Walking along Dublin's famous Grafton street, Google Maps led me to a restaurant with an appealing name: Gourmet Burger Kitchen or GBK. Yum I thought... I started drooling and imagined biting into a unique burger where the experience would be worth writing home about. Unfortunately the name doesn't reflect the place at all...
As they describe it, the idea for Gourmet Burger Kitchen originated in New Zealand. The New Zealand cuisine over the last five years has extended to incorporate 'food on the go' such as burgers. Gourmet Burger Kitchen has created a nutritious sophisticated product using the freshest ingredients available.
The restaurant:
- Walking along the street, a one door Double Decker shop cannot be missed. Gourmet Burger Kitchen sign on a grey painted facade
- The little space outside or the main dining area inside, both serve the same menu. For a more intimate dining experience, the upper level can host larger groups
- A long place with a bar on the left and the menu displayed on a black board on the right
- A wooden feel, dimmed ambiance, decorated with yellow walls and dark leather furniture
- Black and white paintings add a fine touch to the restaurant's architecture
- Inside, wooden tables and outside synthetic plastic wooden tables
The menu is printed on one single piece of double sided paper offering only burgers and few appetizers.
Notes on the menu:
- (N) contains nuts
- RH: Resident Hero, classics and new flavors recommended for first time visitors
- You can upgrade to a brioche bun for only 1€
- You can choose between chargrilled and crumbed chicken
- You can create your own burger
- Ice creams are provided by "Mullins"
The menu:
- While you wait (Appetizers)
- It's all about the burger (beef, chicken, specialty, veggie, salads, create your own)
- Fries
- Sauces
- Sides
- Kids choice
- Desserts
- Milkshakes
- Drinks and beers
We ordered:
- Homemade Onion Rings: Extraordinary crunchy but with no taste. Neutral fried ring unless you dip it in the sauce. You'll be tasting something crunchy and the sauce flavor. I didn't feel any onions. The plus is that the crispy touch is special and the pieces are big and look generous
- Chargrilled Corn on Cob: Just as it should be. Good!
- Cajun Chicken Pieces: These are good. Juicy, crispy and full of taste
- Rosemary Fries: I didn't see anything special about these. Simple fries soaked in oil
- Hei Hei fries: You are supposed to taste their special Hei Hei sauce. Honestly, I didn't feel a thing. Without mentioning that the portion is stingy
The burgers we tried:
- Habanero: Habanero sauce, mozzarella, salad and mayo
- Blue cheese: Homemade blue cheese sauce, mayo, salad and relish
- The mighty: Two beef patties, aged Irish cheddar, streaky bacon,garlic mayo, salad, relish and gherkins
- Cheese & Bacon: aged Irish cheddar, streaky bacon, salad mayo and relish
The burgers' story:
To start with, nobody asked us how we like our meat cooked. The meat came over cooked and super dry. Biting into the meat, you will feel the big chunks of fat sliding under your teeth and the dryness of this piece of meat. So, the meat is a big failure. More so, the bun is dry and stale. I would expect the bun to be fluffy and filled with air bubbles that will make it melt like butter under my teeth. The bun is another failure. The overall taste of the burger is dry, actually too dry making it unpleasant.
The pluses:
- The background music is calm and soothing
- Soft drinks are refilled free of charge
- The burgers looks good (but that's it)
- The tomato with the ketchup is a nice idea but unfortunately looks used and dirty. We used to have those in Lebanon like ages ago
- The staff didn't seem concerned about customers. The place is always fully booked so they tend to care less. Even though my plate was left as is, nobody even asked why I didn't eat my dish
- The bun looks uncooked
I'm sorry but I didn't understand how it got more than 4 grades on Google. It's way far from being a tasty burger. Here is the best time to say how proud I am of my country's diners. We have awesome burgers in Lebanon.
