Food review: Gourmet Burger Kitchen - GBK Mailbox Grill Warming

Interior

Birmingham is an exciting place to be in 2015. There is a host of new places to eat, drink and shop opening up later on this year, with The Mailbox being one of them. Expected to open in Spring, the destination for food, drink, shopping and staying is now home to the recently opened Everyman Cinema and Gourmet Burger Kitchen (GBK), which opened its doors last week.

Nuts

I was super lucky and received an invite to the grill warming on Thursday 12th March, the day before the official opening. The grill warming is an opportunity for the staff to try out the new systems, tills and grills before the official opening, but the evening ran smoothly and the atmosphere was electric!

Following a four-week closure, the Mailbox restaurant has had a £350,000 makeover both inside and out, and now boasts design features such as dark oak panelling and industrial elements.

Drink

Chocolate Milkshake

Between myself and my two companions we ordered Elderflower Fizz (£2.35), Chocolate Milkshake and a Diet Coke (£2.40). My friend was incredibly happy with her Chocolate Milkshake (£4.10) and enjoyed every mouthful of the cold, thick shake with big chocolate pieces. There is also a good selection of beer and wine on the menu but we were good :)

Food

Camembert and Cranberry The Bunless Burger

The three burgers we ordered were: Avocado Bacon (£9.15), The Don (£9.75) and Camembert and Cranberry Chicken (£9.55). We tried nearly every variation of fries available and ordered the Skinny Fries (£1.65/£2.95), Chunky Skin On Fries (£3.25) and Sweet Potato Fries with Baconnaise(£3.95). Next time we will be sure to try the Rosemary fries too!

The Don with Extra Bacon - Gluten Free Bun

Myself and another friend are both gluten free and this is where I was super-impressed. GBK actually gives gluten-free diners a choice of either going for "The Bunless Burger"for an extra 50p and having the homeslaw and either salad or chargrilled corn on the side, or going for a gluten free bun!

Avocado Bacon

I had the Camembert and Cranberry burger and asked for grilled rather than breaded chicken and went bunless to make it gluten free. The chicken was really soft topped off with a generous portion of melting gooey camembert cheese and cranberry sauce. I opted for the Skinny Fries which were super thin but incredibly moreish. The homeslaw is also a winner for me, made with lots of veg such as cabbage, carrot and celeriac and vinaigrette instead of mayo. This makes for much lighter slaw with a tang rather than a creamy taste, but I love how fresh it tastes against the burgers.

Gluten Free Menu

My other gluten free friend went for The Don in the Gluten Free Brioche Bun with extra bacon. This was again, a very tasty burger with plenty of cheese, onion and sauces including baconnaise and onion jam, making it bursting with flavour. The brioche bun was an absolute winner too. This was not a soggy ode to gluten free bread, but an actual, fresh, bouncy brioche bun! The sweet potato fries were exactly that, sweet and crunchy.

Ice Cream

Finally, the Avacado Bacon burger was quite simple in comparison, offering a juicy patty, topped with plenty of creamy avocado and a crispy piece of bacon. The Chunky Skin On Fries were crispy on the outside and fluffy on the inside.

Espresso

To follow, I ordered an Espresso (£1.95) and Greek Yoghurt and Honey Ice Cream (£2.50). The espresso came in a very stylish glass cup and the ice cream was tasty, but came out in a carton so could have been better presented.

Service

The staff here are so friendly and we made sure to enter our feedback on the night as no request was too big. Extra bacon? You've got it! Take out the onion in your burger? That's ok too!

The restaurant was full to the brim and yet all the staff remained calm, friendly and efficient, getting everyone's orders out as quickly as possible.

Atmosphere

The restaurant was packed and very lively and this is a great venue for dinner with friends.

Value

Burger, fries and a soft drink comes in at around £15 which includes all the monkey nuts you can eat and lots of water at the table. Fantastic.

Thank you to GBK for inviting me!