Five Guys Burger and Fries

I first came across Five Guys Burger and Fries while on holiday in America a couple of years ago. Someone had told me to try it and when I did it instantly rose to the top of my fast food burger list! 

Ever since I hoped they'd open in the UK. Just a few months later I find that they are doing, under the simpler name of "Five Guys". 

Five Guys started out as a father and his 4 sons (thus Five Guys) in Virginia, USA, as his sons didn't want to go to college. They quickly became the fastest expanding company within the USA serving 100% ground beef burgers with a choice of unlimited free toppings, and fresh fries. 
Five Guys have been in the media over the years for famously declining to deliver to President Obama, who then had to go down and collect his order himself.

Also because of a certain, very popular, funny video review on Youtube by Dayumdrops:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zGkHRa64sDY


Having expanded throughout the USA and Canada, I suppose it was only a matter of time before they ventured into the UK. 

In July 2013 they opened their first restaurant in the UK, in Covent Garden. I'd visited that restaurant while I was in London not long after it opened, but longed for a restaurant around Manchester. 

My prayers were soon answered when they opened an outlet in the Trafford Centre. They then continued to expand throughout the UK and continue to open new restaurants almost monthly. 
Their most recent restaurant is located in Ashton-Under-Lyne. This being as close as one will get to my front door, I headed down there on opening day to feature Five Guys in the Meat Memoirs. 

Five Guys Ashton-Under-Lyne

Five Guys is in essence, a fast food restaurant. There's no avoiding that fact. 

Inside it's a combination of reds and whites with their trademark tiled walls with 5 rows of red tiles (to represent the Five Guys). The walls are covered in quotations taken from reviews and newspapers describing Five Guys as "heaven in a brown paper bag," and "the best burger you've eaten in your whole life." We'll be the judge of that though....

"The best burger you've ever eaten in your whole life"

The queue system is formed from fresh sacks of potatoes and the odd box of peanuts which are free to try. This is worth noting for those with a peanut allergy. The restaurant locations have peanuts open to pick up while you queue, this isn't the case in their shopping center locations.

Queue system formed from sacks of fresh potatoes

Free Peanuts while you wait

After queuing, when you reach the till, you place an order using the menu overhead.

Five Guys Menu

There's the option of burgers or little burger. Little burgers are single burgers, while "normal" burgers are all double patties. The price varies on whether you opt for the little burgers or normal ones, and then whether you opt for cheeseburger, bacon burger, or the most expensive bacon cheeseburgers. 

There are also similar combinations of hot dogs. Or for the vegetarians, there's a veggie sandwich option. 

There is then a list of 15 additional toppings and sauces which you can pick from at no additional cost so you can have as few or as many as you like.

To accompany the burger, you can order a side of fries. Fries are ordered in "small," "medium," or "large" portions. A large portion is designed to feed 4 people, a small portion is suitable for a person eating alone. These are available in normal or coated with cajuan spices. 

Then for a drink you have the choice of water or lager. Or some of the Five Guys stores, like Ashton, are now offering milkshakes with 10 different flavours to choose from and all of which you can mix together no extra cost. You can also add bacon to your milkshake if you wish for no added cost! As this was the first Five Guys store we'd been to offering milkshakes, we would be trying one of these. 

Or, you can choose to be given an empty Coca-Cola cup to take to the Coca-Cola Freestyle machines as many times as you like. We'll get to these machines soon....


I placed my order. There are a few options you can't see on the menu overhead, but are available if you ask. You can be given an extra patty for an additional £2. If you wish you can order extra bacon and/or extra cheese to your burger/sandwich/hot dog for free also. 

I therefore ordered a bacon cheeseburger (£8.75), with an extra patty (+£2.00) and topped it with, extra bacon, extra cheese, grilled onions, grilled mushrooms and Bar-B-Q sauce. 
I accompanied this with a side of medium fries (£4.00) to share with my partner, and a milkshake (£4.75).
For the milkshake I combined chocolate, Oreo and bacon. I wanted to see how they included bacon in a milkshake so had to throw that in there. 

To say this probably should have been a chocolate overload it wasn't too bad. The milkshake was thick with large chunks of Oreo and bacon to be found throughout, although they did settle at the bottom after a while. The chocolate flavour wasn't too overpowering and the addition of bacon pieces worked a lot better than I thought it would. The bacon adds a savory hit every now and again to compliment the sweet milkshake flavours. 

While my partner accompanied her order with a Coca-Cola drink from the Freestyle machines.

After placing your order you're given a receipt and wait at the other end of the counter for your order number to be called. The preparation area is totally open so you can see your burger being created while you wait.  

Or you can go fill your drinks cup while you wait. This will quickly pass the time when you discover the Coca-Cola Freestyle machines! 
These machines have a touch screen face, and contain over 100 different Coca-Cola products, for you to choose from, and mix together until your heart's content. 
You'll often find people standing here just trying all the different flavours of drinks that you can't find elsewhere. 

Coca Cole Freestyle Machine

We couldn't list all the drinks here but to give you some idea, if you choose "Coca-Cola" you're then taken to another screen to choose 7 different flavours of Coca-Cola. This is then the case for Diet Coke, Coke Zero, Fanta... etc. etc. 

Different Coca-Cola products to choose from

Different Flavours of Coca-Cola

And you can return to the Freestyle machine as many times as you like as long as you keep the cup! 

Five Guys Milkshake (£4.75) and refillable Coca-Cola Freestyle cup (£2.50)

By the time you've finished playing with the Freestyle drinks machine your order will probably be ready. 

When you go to collect it you'll be handed your brown, un-branded paper bag (which won't be folded over as Five Guys believe the burger and fries should be allowed to breathe). 

Brown Paper Bag of mystery

Opening the bag you may wonder where your burger is and why you've been given a bag of fries. Five Guys add an additional portion of fries to your bag to accompany the sized cup portion you may be expecting. This is why you they recommend you order a small portion for one person. Beneath the fries though you'll see a foil wrapped package containing your burger. 

Inside the grease soaked paper bag

The potatoes are never frozen and are shipped in and cut in store, then cooked in 100% peanut oil. This gives them a different taste to the fries you find anywhere else. Although, for those, like me, who aren't a fan of peanuts, rest assured, the peanut oil gives no taste of peanut to the fries. Instead it gives a less greasy sweeter taste to them.

Fresh potatoes - cut daily

The fries are well seasoned with the perfect amount of salt. They could be a little crunchier though. 
We ordered a side of the cajuan spices to mix them up a bit. This spice adds a slight kick to the fries if you prefer a bit of a spicier hit to your fries. 

After sampling the fries it was time to dig out the burger.

Foil Wrapped Burger

The foil wrapping has to be pried away from the burger as the melted cheese clings onto it. As you unwrap the foil, some of the toppings fall away as they're finally released. 
Although the foil keeps the burger as hot as possible, it does squash it quite a bit meaning it isn't that aesthetically pleasing. 

Bacon Cheeseburger (£8.75) plus extra patty (+£2.00).
Toppings (free) - Extra cheese, extra bacon, grilled onions, grilled mushrooms, Bar-B-Q sauce

Taking a bite of the fallen piece of bacon before biting into the burger, the bacon is some of the crispiest I've had on a burger, without it being overcooked. Really gives a great crunch.

But now, on to the burger. 

The first bite reveals a soft juicy burger which perhaps didn't need the extra cheese slices. 
The ground meat patties are clearly better than those you normally find in fast food restaurants, but obviously they're not sized like some of the chuck steak patties you'd find in other restaurant burgers. They taste great though! The burger overall has a slight sweet flavour to it, although I'm not sure if this comes from the patties, the bread, or the toppings. 

3 patties coated in soft melted cheese slices with onions and mushrooms

The bread buns are obviously fresh but this doesn't really help them out as they aren't able to contain the burger contents without falling apart. The fact that they come out of the foil wrapping a bit squashed, and locked in with all the moisture probably doesn't help. 

The onions and mushrooms were cut in large chunks and provided great backup flavours. While the portion of Bar-B-Q sauce was subtle enough to add an extra flavour without drowning out the taste of the meat, cheese, bacon and bread. 

After finishing your burger I guarantee you'll have a few fries you've missed at the bottom of your paper bag, so go looking in there! 

Fries remaining at the bottom of the bag

Conclusion

Five Guys is clearly pushing its expansion throughout the UK with no less than 28 restaurants now available throughout the UK, and more coming. They always seem to be busy. Perhaps because many people haven't heard of them and want to give them a try, or may be everyone thinks similar to me, that this is one of the better fast food meals out there. 

The burgers taste fantastic, much better than you'd expect at any other fast food restaurant, and the fries are like no others! 

The use of fresh, unfrozen ingredients helps create a much better meal. 

However, all this comes at a price, which I personally think is the part that's going to put people off. A meal consisting of a bacon cheese burger, medium fries and a refillable drink will set you back over £15.00. I shouldn't compare it to the USA Five Guys, but the same meal over there cost me little over £10, which I thought was worth it, while the extra £5-£6 is a very premium price for fast food. There again, you could argue that this is premium fast food. When you can pick up a bigger steak patty in a broiche bun with fries at a sit down restaurant elsewhere for the same price though, you start to consider if Five Guys carries too high a premium price. 

I admit it's better than any other fast food available in the UK though, and when you consider some meals at the likes of Burger King may cost you in the region of £9, the extra five or six pounds for Five Guys for a better, fresher meal becomes more justifiable...just. 

Personally, Five Guys brings a flashback to having a great time in the USA. I enjoy the taste and easily consider it the best tasting fast food in the UK, and so I will definitely be back to Five Guys. 

However, I can understand why some people would be put off by the price before they even place their order. 

If the burger and fries are too pricey though, I'd recommend popping in just to try the Coca-Cola Freestyle drinks machines. I think I've only seen these in one other establishment in the UK, and for a refillable drink with almost every Coca-cola product ever created available, £2.50 isn't too bad! 

Meat Rating: 4/10 as much as I love it, the price kills it. 

Money for Meat: Paid in Full

All Star Lanes

Saturday night came around and we didn't fancy the night in this week, but also wanted something to do in Manchester besides the usual meals. 

One of the group had been suggesting All Star Lanes for a while, and as much as I'd wanted to go and try their menu, I'd just always had better offers. This week though, the option of food followed by bowling seemed like a great idea so off we went. 

Set in the ever popular Great Northern Warehouse, just off Deansgate, All Star Lanes has tough competition from the likes of Almost Famous and Lucha Libre either side of it. To sit between these 2 restaurants you've got to have the food game on check, so we thought we'd see if it had. 

All Star Lanes

All Star Lanes is noticeable for its full glass front and bright orange signs above the doors. Inside the place is huge! It's sort of split into 3 areas, the bar area as you walk in, then the restaurant area with a bowling alley in the back. 

Bowling is reasonably priced for late night bowling, and priority is given to people who have dined in the restaurant, but you can just turn up for a game if you wish.

We arrived for a late evening meal, around 8:30 and was told there'd be a 15 minute wait for a table. This gave us time to grab some drinks at the bar and check the place out a bit. 

All Star Lanes has a sports bar vibe about it, I suppose as you'd expect from a bowling alley, but the dining area is well segregated and so you aren't overpowered by TVs and loud music while you're eating, so you can still enjoy a sociable meal out. 

Celebrity Signed Bowling Pins

Bowling pins signed by Paddy McGuiness and the cast of the Inbetweeners

Around the bar area there's a cabinet with a vast array of bowling pins with various celebrity autographs on. Then on the wall I noticed a half cask with plaques on entitled "whiskey hall of fame". On closer inspection this was a £100 whiskey serving but if you bought it you had your name on the wall. As well as being a meat fan I've also grown to love my whiskies over the last couple of years, so I had to ask what it was. Apparently it was some 125 year old Rye that they found in a basement somewhere but there isn't any left now so unfortunately the meat memoirs weren't able to get their names on the wall. 

Whiskey Hall of Fame

After having a good luck around and enjoying our drinks we were ushered to our table in the dining area. 

The dining area isn't huge but I suppose not everyone comes for the food here, there's drinking and bowling to be had as well. The waiter (sorry I forgot his name) was soon over to introduce himself and offer recommendations off the menu. I took his advice for the starter but opted for my own choice on the main course. 

The menu was a reasonable size with enough choice to satisfy everyone. 

Starters

Mains and Sides

I'd opted for the recommended fried "popcorn" squid with garlic mayo. These were served in a delightful little chinese takeaway box with a dipping sauce on the side and chopsticks for those that have the finger coordination. 

Popcorn Fried Squid with Garlic Mayo dip (£6.50)

The popcorn squid was very good, the outer fried coating wasn't too greasy and was seasoned with some chilli flakes, but alas, little more than traditional squid. The garlic mayo complimented the squid well and didn't have an overwhelming hit of garlic. 10/10 for presentation though. 

My partner opted for the BBQ chicken wings. Small chicken wings on a hot plate covered in a sticky BBQ sauce with a side of blue cheese dip. Tasty, but nothing new I'm afraid. 

BBQ Chicken Wings with Blue Cheese dip (£6.50)

For the main course I'd opted to try one of the All Star Lanes burgers. I'd heard that the burgers here are very good, but with Almost Famous just next door could I be lured back to All Star Lanes given the choice? 

Burger Options

I decided to go for their top of the range, King Pin burger. A treacle cured bacon cheeseburger topped with a fried macaroni cheese croquette and finished with the usual salad. Sides are optional, originally I was going to choose the seasoned sweet potato fries but I asked what the "monterey jack corn grit chips" were. Apparently a soft corn bread with cheese, fried into stick shapes. I was intrigued and so ordered these. My other half opted for her favourite sweet potato fries.

We were all asked how we'd like out burgers cooked and we were told they come pink as standard. I was happy with this so would take them how they come.

The mains arrived not long after the starters were finished. 

I tried the Corn Grit Chips first. At first I found these a different delight. A soft fried coating surrounded a soft textured cornbread and cheese center. The portion of these at first seems quite small with just 4 chips in the bowl but after finishing just 1 I could feel these were quite heavy to eat. The initial intriguing taste soon becomes a carbohydrate overload. 

Monterey Jack Corn Grit Chips (£3.00)

Time to try the burger I think. 

King Pin Burger (£11.00)

Cutting into the burger revealed the pink center of the thick meat patty. The last burger I had in Manchester, at the newly opened "Filthy Cow" (see the memoir here; Meat Memoirs Filthy Cow) also had the perfectly pink patties. It's been a good couple of burgers recently for this. Not too pink as I've had in the past in London  though, just spot on!

Wonderful pink patty of the King Pin burger

On top of the beef patty was the thick cured bacon. This was great quality bacon which could easily have been sourced from a local butcher or somewhere similar. It's coated in a thick sweet treacle glaze. This is then topped with thick melted cheddar cheese. Finally to top it all off, under the bread was the fried mac and cheese. This fried patty oozed cheesy sauce and soft cheese coated macaroni pasta. Perfectly cooked and not as heavy as you'd imagine (light as a feather compared to the Corn Grit Chips). 

My partner opted for the nacho burger and sweet potato fries. This was the first nacho burger I'd tried. The nachos give a great crunch to the burger and with a similar pink filled patty her burger was just as good. Although I would still have opted for the mac & cheese topped creation. 

Nacho Burger (£9.50) with side order of Sweet Potato Fries with cracked sea salt (£3.00)

Conclusion

All Star Lanes has a great night out in one building, with a well stocked bar, great selection of food and bowling to try afterwards. 

The food here isn't much different to many other places in Manchester, with the usual burgers, sides etc. However, the food they serve is presented better than many of the others around the same price mark. 

The starters were nothing I can shout to the memoirs about, and the sides that are different were just too heavy to accompany the burger meals. They may have gone better with a lighter main such as the fish or lobster though.

I should note though that the sweet potato fries that my partner had were some of the best seasoned sweet potato fries I've had. The cracked salt took just enough of the sweet edge off to stop the becoming over sweet by the bottom of the bowl. 

The burgers though were outstanding. The pink minced beef patties were juicy, thick and declicious. It's getting difficult to pick a favourite patty in Manchester now. The macaroni cheese patty on top was also incredible! 

All Star Lanes has tough competition next door, particularly when it comes to burgers, but they're managing to make burgers which compete. 

What lets them down though is the sides and the starters. There was nothing outstanding that would make me choose All Star Lanes over Almost Famous if I was stood outside the Great Northern Warehouse looking for a burger to eat. 

The bowling alley and bar area could definitely lure me back though, and if I was feeling peckish before a game in the red and white shoes, I'd be more than happy to have another of the All Star Lanes burgers. I'd probably skip the starters though.

I'll have to come back for a game on the bowling alley though, as after all this food we were all too full and drunk to consider playing in the end. My first ever turkey will have to wait yet again.

All Star Lanes bowling Alley (£8.95pp/per game at peak times)

http://www.allstarlanes.co.uk/venues/manchester-deansgate/

@AllStarLanesMCR

https://www.facebook.com/AllStarLanesManchester

Meat Rating: 6/10

Money for Meat: Paid in Full

Filthy Cow

Before I get into this latest review an apology for the lack of posts recently. Unfortunately the Meat camera went missing and so left me out of action for a while. It has been replaced and so we're back!! 

And where better to start than with Manchester's latest burger restaurant? 

http://www.filthyfood.co.uk/

A Filthy Cow (note heels)

Filthy Cow opened just less than a month ago and I've been keen to check it out since then. 
The restaurant idea was thought up and put together by 23 year old Jordan Gallimore, with the idea to make great burgers, not burgers that are piled high with everything imagineable. From the preview photos she released on the website prior to opening the interior looked very intriguing, but now it's open I had to go down and see how it looked for myself and more importantly how the burgers were. 

The restaurant is located just a couple of streets away from the busy Albert Square and so is in a prime location, and not too far to walk if you're craving a Filthy Cow burger after shopping. 

Walking up Tib Lane the bright yellow cow sign hanging above the door lets you know where to aim for. As you get closer the yellow intensity increases as the sign is accompanied by a yellow neon cow in the window. The shop front isn't huge but the attention is drawn with the bright colours. 

Filthy Cow shop front

Inside it's a little darker with a more industrial feel about it. Exposed ducting systems, dim lighting, rustic woodwork and lots of steel. There's seating at the ground floor and first floor, with the ground floor seating mostly in little booths (each named after a cow). There are some booths at first floor but there are a lot more traditional tables and chairs up here. I have to admit I didn't use the restroom facilities but I imagine these were located on the third floor as I didn't see them at ground floor or first floor. 

There are more neon cows, with the odd flash of udder. Naughty! And graffiti slogans on the walls. 

Filthy Secret

Show me your udders

An invitation you can't turn down

Entering the shop we were warmly approached and the process of how they take orders and serve food was explained. We then opted for the booth at the first floor with the bright pink cow with various kinky toys strapped to it. Fun and quirky. 

Probably the most Filthy Cow in the restaurant

Filthy Cow Menu

Browsing the menu on the table there was a choice of 5 different burgers, all of which contain a single patty and 1 of these is the vegetarian option. There is a special burger which can been seen from the special board above the serving station. There are sides of fries, onion rings or slaw. There are a couple of dessert options, then drinks including IPA, beers, ciders, soft drinks or milkshakes. 

The menu's are designed to be filled in and handed in at the service point at the back of the ground floor. With no pens available I thought it just as easy to read my order to the staff at the counter. Once you have placed your order you are given a buzzer and return to your table. You then have to go back to the service point to collect your food. For what seems like a proper restaurant I had expected a little more service, however without requesting the staff said they would bring our food over as it was quiet. This is a very fast food-esque for what I had imagined as more of a traditional restaurant type of meal. 
Condiments can be picked up at the side of the service point from an aptly shaped shelving system.

Condiments stand

I had opted for the Filthy Beat burger (£7.50), a beef patty, bacon, cheese, filthy sauce, and the usual salads (lettuce, gherkins, tomato). To accompany it I ordered fries, onion rings and a chocolate milkshake (as I'm a big kid at heart!). 

It wasn't long after returning to our booth that our drinks arrived. The chocolate milkshake I think topped the chocolate scales for any milkshake I've ever had. If anything it was too chocolaty. The sweet taste was good with the savory burgers but the chocolate overwhelmed me. My partner had opted for the vanilla milkshake which she assured me was much better. 

Filthy Cow Milkshakes (£4.50)

The food followed not much later. Tightly wrapped paper parcels of food that looked a lot larger than we were expecting for single patty burgers. 

Wrapped Filthy Burger

Unwrapping the burger was exposed what seemed like an encased explosion of cheese, lettuce and sauce all stuck to the wrapper. In the centre was an excellent looking burger though with a decent thick patty, melted cheeses, crispy bacon and lots of filthy sauce. 

Filthy Burger (£7.50)

Biting into the burger was a delight. The meat was soft, pink and juicy. Probably one of the best lightly done patties that I've had. Not too rare but not overdone either. The filthy sauce had a generic burger sauce taste about it, but with a hint of extra mustard and additional peppery tang. The salad was as fresh as you could get and added a cool hit. The bacon was possibly my favourite bit. Really crunchy without being over done and a great smoky taste to it. So far I was highly impressed. 

Manchester's Pinkest Patty? The Filthy Burger topped with crispy bacon, cheese, filthy sauce and salad (£7.50)

Tucking into the fries (£2.50), they had a nice light crunch to them, and were heavily salted but flavoured with just the right amount of Rosemary. 

Despite how great the fries were the onion rings were my favourite side order (£2.50). They had a darker colour to onion rings you find in most restaurants, and were heavily seasoned with salt and Rosemary herbs. The fried coating was extremely crisp and the seasoning created an incredible taste! Finishing them off I wish my stomach had room for another batch but alas, I was full. 

Onion Rings £2.50

Conculsion

Unfortunately there are some fairly extensive roadworks going on very close by which is hindering the view up Tib Lane and probably not helping draw a crowd to Filthy Cow. This and because Filthy Cow is new it's still trying to make it's presence known meant it was fairly quiet the afternoon we visited. With food this good though it shouldn't take long until the place is full. Jordan has obviously put a lot of hard work not only into the restaurant but into taking the time to perfect her menu. 

The patties may be the best cooked that I've had Manchester. The burgers are simple yet effective and make for an excellent meal. The sides orders are generous in portion size and compliment the main burgers well. The meal is reasonably priced at around £15 for a side, a drink, and one of the larger burgers. They're priced well with other burger restaurants in Manchester. However, the lack of service I think is a bit of a let down. Granted on this visit our food was brought to our table, I think this is worth noting that it's definitely priced at the premium end if fast food is their aim. But then if Filthy Cow is branding itself as a "fast food" restaurant then it's making premium fast food that can warrant the price.

The only other criticism I have is of the chocolate milkshake. To me it was just too rich with chocolate. This may be how some people like their milkshakes but everyone I dined with tried it and agreed it was too much. So next time I return I'd personally opt for a different drink. 

I will be returning though as this simple burger has jumped up into my list of go-to places in Manchester. I'm salivating at the thought of another of Filthy Cow's juicy patties. Fingers crossed the word gets spread about Filthy Cow and the roadworks are finished soon so that the restaurant becomes more obvious. 

@filthycowuk

Filthy Cow Facebook

Meat Rating: 8/10

Money for Meat: Voucher exchanged for burger, sides and drink paid in full





  

New Years Eve at Guerrilla Eats

With little planned for New Years eve, my plans were suddenly arranged for me after winning a twitter competition for tickets to Guerrilla Eats New Years Eve party. 

The party was due to run from the late evening right through into the early hours of New Years day. With this being one of our favourite food events of the year I was more than happy to accept and so we got dressed up and headed into town. 

Still in the unused commercial space just beyond the Northern Quarter, this would be the last Guerrilla Eats in this location, and the last of their events for the time being. 

With just 4 different food vendors for this event, it left a bit more spare room in the building. Guerrilla had cleverly filled the extra space with furniture to create a mock living room, kitchen and bedroom to give a house party theme to the event. It also left more room for tables and dancing for the guests.

Make shift living room

Kitchen/Dining Room

The food lineup included:
Big Grillie Style (@BigGrillieStyle)
Dirty Food Revolution (@dirty_food)
Rudy's Neapolitan Pizza (@RudysPizzaMcr)
Bangers and Bacon (@bangersandbacon)

As well as the food stalls, there was the usual bar set up in the corner of the room, a cocktail shed hidden around the corner with deck chairs to sit around, and in another corner half a black cab housing the DJ who was providing a great variation of music throughout the night. 

As regular readers are probably aware, the meat memoirs have covered half of the line up before and so I was keen to try the food I hadn't covered before. I'd therefore arrived with the intention of trying both Big Grillie Style and Bangers and Bacon as soon as possible. 

Big Grillie Style

First stop therefore was the Big Grillie Style. Until earlier this week this name was new to me but the pictures of their grilled sandwiches on their twitter had me heading straight to their stall on arrival. 

Big Gillie Style

All items on the menu had been named after characters from the hit TV show "Fresh Prince of Bel-Air," and included a varied selection of grilled sandwich fillings or loaded nachos. The grilled sandwich fillings included, 4 cheese and onion (The Jazzy Jeff), chocolate and banana (The Ashley Banks), or a combination of pulled pork and macaroni and cheese (The Fresh Prince). The Jazzy Jeff and the Fresh Prince were served on freshly made cornbread which was great to see, as it's not the most common type of bread to use but has a great taste. 
The chocolate and banana grilled sandwich would be served on a brioche instead of the corn bread. 

Big Grillie Style Menu

Being the meat memoirs we couldn't avoid the opportunity to try the Fresh Prince. The photographs I'd seen previously looked amazing and I had to see it for my self. Mac 'n' cheese is one of my favourite pasta dishes, but pulled pork can be hit and miss in my experience. To go with it, I thought I'd try "The Carlton," pulled pork loaded onto nachos with sour cream and salsa. 

While we waited for the food to be prepared the chefs were more than happy enough to have a chat and introduce themselves. It all adds to the experience of these small events I find, as you get to know the chefs and see the real enthusiasm they hold for their food. 

It wasn't long before the Fresh Prince was ready though and it looked just as delicious as the photographs I'd seen before did. 

The Fresh Prince - £5.00

Taking a bite the first thing that stood out was the mac 'n' cheese. Soft creamy cheese melted around perfectly cooked macaroni, a personal favourite done very well. The pulled pork was also fantastic. Not too saucy as can often be the case. There were big chunks of pork to be found within the sandwich and they all had a great barbecue taste to them. I was highly impressed at the grilling of the cornbread loaf too. As you'd expect from a vendor specialising in grilled sandwiches, they'd grilled the bread perfectly, giving a crispy outer texture, without burning the outside, yet remain fresh and flavourful in the middle. Grilled sandwiches are often overdone or more commonly under cooked and soft. Big Grillie Style were perfect though. 

It was also obvious that the cornbread had been freshly made. It gives a slightly sweeter taste compared to plain bread and was a welcomed addition to a grilled sandwich. 

It was then onto The Carlton. More of the delicious, chunky, yet soft pulled pork on top of cheesy nachos, topped with sour cream and salsa. The portion size was generous, as was the pulled pork topping. The big chunks of meat fell apart in the mouth and tasted great. The cooling sour cream helped counter the heat from the salsa and the jalapenos. 

The Carlton - £5.00

The nachos were a good side dish to the grilled sandwich but if I'm honest, if I were to return to Big Grillie Style (which I'm sure I will), I'd opt for another grilled sandwich over the nachos. 

Getting ahead of the curve!

Overall Big Grillie Style lived up to my expectations and surpassed them. I hope to see them around more often as both myself and my partner can't wait to have another Fresh Prince again soon!

Money for Meat: Paid in Full

Meat Rating: 9/10 

Bangers and Bacon

I'd hoped for my next stop to be to the bangers and bacon stall, however I hadn't realised until earlier that day that they were hosting a couple of private tables at Guerilla Eats with a set menu. Unfortunately without the additional ticket I was unable to sample their food and so will continue to wait to sample their cooking. Their menu sounded delicious though and so I'll be going out of my way soon to get to try their food. 

Bangers and Bacon

Bangers and Bacon Menu

I was therefore left with 2 remaining options which had been mentioned before. How to decide between the two? Well Dirty Food Revolution had been a favourite for both myself and my girlfriend throughout the year from various food events, although they had already been mentioned in the memoirs twice. However, they had brought a new special burger to their menu and what better way for the meat memoirs to bring in the new year than with one of our favourite meat filled burgers from the year?

So special apologies to Rudys pizza for not sampling their menu from last night. 

Dirty Food Revolution 

Becoming a bit of a regular on the meat memoirs, Dirty Food Revolution burgers have been one of our favourites from 2014 and so what better way to see out the year. 

Dirty Food Revolution

Having featured much of their menu before I was keen not to review the same burger again. Luckily they had brought a new special burger to the New Years event, the Ham Solo. 
In homage to this special they had a special guest, all the way from Mandalore, Boba Fett! 

Special Guest - Boba Fett

Dirty Food Revolution burger

Aside from their usual menu, they brought with them the Ham Solo, which as you can imagine includes a slab of roast ham, on top of a 6oz steak burger. As well as pepper jack cheese plum & port sauce all between a fresh brioche bun topped with pork rind crumbs and maple syrup. 

The Ham Solo

Having yet to try this burger, this was the clear choice to order, and to go with it, my girlfriend requested a side of the dirty sweet potato fries with their sugary dusting again. 

As with the other burgers we've had from Dirty Food in the past, the chuck steak patty was excellent quality. The thick slab of ham on top of the burger tasted fantastic. I was half expecting a thin slice of ham nearing bacon, but found more of a smoky gammon like steak. This great big slice of ham was fantastic and went really well with the burger. The plum and port sauce had a great sweet flavour to it which complemented the ham well. As their burgers in the past, the cheese was melted to perfection. What hadn't been explained on the menu was the addition of some lattice crisps beneath the burger, and dirty foods own, dirty mayo. 

Ham Solo - £7.00

As ever, the fresh brioche bun was soft and the topping of crispy pork pieces and maple syrup makes the dirty burger live up to its name, as it's almost impossible to eat with any dignity. Maple syrup must be one of the stickiest sauces available! 

Ham Solo - £7.00

Overall, it was clear that Dirty Food had succeeded in creating another masterpiece once again. At this point I was comfortably satisfied and set to enjoy some more beers and the music up to midnight. 

I then got talking to the staff of Dirty Food to compliment them on their latest creation. Once again the staff were very friendly and more than happy to have a chat. The family run organisation is clearly passionate about the food they're creating and it's great to see a family coming together and succeeding as they are. 

After a few minutes of talking the head chef explained that things had quietened down as we grew closer to midnight and people were enjoying more drink than food, yet he had a few burgers ready to go so asked if I'd like another on the house. Despite feeling pretty full, I couldn't turn it down and so opted for my favourite burger from their menu, the Dirty Swine burger. Steak patty, mature cheese, streaky bacon, dirty mayo, BBQ sauce and frazzles between a brioche bun, topped again with pork rind crumbs and maple syrup. 

Dirty Swine Burger - £7.00

I won't review this burger again as it has already featured twice in the memoirs (see the first Guerrilla eats review for one of these past reviews - Guerrilla Eats 11.10.14) and it was equally as delicious and to the same high quality as the previous times I've tried it. 

Overall, Dirty Food Revolution remains up there with some of the best burgers in Manchester. They continue to create high quality burgers time after time which are cooked to perfection, and they deserve to succeed in what they're doing! 

Money for Meat: Ham Solo, Paid in Full
                           Dirty Swine, Offered for free. 

Meat Rating: 10/10

Conclusion

Guerilla Eats New Years Eve party was an excellent way to bring in the new year. Offering great food to eat, a full bar of varied drinks to drink and a family friendly selection of music, I couldn't think of much of a better way to bring in a new year. 

The house party theme was simple yet effective and provided some fun settings which were enjoyed by the customers. A full bedroom, living room and kitchen provided some fun places to sit and enjoy the evening. Also some entertainment for some customers, I think I saw a pillow fight between a family at one point! 

As previous Guerrilla Eats events, it's great that they're willing to accept families, which is even more important for events such as New Years eve. 

Everyone at the event was very friendly and it felt like a more relaxed environment than the busy city centre. Everyone was up dancing singing and having a great time before midnight and through to the early hours!

Dancing the night away

Overall both my partner and I agreed it was a great way to bring in the new year and although we didn't stay long beyond midnight we were glad we'd attended the event rather than joining the crowds in the city centre. Being able to enjoy food, drink and great music all in one venue was fantastic. 

It's a shame that Guerrilla Eats has come to an end for the time being but I'll be looking forward to them returning later in the year hopefully. 

You can keep an eye out for their return on their twitter account, @Guerrilla_Eats, or on their Facebook page.


Apologies for some of the grainy photographs early in this memoir.