Restaurant Review: new takes needed on burger craze

Forget Chinatown or Little Italy — Glasgow’s city centre has a burgeoning burger quarter.

The arrival of two big chains on St Vincent St is but the tail end of a burger craze that has been pulling Glasgow punters towards a small square of the city centre for a few years.

This week’s review was a trip to Gourmet Burger Kitchen — a swish take on counter ordering, all industrial lighting and cosy leather booths — and a rather fitting order given the weather outside.

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The other half opted for a simple bacon and cheese — smoked applewood, crispy bacon, barbecue sauce, pickle and salad — tagged on the menu with the words ‘meat is might’. Quite. The beef patty was moist, pink through and very tasty, the smoky BBQ flavours proving a classic combination — although the bacon lacked that crispy texture.

Taking inspiration from the recent cold snap, I opted for an apres ski-themed creation called The St Morish. The same pink, juicy burger came loaded with Swiss cheese, truffled mushrooms, baconnaise, chilli chocolate ketchup and onion jam, all packed into sturdy brioche — a winning combination.

The chilli chocolate ketchup hit just the right note between sweet, spicy and bitter (although it did divide opinion) and truffled mushrooms provided depth of flavour beyond the usual burger topping.

We shared skinny fries — the crunchy shoestring kind —and decent sweet potato chips with more of that rich, smoky baconnaise; an American excess craze we’ll all tut at, but secretly enjoy.

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There was also a gooey Nutella milkshake in the mix, included in the St Morish meal deal — thicker than the ice lining the pavements outside but not too shabby on chocolate-loving tastebuds.

Does Glasgow need another burger joint? The jury is out on that one. But as long as GBK serve their unique take on the trend, truffles and all, meat lovers will return — and rightly so.

Rating: 8/10

Gourmet Burger Kitchen

65 St Vincent Street

Glasgow

G2 5TF

Tel: 0141 248 2037