This review was undertaken on Saturday 08th March 2008.

Last weekend I broke one of my very own golden rules, which is to never take anyone to a restaurant on my recommendation unless I had previously eaten there twice and been satisfied on both occasions. This rule will not be broken again.

My partner and I we were meeting good friends for a quick meal in Milton Keynes, followed by a couple of beers before going our separate ways later in the evening. The recommendation was the Gourmet Burger Kitchen in The Hub. Having been myself just the once, there was an urge to return again.

On opening the main entrance door it was obvious there was a sizeable queue, but this was to actually order your food. At GBK you take a table, choose your burger from the menu then visit the counter to order your meal and pay. We spent ten minutes in this queue; no fewer than four of us directed our eyes on every movement of the busy waiters with that look which asked “Please take us to our table”. It was surely obvious that with our jackets on, and the ladies carrying their handbags, that we needed a seat and were not ordering food? Eventually, one of the waiters had to be approached. After a polite request for a table, one was promptly found. For a quick meal out, we had not made a good start.

Our order was placed and we waited some 40 minutes without our drinks arriving. I left the table to find out what had happened not only to our drinks but also our food. The problem with the tables at GBK is that they are so close to each other. The lucky couple next to us probably had my back side some two inches away from their food as I squeezed through. A quick look up and there was the waiter, burgers in hand approaching our table so the lucky couple received a good view of my back side once more as I sat back down.

“No drinks?” we asked? “Yes I know!” was the reply without a hint of an apology. Before you could even shout “wrong burger!” the waiter had gone. Yes, that’s right; one of the burgers was not what we ordered. We then realised we were without cutlery. Three drinks arrived, not four. Mine was nowhere to be seen. This gave us a chance to request some cutlery and we decided not to moan about the fact that one of the burgers was not what we ordered.

So, finally, onto the food. There’s no doubt that as burgers go, GBK burgers are pretty special. The food we could not fault. We ordered a variety of burgers from chicken, falafel, lamb to blue cheese. The lamb became a ‘Classic’ burger, but never mind, it was still good. The baps were fresh and the salad and the sauces compliment a simple but particularly satisfying meal.  The chunky chips were served in a deep white bowl and we found that one portion was plenty for two to share.

It was just a shame about the incredibly poor service. We’re not sure if the waiters are completely to blame though, as it did look as though some more help on the restaurant floor would not have gone amiss. Oh, and my drink? It arrived after I had finished my meal and was promptly sent back.