lovely wife had the chicken burger. The beers came up quickly and were very nice. The bar was certainly busy, all the cocktails are served in jam jars to give it the shebeen sort of atmosphere. By 1PM the restaurant was packed and I think orders were backing up in the kitchen as from what I could see half the restaurant were waiting for food. The young service team seemed eager to please but did seem a bit taken aback by how busy it was on a Thursday lunchtime. However just as I was about to get annoyed our food turned up and was well worth the wait.
The food came on a tray with no plates so we got involved in the whole casual atmosphere and ate off the plentiful kitchen roll they provided. My burger was absolutely delicious. Really tasty, loads of filling, moist and messy. It was so good I didn’t mind that it splattered over my shirt. We also ordered a side of fries and some onion rings which were generously portioned and cooked in fresh oil which makes the difference. My wife’s chicken burger was also superb. Often this is a bit of an afterthought but it was again moist and coated in a hot seasoning which made it really tasty. All in all we really enjoyed our food and it was worth the wait. This place probably isn’t for everyone and I can’t imagine bringing baby G here for a while but it is different and it is fun. Our bill came to just over £30 which was good value. I look forward to returning and working my way through a few of their cocktails.
Monday, November 21, 2011
Overall rating
Food 9 | Service 7 | Atmosphere 8 | Value for money 8