I've been to GBK a few times in the past, and for someone who eats quite a lot of burgers, I have…read moreyet to be disappointed by the place. I was aware that I was about to eat somewhere that has its food sourced by the titanic load, will lack a unique experience - all the things that stereotypically come with eating at a chain restaurant, but in the Trafford centre, there aren't many independent eateries to choose from and I'm not adverse to the odd trip to a chain every now and then.
Standing by the 'Please wait to be seated' sign at the entrance, after a few moments we were approached by a pleasant guy who asked if we would like to sit inside or out, we chose inside. He then asked us to choose our table.. did we want a round table?, a square table?.. so basically we chose our own seat.. making the 'please wait to be seated' idea completely pointless. Anyway...
The GBK restaurant at The Trafford Centre is newly refurbished, and you can tell. It's spacious and very well lit, which is clearly a challenge for any restaurant inside the TC. There is an upstairs eating area and balcony, which looked pretty cool. But, inevitably, with it being filled with shoppers just looking for a quick meal, it lacked in the atmosphere that you get with most burger joints in town.
I always get quite irritated when the waiter asks 'have you been here before?'
- I completely get why they do it, just in case you can't grasp the concept of choosing your meal and ordering at the counter...
I nodded, the waiter quickly realised my annoyance, smiled and moved on.. fair play to him for that. (In my defence it was almost 9pm and I was very hungry) He mentioned that GBK have a loyalty app which I downloaded and used at the till to redeem my free sauce! Winner. *huge brownie points Mr Waiter guy!*
I'm not overly keen on having to go up and order, especially with only one till open, I had to wait quite a while, again I can't blame them for this as it was quite late on in the evening - but I did, however, like being asked how I wanted the burger cooked - and at medium, both our burgers were cooked spot on; juicy, pink in the middle and tasty.
Also, if you happen not to like any of the combinations they have for their burgers, they are quite happy to let you create your own. Not something i'd go for, but still a nice touch for those fussier eaters and also reinforces the fact that your burger is made fresh.
The menu is fab. There are a variety of burgers to choose from ranging from quite plain to the more exotic and there are chicken burgers and veggie options for those who aren't a fan of the good old beef burger.
We ordered The Camemburger - Beef burger with Camembert, hash brown, truffle mayo, onion jam and relish in a brioche bun. And the Taxidriver - another beef burger with American cheese, onion ring, Cajun relish, smoked chilli mayo, dill pickle and salad also in brioche. 2 orders of fries, one skinny and one of the sweet potato variety and the Homeslaw.
After ordering, and paying £30ish for the 2 meals listed above, we were given 2 empty glasses to fill with complimentary monkey nuts from a giant tub.. nice touch and gives you something to do whilst you wait for your food.
Ten minutes later, and with a table covered in monkey nut shells, the food arrived. The burger was, as previously mentioned, cooked very well and the Camembert was gooey and not overpowering - it worked well. These burgers are pretty big, and the more you put on it, the more dignity you lose when trying to eat it. No wonder they're held together with a stake through the middle. But it's all part of the fun.
The skinny fries significantly lacked in potato - far too skinny for my liking. But the sweet potato fries were great and the baconnaise hit the spot.
I regrettably didn't order a milkshake, but the lady on the next table did, and she seemed quite impressed by it as she tried to force her boyfriend to try some, more than once with 'Babe. Try thisss!!!' I did however, order a Coke which came, to my delight, in a glass bottle served with a straw! Glass bottled Coke ranks very highly on my list of soft drinks, as opposed to draft or Coke from a can. This might not be everyone's cup of tea, but i'm sure they'd serve it to you in a glass with ice if you requested.
With Manchester having been spoilt by the opening of so many great burger places recently, GBK isn't ever going to be my first choice but is still in my top 5. I find it reasonably priced and always have, because the food is fresh and cooked well.
Chances are if you like burgers, you're bound to find yourself in a GBK at some point. And you won't be disappointed.
