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This restaurant 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.
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