Aberdeen Restaurant Week - The Boozy Cow: Review (Aberdeen)

I don't know if you've ever seen it, but Boozy Cow runs this cool wee campaign #CheatYoSelf. Basically, they pick two names per day and if your name appears on their social media on said day, you can go and treat yourself to a BC burger for just £1. If you miss the day your name appears then you get a second chance that week to enjoy a burger for £1 by heading along on the Sunday. Pretty cool, right?

So you can imagine when 'Julia' and 'Calum' appeared in the same week, that we were already conducting plans to visit on the Sunday to take advantage of our £1 burgers.

Heading along mid-afternoon, we made ourselves comfortable in one of the booths and got picking what we fancied.

We ordered some water for the table, and Calum ordered himself a soft drink too. Our server explained how the deal worked and told us we could order extra toppings for the classic BC burger if we wanted at an extra charge of 50p per topping.

Participating in Aberdeen Restaurant Week, I also saw this as a great opportunity to showcase what the Boozy Cow has on offer.

If you've never visited before, Boozy Cow is a grunge-style bar/restaurant which specialises in dirty burgers and dirty dogs.

The food is all served on metal trays which are designed to be shared, and there's a roll of kitchen roll on every table for dirty fingers as the restaurant likes to encourage diners to eat with their hands.

When we visited, we got two BC classic burgers - a homemade beef patty served in a brioche bun with lettuce, pickle and tomato. Calum added hot chipotle mesquite sauce, Monetary Jack cheese and Bourbon pickled jalapeños. I added caramelised onions, Monetary Jack cheese and ketchup.

We also ordered a side of thin cheesy fries with spiced cheese, sweet onions and mustard, as well as wagon wheel onion rings which came with a side of thousand island sauce for dipping in to.

The burgers were delicious and super juicy. Boozy cooks their burgers medium/rare, so if you're looking for your burger to be cooked for a little longer, ensure you mention that to the server.

My caramelised onions were awesome, and had a slight crunch to them whilst bringing a sweet taste to the burger. The cheese was well melted on both Calum and I's burgers, so we were both chuffed with that. Calum's jalapeño's didn't taste too different to regular jalapeño's, but he liked his burger so wasn't overly fussed about the lack of bourbon taste they had.

The chips were great, and I especially loved that they were covered in English mustard. The fries were missing the onions that were meant to come throughout them, but we were too hungry and weren't really that bothered about this slight oversight.

The onion rings were my favourite and the thousand island sauce went extremely well with them. They were crispy, juicy and indulgent all at the same time. Some of them varied quite dramatically in size, so I made sure to grab the bigger ones before Calum got wind.

It didn't take us long to scoff the lot.

Having visited before, I know how good the milkshakes at Boozy Cow are, so we decided to share one having demolished two sides with our burgers.

We opted for a salted caramel popcorn milkshake. Topped with salted caramel popcorn, caramel sauce and a heap of whipped cream, the milkshake really didn't last long as we both tore into it. It was so good that we ended up having a straw war, trying to beat one another to the dregs at the bottom. Let's just say there were a few tears of laughter following this straw-off.

Boozy Cow had been good. It's a very chilled vibe and super relaxed. My only bug bear from our visit was just how cold the restaurant was. With it being cold outside, I'd pictured the restaurant being warm, however I didn't end up taking off my jacket as I wanted to enjoy my food without freezing my butt off. I have to say, it's the first time that's ever really happened to me, so it may just have been a bad day for the heating, or it may just not have kicked in throughout the time we were there.

The restaurant is involved in Aberdeen Restaurant Week and will have both a lunch and dinner menu available. The dinner menu, which is priced at £20.18, includes two burgers (from the menu), two sides and a chocolate brownie for dessert. So for £10.09 each, that really is a bargain! Better go grab your burger buddy asap.

   For Now...

Just Julia

Aberdeen Restaurant Week: Byron - Calvin Haggis (Aberdeen)

Everyone that knows me, knows that the way to my heart is through food. And more importantly, a good burger.

There's something about burgers that fascinates me. How one item of food can be as expensive, or as inexpensive as you like, and can be as simplistic, or as elaborate as one wants baffles me a little. It's something you can find in fast food restaurants as well as some of the fanciest restaurants in town, and I love it for it.

Recently, I was invited down to Byron in Union Square to check out a new burger which they have just launched today, The Calvin Haggis. And yes, this is a burger named after the famous DJ Calvin Harris, just in case that wasn't obvious...

I'm not going to lie, I usually prefer to eat out locally, supporting local restaurants, however, knowing there was nothing quite like this burger advertised elsewhere, I had to go try it out.

Visiting last Thursday, I decided to bring my favourite person along for one last meal before he went offshore - or so we thought. Arriving around 6.30pm, we were greeted by the lovely team there and shown to our seats - a big comfy booth.

The manager came over to explain the burger and talk us through the menu. The Calvin Haggis is here for one week only (until Sunday 28th) and he explained that following its huge success last year, that the firm had decided it was time for it to make its comeback for Burns night again. 

We were both pretty hungry so decided it would be best to share a starter of the mac and cheese balls, so we could save ourselves for our main. 

The mac and cheese balls appeared pretty quickly and were nice and warm on arrival. The deep-fried bites were super gooey on the inside and tasted really good - I'm thinking it was some sort of American cheese sauce, but I could be wrong. Topped with buffalo glaze, spring onions, crispy bacon and more cheese sauce, they were the perfect appetiser - not too big, yet big enough to keep us entertained for our mains.

Our burgers arrived almost immediately after we'd finished our starter so there was not much breathing space - I was now very thankful we'd shared a small starter instead of ordering one each.

Obviously visiting to try out the Calvin Haggis, we decided to order one, plus a second burger and split them in half. Well, that was the plan...

The Calvin Haggis was a beast of a burger. A 6oz burger patty with haggis, a tattie scone, American cheese, bacon and onion relish, dry cured bacon, blanched white onions all packed into one burger with a dollop of Bryon's burger sauce and an egg on top to finish it off.

Braving it with his hands, Calum struggled to get the burger into his mouth. And it was so big he almost ended up wearing half of it. The egg ran down his fingers, but he looked happy and his comment "It tastes like freedom" told me everything.

The burger itself was great. It was well-cooked, and the haggis in it had a slight spice to it which Calum liked a lot. It also complimented the sweeter bacon brilliantly, and to our surprise, the cheese worked really well with the burger. It's somewhat of a hybrid of the perfect breakfast burger meets a naffa fine Scottish burger - one which I think would be a very popular hangover cure!

When I'm looking for something a little lighter, I tend to stick to chicken burgers so I decided to opt for the Clucky cooked in buffalo sauce. The burger was scrumptious and I loved the buffalo sauce which provided a real heat to the dish. Having already tucked into the deep-fried mac and cheese balls I figured start as you mean to go on, and ordered my chicken breasts to be fried, rather than grilled. The fried chicken breasts were smothered in guacamole, sriracha mayonnaise, picked red onions and shredded iceberg lettuce. The sriracha mayonnaise was very hot, so I was thankful I liked hot foods, as the buffalo sauce and the mayo partnered together could have been a disaster for someone who doesn't enjoy hot food. Luckily the guacamole was a great compliment to the hotter sauces so it cooled my mouth down quickly.

As well as the burgers, we ordered two portions of fries, one regular and one cheese fries, as well as a side of big, chunky onion rings. Calum loved his cheesy fries and was delighted to see the cheese was melted throughout the bowl of chips, rather than just on top. The onion rings were big and juicy, and were pretty crispy on the outside too.

I'd had more than enough with my burger and chips, but something in me was telling me I just had to have something sweet. Knowing there was no chance either of us could take on a dessert alone, we agreed to share a freakshake and call it a night.

The extra-thick oreo freakshake was enormous. Filled to the brim with all sorts of oreo treats, I was curious to see how we'd get on. A chocolate oreo milkshake with ice cream, oreo's on the side, a huge swirl of whipped cream, chocolate sauce poured all over and and a healthy helping of oreo cheesecake just for good measure - this was one serious milkshake.

I think I must have been after I'd taken a few sips of the think milkshake, polished off a oreo and made a fair dent in the oreo cheesecake that I finally gave up. I was defeated, and rightly so.

 The team at Byron went up and beyond for us, and the rest of the customers in the restaurant. They were very tentative and answered any questions we had. All of the servers were clued up on the menu, and all made different recommendations which was very nice - there's nothing worse than feeling like people are trying to sell you the same dishes, and that definitely wasn't the case at Byron.

With the Calvin Haggis only available for a limited time, there's not long for people to try it out. If you're up to the challenge and fancy some tasty grub, then it's definitely worth tackling. Although, a word of warning, you may want to take a change of t-shirt.

Byron Burger is also involved in the new project, Aberdeen Restaurant Week, which has been organised by the team at Aberdeen Inspired. Aberdeen Restaurant Week will run from 1 Feb - 8 Feb and will offer customers the chance to try out over 30 different eatieries menu's at a fraction of thier usual price. The public will get the chance to enjoy a two-course lunch for £10 per person, and a three-course dinner for £20.18 per person. Byron is one of the many restaurants signed up to the initiative.

  For Now...

Just Julia

Gourmet Burger Kitchen (Glasgow): Review

Gourmet burgers are now somewhat part of a the global burger revolution slowly but surely taking over the world. With burger joints popping up all over the UK, be that a franchise of massive chain restaurants or small, independent, artisan restaurants, burgers are everywhere. Living in Glasgow now, you can't walk far without meandering past a burger joint every few hundred yards, especially within the city centre. Home to its very own  burger district, Glasgow boasts many different burger joints, and with so much choice it can be a little daunting on deciding where to go...

With burgers on my mind one Friday evening, I tasked myself with the impossible duty of finding a burger bar which would meet the requirements of the whole party. It had to have a good selection of burgers, both meat and chicken, had to deliver its A-game on a varied milkshake offering, and it also had to boast some impressive sides to accompany the awesome burgers. Heading straight to the  so called 'burger district' I had one particular place in mind...The Gourmet Burger Kitchen.

I love burgers, fact. What I adore most about them is the casualness of eating a burger, and the ability to bond with people so easily over them. Casual dining allows you to get intimate with your food, holding it, pulling it apart, experiencing the textures of it, and it really allows you to get to grips with what your eating. Burgers are especially good for this, and it's probably why I enjoy them so much.

The Gourmet Burger Kitchen (GBK), is one of the UK's most popular burger joints with over 70 different restaurants across the country. It's a relaxed place, somewhere friends and family alike can visit for a casual meal, or if you want to get to know someone better, then it's a great place for a first date - a casual one of course... You order at the bar, which is pretty standard for these types of joints, and patiently wait as your food is cooked and then placed in front of you hot out of the kitchen, pretty simple.

Living in Glasgow for approximately a month now, I still hadn't managed to devoured a can of Irn Bru, shocking behaviour I know. So when I spied the orange, oh-so patriotic beverage, it had to be ordered. Spying milkshakes on my menu, I toyed with the idea of indulging in one throughout my meal, however, decided it would make a wise choice for dessert so would hold off. That being said, you know when someone orders something incredible and it sits there teasing you and they're no where to be seen and it's just kind of looking at you saying eat me? That's what happened with me and my sisters boyfriend's salted caramel milkshake.

Staring me in the face whilst he was absent from the table, I grabbed my clean fork, dunked it into the milkshake ever so slightly and inhaled the sweet, caramely dessert "Goddammit thats good. Oh shit, that is fresh!" Carrying on like nothing had happened when he returned to the table, giggling like silly school girls every two minutes, I eventually fessed up to my crime, only realising then that I'd reenacted a scene from one of my favourite films, Bridesmaids.

After my milkshake cravings had been conquered and my thirst for Irn Bru had been quenched, food was on my mind. For dinner I opted for the chargrilled chicken satay burger (£9.35) featuring warm satay sauce, crispy onions, garlic mayo, rocket, pickled onions and relish, satay chicken never tasted so good. My sister decided on the classic chicken burger with house mayo, relish, and salad (£8.65) - no where near as delicious as mine, and her boyfriend chose the GBK cheese and bacon burger topped with crispy bacon, BBQ sauce, house mayo, dill pickle and salad, plus cheddar cheese of course (£9.60). All burgers were cooked extremely well and the chicken was incredibly juicy and was very easy to cut into, ideal for when you're eating with your hands.

Usually protective over my food and known as 'the one who doesn't share food' in my friends group, it was decided that we would share our sides, ordering two portions of skinny fries (£3.00 each) and an onion ring stack (£3.55) to accompany our burgers. Not a lover of salt and usually someone who never adds salt to dishes, the Hei Hei salt had caught my eye on the table. I was intrigued to find out what it was. The Hei Hei is a mixture of normal salt, mild paprika and chicken salt  and tasted really different, a good different though. Who would have known salt could be so appetising...

I so badly wanted to indulge in a milkshake after my meal, alas, my full stomach said no. I had enjoyed my meal and didn't want to spoil it by pushing my body to its limits, so unwillingly admitted defeat.

The GBK experience is somewhat relaxing, and tasteful. The staff were extremely pleasant and looked after us well, and the food was cooked exactly how I like it. I especially enjoyed the satay sauce on my burger as it was more like a paste, which stayed on my burger much better than a runnier sauce, allowing me to get a real satay taste in every bite. The milkshake was bangin' and my Irn Bru took me to a euphoric state. I wasn't sure if it was all the sugar, or the fact I forgot how damn good it tastes, but boy I have missed it. The interiors of the restaurant are pretty funky, and further influence a chilled out vibe. I've wanted to visit GBK for ages now and I'm so glad I did. Next time I'll be sure to leave space for a milkshake.

If you can, definitely try out he Hei Hei sauce, and with a huge selection of burgers, there's something for all tastes. You can always mix it up and order off the menu - the staff are super helpful and will ensure to make your GBK burger experience one you'll be dying yo go back for.

    For Now...

 Just Julia

Brewdog Castlegate: The scran...

BrewDog is one of, if not the most successful craft beer business Scotland has to offer to local, national, and international markets. With a quirky outlook on marketing and some seriously clever PR stunts, the craft beer company has been on our radar since brewing its first beers back in 2007. How time flies!

After establishing its new brewery premises in Ellon, alongside brewery bar, DogTap, and investing in Aberdeen by gifting us lucky locals with a BrewDog bar, the craft beer giants are at it again and have well and truly outdone themselves this time by adding a second bar to the city centre, BrewDog Castlegate (previously known as The Athenaeum to you Aberdonian's out there). 

The latest establishement in global dominance, BrewDog Catlegate, consists of a bar with sixteen craft beer lines, an informal restaurant for casual pub grub with a twist, a bottle shop, and a downstairs club, UnderDog, which will be open till 2am on weekdays and 3am at the weekend with some majorly good music vibes. Thus meaning that there's something for everyone at this new eatery, as well as some cracking hand-made speciality coffee for those looking to meet up casually with friends during #dryanuary.

I've consumed one too many beer cocktails previously at BrewDog Aberdeen, and have been lucky enough to experience the brewery tour in Ellon also, so it was about time I got my act in gear to check out the company's new digs. So around two weeks ago, on a cold Winter's afternoon, I did just that.

Stepping into the bar it was fairly busy, with no seating available my date and I were on the hunt for a table, after all I was there for the food primarily. Hanging around for 10 minutes I was sure we were never going to get a table, but alas, five minutes later I was seated with a great view of Castlegate. Ideal for an avid people watching enthusiast.

The menu is small yet pretty varied, allowing you to choose something light, or for those looking for a good feed, something a little more hearty. There's plenty of choice with something for everyone, and vegetarians also have a pretty decent offering too.

In my case, when you're extremely ravenous, the whole 'eyes bigger than your belly' thing seriously applies to me. This in turn lead to us ordering a warm bag or croutons with a cheese fondue dip (£4.50) from the global beer plates section to start. Chewy, yet crispy, we dipped away to our cheesy hearts content.

Looking for something a little more filling, it was time to embrace the main event in the form of some serious gooey goodness; the patty melts.

I decided on the mushroom swiss melt: 1/4 lbs burger patty on canary bread, lathered in glazed BBQ sauce, with chestnut mushrooms, crispy shallots and swiss cheese accompanied by hopped up fries and market pickles (£9.00). 

My date opted for the parry melt. A 1/4 lbs burger patty with beer and bacon onions, swiss and jack cheese, served with hopped up fries and market pickles (£9.00). 

Both meals were extremely satisfying and left us feeling full for the rest of the day, which to me, is serious value for money. I must admit, we both agreed my patty melt was the better choice of dish, however, both meals were delicious, and served in record time. Marvellously splendid and exactly what you want on a Sunday. Well cooked, tasty comfort food.

A massive fan Tommy K fan; also known as a major addict if you ask my friends and family, the Great British Sauce of Proper Tomato sauce was one of the best I have sampled to date. Light and fruity, with a real zing of tanginess, the sauce was the perfect condiment to accompany the hoppy fries.

Although we were full to the brim, we were really keen to try out one of the shakes too. After a hard deliberation period, we decided we were going to share a salted caramel ice cream, chocolate and Oreo cookie shake (£5.00); it sounded like ice cream heaven. Unfortunately when we visited the shake machine hadn't arrived yet (sob, sob, sob) but in all honesty,  we really didn't need it.

In the case of BrewDog Castlegate, our eyes really were bigger than out bellies, waddling out of the bar completely satisfied, looking forward to our next visit. If I can give you one piece of advice to anyone looking to visit for food, I would definitely recommend booking in advance as this place is proving to be exceedingly popular.

Below I've decided to list a few favourite dishes which I'd like to try out next time...you never know, maybe you'll be sampling them before me!

• Vindaloo sausage (£8.00 - Dogs section)
• Kimchi dog (£8.00 - Dogs section)
• Chicken wings, hot sauce and honey glaze (£5.50 - Global beer plates section)
• Chocolate chunk cookie and peanut butter ice-cream sandwich (£5.00 - Ice-cream and shakes section)

P. S. Four legged friends are welcome in the bar, so you can take your dog along with you as you enjoy a pint or two of some fierce craft beer.

For Now...

Just Julia

Handmade Burger Co: Aberdeen

Recently I visited Union Square's burger bar joint, The Handmade Burger Co, after an extremely hungry boyfriend returned from a three and a half week trip offshore. A little hesitant at his initial suggestion, I decided to go along with what he was anticipating to be the best meal he had eaten in the past few weeks (the food offshore really wasn't the best), and joined him on this man meets burger journey.

Rocking up on a Saturday evening I was fully aware that the restaurant would be busy. Luckily my ravenous dinner guest had phoned and reserved a table, securing a time to indulge in his burger experience.

On arrival, we were greeted exceptionally quickly and ushered to our table by a chirpy waitress. Met with a sticky table and a dirty knife, I was a little anxious we were getting off to a rocky start, however, since previously working in hospitality I gave them the benefit of the doubt and the initial issue was dealt with swiftly. Now the only thing on my mind was the menu.

Opening the menu I was presented with well over 40 different types of burgers, and even for a burger fan, this was a little overwhelming. Toying with myself; beef or chicken, beef or chicken, I decided to opt for a Jerk chicken burger, something I was very much looking forward to. Being a massive fan of pulled pork, (and knowing my boyfriend's love for the stuff too), the smile on my face told him everything when he pitched the Denver chips to me. Six-hour marinated pulled pork smothered in BBQ sauce placed on top of chunky hand-cut chips and then covered in cheese, if chip heaven exists - I was there.

Denver chips

Jerk chicken burger with mango salsa, authentic jerk sauce, mayonnaise, rocket, tomato and red onion

We decided to go for two sides, obviously onion rings was the next top choice, and my hungry guest picked out the Texas chilli cheese extreme (beef) in a brioche bun - as you can imagine it was hot and cheesy, exactly as it stated on the menu. The brioche bun complimented the heat of the chilli cheese, bringing a light, sweet taste to the burger. I'm not a massive fan of hot and fiery; the hottest I go at an Indian is a Korma, so hot foods are definitely wasted on me. However, my Jerk sauce; although slightly spicy, was full of exotic flavours bringing a Caribbean feel to the dish. My burger didn't come with a gherkin which was pretty heartbreaking as I love them, but I managed to bag myself the other half of my boyfriend's. And who said romance is dead!?

Another thing my other half is well-known for, is his love of milkshakes. Dessert, or his mid-meal drink if he's feeling up to the challenge, will consist of a milkshake - providing he thinks the milkshakes are up to his taste test. Opting for a banana bonanza, it made the cut. I decided to be creative and mix-it-up a little by requesting a shake not on the menu (peanut butter and chocolate). I guess the girl behind the till liked my creativity as she gave me discount -  which was very sweet of her and much appreciated. All in all a pretty pleasurable and surprisingly satifying pit-stop for dinner. Just push yourself to pick something you usually wouldn't, its much more fun and worked a treat for me. Next time I'm trying the peanut butter and bacon burger. Mmm.

Banana and peanut butter and chocolate milkshakes

  For now...

Just Julia