Food Review: Gorilla, Manchester

We've got a soft spot for Manchester's Gorilla, the bar and music space located under Oxford Road station in Manchester's city centre (peep what they have coming up on that side of things), which also doubles up as a restaurant as we discovered over a year ago.

That near 18 month gap since our last visit meant a new menu to navigate, so for a quick liquid lunch we made it the centrepiece of our Manchester activity. We start off with some beers, quickly drinking down a couple of schooners of Brooklyn Lager whilst we peruse just exactly what is on offer food wise.

The generous application of what Breakfast and Brunch means in terms of times allows your ordering from these menus as late as 4pm, with the traditional offerings of Full English, Eggs Benedict and Bacon and Sausage Sandwiches offset by the slightly healthier Granola option.

Today though that line of food does little to interest us, as we quickly plump for some side orders as starters before deciding on our mains, with both arriving quickly and close to together to allow us to veer between the two.

Sides wise the Salt and Pepper Chicken Wings and Grilled Halloumi formed our choices, and in the paraphrased words of a senile Tory ballroom aficionado, didn't we do well. 

The Hallomui was infused with lime and chilli (clearly a thread of Mancunian bar grub), and comes complete with a natty supply of roasted vegetables - if you love this form of slippery cheese you're in for a treat. The wings were equally moreish, the slightly sweet batter balanced with the kick salt and pepper provides.

For the mains we went for two traditional American choices in the Gorilla Dog and the Cheeseburger (above), both served with seasoned fries. The dog (see it here on our Instagram) featured a European twist, with melted British aged Cheddar and a German bratwurst balanced by a French brioche all combining for a nice twist on a classic. The slightly spicy red onion chutney also worked well.

The Burger was where it was at though, a classic choice elevated by the addition of a fried egg. The versatility of eggs is something we could spend ours lavishing praise upon, with curries and pizzas just two dishes from many that simply get much better by the presence of the immortal white and yolk.

Here the dripping amber goo that is the eggs crowning glory took a good burger to stratospheric heights, and making it an option for burgers is something we can't effuse enough praise about, certainly giving us the urge to spend more time in the restaurant.

We left satiated and satisfied, delighted that Gorilla's culinary charm hasn't deteriorated since our last visit. The wait between the next one definitely won't be as long...