Gourmet Burger Kitchen

Since changing jobs a couple of years ago and now working in Macclesfield, I rarely visit Hanley (Stoke-on-Trent) anymore. However, I had read in the press that the Potteries Shopping Centre in Hanley has recently had a 60,000 square foot extension added to the main shopping centre which includes 6 new restaurants and a 9-screen Cineworld Cinema.

A number of the new restaurants cater for Coeliacs and have their own separate gluten-free menus, which has opened up a whole new bunch of eating out options for me.

The 'safe' places to eat out there are:-

• Gourmet Burger Kitchen
• Nando's
• Pizza Express
• Frankie and Benny's
• Chiquito

A couple of weeks ago it was my husband's birthday and we wanted a quick bite to eat before catching a film on Friday night, so we decided to pay a visit to the new Gourmet Burger Kitchen, or GBK.

I was really impressed - they had their own separate gluten-free MENU which includes gluten-free burger buns, which is sometimes hard to find in some places. There really is no point calling something a burger if there's no bun!

There's a good selection of burgers, salads and sides to choose from. At GBK you basically custom-make your own burger, choosing your own meat, toppings, sides, dips etc. Sadly, you can't have the fries, but I guess we can't have it all.

Here's my burger...

That's what I would call a proper burger! This is the "Blazing Sombrero"

The only thing I would say is the bun was rather dry and it did fall apart in my hands, maybe partly because of the amount of burger inside and fillings, and maybe partly because, well,  we all know what gluten-free bread can be like don't we - dry, holey.

I did have to eat the rest of my burger with a knife and fork - slight pet hate of mine. But I'm hoping maybe this was a one-off bad bun. I'd definitely go back and try another burger. Has anyone else found a similar thing with the buns at GBK? I'd love to hear about your experience. Feel free to comment below. Is it a common problem with GBK gluten-free buns?

So despite the dry bun, I think GBK are doing a great job but perhaps more care is needed when preparing and storing their GF bread buns. Fresh is always best! No more stale GF buns please, GBK! I would also like to see fries as an option on their GF menu too. Maybe if enough of us get on to them they might do something about it, you never know.