In my life I have given probably close to twenty people severe food poisoning. I have to confess I am a terrible cook. It’s embarrassing in so many ways – I feel ashamed every time I look in the fridge at ingredients – it should be simple to turn what’s in there into a tasty delicious meal but instead I pick up the milk and grab a bowl of Shreddies. The upside of this general incompetence however is that I eat out lots – it’s safer for everyone involved, means I occasionally eat something other than Shreddies (and even the makers of Shreddies would suggest a 100% Shreddie diet is not ideal) and reduces the washing up quite considerably.
So Saturday lunchtime came around and we decided to try the new burger place down Liverpool’s Lark Lane, Meat & Liquor. To be honest since we saw it had opened we’d been dying to try it – I’m a fan of both meat and liquor, (who isn’t? apart from vegetarians, fruitarians, alcoholics and… well there’s an extensive list) so it seemed like a match made in heaven.
Burger’s have had somewhat of a renaissance in Liverpool in the past couple of years with places like the excellent Free State Kitchen, Nolita Cantina as well as Byron and the rest. How would this newcomer match against these increasing staples of burger cuisine in the city.
Well, initially it all felt a little rushed, we’d not managed to sit down before being asked about drinks, top grades for enthusiasm but perhaps a few seconds longer to, well, sit would have been nice. Two cokes ordered (I’m not much of a midday drinker, it sends me to sleep…) they arrived chilly with jam jars and straws, all very quirky if a little 2012. Service is with a smile too I should add – everyone seems very happy to be there which can make a change.
We ordered the Juicy Lucy Burger (A blue cheese burger) and a Big Ass Burger (terrible name but with pulled pork, hash brown, coleslaw and montjack and onions on). The burgers were cooked to perfection, homemade patties slightly pink inside served in a light and delicious brioche bun. Lots of places struggle to get the moisture level of burgers right, they can either collapse in a watery oily mess or be dry and barren. These were cooked perfectly in the middle. The blue cheese sauce wasn’t overpowering nor was the burger excessively huge – I was full by the end and not overfaced. Equally the Big Ass Burger (I think that was the name) although towering was delicious, the pulled pork smokey and sweet with the whole combination coming together beautifully. All accompanied by a side of fries with a nice chip spice and nicely crisp this was a lovely experience.
Little things might have raised it slightly, sour cream and guacamole as dips for the chips for instance, avoiding using the little white thumbnails of sauces (they feel a bit cheap but prevent wastage I suppose) might have been nice but, for the price, I didn’t care. The bill wasn’t excessive and was delivered with a smile. We left talking about how we could engineer more ways of going again. I suspect there’s a real danger meat and liquor may be the new addition to my Shreddies diet.
Rating (out of 5)
Food: ★★★★★
Drinks: ★★★★
Service: ★★★★★
Atmosphere: ★★★★
Cost: ★★★★
Overall: ★★★★