Mel falls in love with a B-Rex

I'm a simple soul who is often impressed by the most basic of things; a good gin and tonic, a new hat or perhaps when a new type of BBQ appliance is announced. These all seem to please me immensely.

Another simplistic example which fills me with glee is the humble burger. From American monstrosities to the ones you set ablaze with the old BBQ appliance you had, they tick all boxes when looking for a complete taste explosion in a mouthful.

It does also mean, however, that there's nowhere to hide if it goes wrong....ever had a Rustlers?!

I had a burger last night which was simple in many ways, but instantly sailed into my top 5 best (I really do have a top 5 and I'm not ashamed).

Byron Hamburgers recently opened another Manchester restaurant, this time in Piccadilly Gardens and I wanted to try one burger in particular.

You see, Byron run monthly specials and sometimes these specials make their menu for good. Back in February last year I somehow missed out on trying their dinosaur dedicated B-Rex, so when I heard they had put it on the final menu I wanted to get down there quicker than you can say Micropachycephalosaurus.

Greeted by the pleasant Wade our waiter, we were seated in a lovely little booth. The décor in this Byron (they all differ slightly) is based on the New York steel diner. Having enjoyed many a steak & eggs breakfast in Midtown Manhattan, I think that if they lowered the ceilings Byron would nail this brief.

We ordered some drinks; a wonderful tangy traditional lemonade and a Beavertown Neck Oil Session IPA as we pretended to look at the menu. I say pretended. I was clearly in the mood for the dino burger.

A quick service later and our table was full of all sorts of desirable goods. Onion rings (obviously), skinny fries, skin-on chips, various sauces (including a wonderful Big Mac style dip) and two shiny burgers.

My friend (who is pregnant) ordered the Classic with jalapeños. All burgers come pink as standard, so good to see Wade offering a well done option for my plump pal. I hear that although it wasn't how she’d normally have it, it was extremely delicious nevertheless. Anyway, enough of that. It’s all about me....I mean it's all about the B-Rex.

Look at the photo, no not that one - the top one. Doesn't it scream eat me? Squishy bun, crunchy onion ring, smoked streaky bacon, tangy cheese, REALLY good meat (served pink....I'm not pregnant), jalapeños and onions. Those 4 minutes were true bliss. I can’t tell you how good the meat was, and coupled with a crunchy onion ring, spicy chilli and smoky/cheesy topping - I absolutely loved it. The only reason it’s not in my top 3 (and this is so minuet) is because there was no lettuce to protect the base from the mayonnaise/BBQ sauce which annihilated the base.

Top tip: cover your pickle with the Byron hot sauce - that alone should be a bar snack.

For dessert we couldn't decide what to share, so ended up with a lovely brownie and a small portion of the Caramel & Honeycomb Blondie (told you Wade was nice).

The brownie did everything a brownie should. Gave me a big smile, smidgen of guilt and the wish to learn the recipe fluently to repeat daily. The blondie was similar to a sticky toffee pud, but with caramel and Crunchie pieces (stunning). Both were served with a very good ice cream and it rounded off our meal beautifully.

Out of all the London chains that are moving up north, Byron is by far my favourite for burgers. They offer healthy no-nonsense options, an ongoing development of new specials and above all else, they do it with style and all served from staff who clearly know how to speak to people and serve them properly.

Can’t wait for the new special - I will be back.

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Posted: Friday 1st April 2016
ID: 3842 - 1305