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This restaurant review was undertaken on
Saturday June 20, 2009.
GBK is
located in a modern, glass fronted building within the trendy
Hub area of Milton Keynes. What draws you to the restaurant are
the softly pulsating lights that line the main wall, and whose
alternating glow can be seen from across the fountain courtyard.
Inside,
high ‘industrial’ type ceilings give the restaurant an
impressive airy and spacious feel, even if full. There are a
number of tables in various sizes, all in an attractive dark
wood and complimented with trendy leather bistro style chairs.
The booths are padded orange leather which matched the colour of
the paint on the walls.
The whole
restaurant has the feel of a ‘canteen’ albeit one decorated from
the Ikea catalogue.
The place
felt slightly subdued when we first entered, although it was
relatively quiet and the high ceilings added to the hushed
emptiness. This did pick up as the night drew on however, with
the general good natured chatter, clatter of plates and people
queuing for orders adding to the canteen feel.
Upon
arrival, we were quickly seated by a friendly and chatty
waitress (no introduction) who explained the menu and ordering
process to us. The normal procedure here is to be seated, make
your decision and then place your order at the till. The table
setting was sparse, (with basic cutlery wrapped in a paper
napkin, and a garish ketchup bottle shaped like a large plastic
tomato) though this was in keeping with the diner experience.
We were
then looked after for the rest of the evening with the
supervisor (John) and the assistant manager (Gareth) both
proving to be very attentive and informative throughout the
night.
Restaurant
staff constantly walked the floor, and we noticed other tables
receiving the same high level of service as we did.
The menu
was surprisingly extensive, with a number of new additions.
There were 20+ varieties of burger, and refreshingly 5
vegetarian options. With the number of extra ingredients
available in the ‘build your own’ the section is in reality much
higher. Prices range from £5.95 for a classic burger, to £7.95
for the more exotic (chicken, lamb, chorizo) and up to £9.95 for
‘premiere’ burgers (wild boar, buffalo).
All meals
(including sauces, relishes, etc) are freshly prepared that day
on site using fresh ingredients, and all beef burgers are 100%
Aberdeen Angus. All of their chicken is Halal, and all burgers
can be prepared without the bun (substituted with a side salad)
for those with special dietary requirements or are just counting
the calories!
Our drink
orders were taken first. I was recommended the Pinot Grigio
Pink, which was apparently ‘sweet and fruity’ and opted for a
large glass (£5.60) while my partner chose a large beer (£4.95).
As there were no starters to speak of, we perused the ‘while you
wait’ section, which contained some interesting tapas style
dishes. We went for the marinated olives (£1.95).
Our olives
and drinks arrived in about 5 minutes, and the wine certainly
did not disappoint! The pitted green and black olives arrived in
a nice ceramic dish with cocktail sticks to skewer them, and
also contained whole garlic gloves, cornichons and shreds of red
pepper, all finished off in a delicious oil marinade which was
not too vinegary and contained just the right hint of chilli.
After
nibbling on these treats for a few minutes, John returned to
take our order. By this time I had decided on the butternut
squash burger (a real find – I’m a veggie!), with polenta,
celeriac, spring onions, pecan nuts, breadcrumbs and parmesan
(£7.45) while my partner opted for the chorizo burger (£6.95)
with sweet potato, rocket, tomato, mayonnaise and relish. After
a chat with John about the cheeses (I like cheese with my
burger!) I decided to add mozzarella (£1.65) to mine from the
build your own section, while my partner chose to add beetroot
(£1.15) to his. We also ordered a side of chips to share (£2.75)
as well as some garlic mayo on the side (£1.55).
The food
arrived in about 15 minutes, and each burger was presented on
small, simple white plates. The burgers themselves were quite
impressive, (each one being about 8 inches tall!) and I remember
thinking that this is not the place to come on a first date –
you just can’t eat them elegantly! My first bite quickly made me
forget about how I looked eating it!
The burger
buns were toasted, yet soft, with the salad in the burger crispy
and fresh – no soggy brown lettuce here! The butternut pattie
was hot, moist and delicious, packed full of flavour and a
welcome change from the usual vegetarian fare provided. My
partner was particularly impressed with his burger. It was laden
with two juicy chorizo sausages, cut in half and chargrilled to
perfection. They were juicy, with not a hint of gristle and just
the right spicy kick to them. These were brilliantly
complimented by the slices of beetroot and chargrilled sweet
potato, the sweetness working well with the barbequed flavour of
the meat.
The chips
were also cooked almost to perfection, chunky, crispy on the
outside and soft on the inside (although I remember the portion
being a little bigger). The garlic mayonnaise looked
suspiciously like guacamole, but on trying it we found that it
most definitely was garlic mayo! Another reason not to venture
to GBK before a first date – this stuff is seriously strong and
you will have severe garlic breath. That said however, we did
end up with 2 empty plates!
Those of
you with a sweet tooth might be a little disappointed by GBK, as
they don’t offer any desserts. They have assessed this however,
and are looking to introduce and trial different options at
branch level. We were offered coffee or Ben & Gerry’s ice cream,
so chose to round off with the Ben & Gerry’s. This isn’t on the
menu so you will need to ask, and it costs £2.50 for a standard
one person tub.
GBK offers
a welcome change in the world of ‘fast food’ and can, and has,
been likened to a ‘posh MacDonalds’, and also reminded me of
Nando’s with the queuing system (we were however informed that
table waiting is provided depending on group size and how busy
the restaurant is), simple menu construction and take-away
facility. I would recommend either of our dishes, but hurry as
their menu will be changing in the next few weeks!
Things may
have greatly improved in terms of service since the previous
review (or they were just on their best behaviour!) but if
everyone receives the same high level of service and quality of
food as we did, GBK should prove to be a long lasting addition
to the Milton Keynes food scene. |
