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| Gourmet Burger Kitchen Didsbury - member's reviews |
"We were squeezed on the smallest table at GBK with very little space around which was not a good start. It was very noisy, the music was far too loud. If I want to hear loud music, I would go to a pub not to a restaurant. We chose from the menu and then my partner went to queue to order and pay but had to return to me because they did not had any avocado (in my burger). If on Friday night they are already missing ingredients, what is going to happen on Saturday? We had to wait to be served for what seemed like hours and, on top of that, £4 for a microscopic tub of garlic mayo is pushing it a little bit I think. Overall, £30 quid for 2 burgers, 2 chips (yes chips don't come with the burger, you have to order them!), 2 drinks and 2 tubs of sauce is borderline extortion in my opinion. Don't think I'll bother again." - marlene, didsbury 23/4/09 (visited on a friday evening) |
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 "After the Christmas excess, the idea of having a 3 course dinner still turned our stomachs, and made our jean's waistbands quiver with fear. So, for Sunday dinner, a simple, yet quality burger sounded just right, so we popped down to Gourmet Burger Kitchen in Didsbury.
We noticed this place a while back, and the menu reminded me heavily of a place that I used to visit in New Zealand called Burger Wisconsin. Following further appraisal of the menu, I'm now almost certain that these 2 chains are related, since the 'Kiwi' burger is on the GBK menu, along with Antipodean coleslaw and various other offerings. The only difference really, is that GBK is billed as a restaurant, whereas the NZ variety was simply a takeaway. I remember the burgers from Wisconsin being very good indeed, but pretty expensive for a takeaway burger, and the prices in GBK follow suit, at anywhere from £6.50 to £10 for the burger alone, no sides, nothing. However, we had a buy one get one free voucher, and GBK is a restaurant, not just a take out afterall, so we decided to give it a go.
We landed at around 6pm, and upon being seated, we were surprised to be told, 'Please order your drinks with me, and order your food at the till when youre ready'. When you're paying £10 for a burger and chips? Straight off the bat, this didn't bode well at all, but we had a BOGOF voucher, and we're hungry, so hey. We ordered some olives and nuts to keep us going. They arrived, and were OK, but just like bar snacks really, only they cost £4. The water that we ordered came complete with sealed plastic bottles of very average Abbey Well, for £2 a bottle. Unacceptable.
Anyway, after a long look, which wasn't as simple as you'd hope with such a varied menu, we decided on the Chicken, Cranberry and Camenbert Burger and also the Mexican Burger, with chips and coleslaw to share, so begrudgedly approached the till and ordered, only to be given the bill, and the payment requested there and then? Surely a 'restaurant', charging restaurant prices, waits until you've eaten and finished before expecting payment? The tip jar at the till was empty, and I'm not surprised, as even before eating, I had a sour taste in my mouth. I was tempted to put a note in there, stating 'Here's a great tip. Offer service if you want extra for it'. Alas, my manners didnt allow for any sarcasm, but it did seem suitable.
Anyway, soon after, the burgers arrived, and despite our moans about the complete lack of service and price, they were very good indeed. The side of chips was OK, but a little greasy, and the coleslaw was really good, and indeed, southern hempisphere style, with no mayo, and just vinaigrette dressing. Great, or so my jeans thought, as they pushed back the remaining Xmas bulge!
Anyway, yes, the burgers were very good indeed, with good quality, fresh ingredients, but without the BOGOF voucher, a litre of water, olives, nuts, 2 burgers, 1 chips and 1 coleslaw, would have come to £28. Without proper table service, this becomes bordering on extortionate. After the BOGOF discount, it was £20.30, so still a fair whack in reality. With a Hi Life card, you can get two 3 course dinners and the same litre of water, at an array of 'proper' restaurants in town for under £25, so paying more than this for a couple of burgers, in what is essentially just the burger version of Nandos without the free refil drinks, is a bit too much for my liking.
In summary, GBK is not a resutaurant. It is posh fast food and just a variant of Nandos in almost every respect. Saying that, Nandos is always extremely busy, and they are almost as pricy, so who says that GBK are doing anything wrong? I just prefer to eat at a restaurant when paying restauruant prices.
Despite the quality of their burgers, GBK needs to rethink its prices, even if its a case of giving a side 'free' with your £8 burger?! There must be a reason why BOGOF vouchers are required in the first place... not only in January when everybody is bloated and broke, but on more than one occasion since they opened last year." - chris handley, salford 12/1/09 (visited on a sunday evening) |
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