Splendid Kitchen Mac Attack
Review of Splendid Kitchen Mac Attack
Website: http://www.splendidkitchen.co.uk/
What they say:
7oz Cheeseburger, buffalo & blue mac & cheese, crispy bacon, crumbled blue cheese and jalapeños on a semi brioche bun.
Price: £9.00.
Calories: Unknown.
There’s a significant problem at Splendid Kitchen, an elephant in the room if you like, and I really ought to address it before going on to talk about my burger.
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| Mac Attack – a harmony of quality ingredients… |
It’s the chicken. The fried chicken here, especially with waffles, is the finest, tastiest in Manchester and as a result, no matter how good the ribs, the tacos and the non-chicken burgers are, they’re not as good as Splendid’s fried chicken.
And don’t get me wrong, they’re all good. I’ve had them all. And that combined with the friendly, welcoming bend-over-backwards service, makes this an imperative visit.
For example, this time I had Commodore Junior with me, and after a brief discussion of what he eats, they cobbled together a dish that wasn’t exactly on the menu, and which he scoffed down with a big smile.
He had Splendid chicken on his plate and I didn’t. I was a little bit jealous even though I was having a burger I’d been after for a long time, never getting it because it’s only on the Wicked Wednesday menu.
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| This cheeseburger goes to 11… |
The Mac Attack. A bacon cheeseburger where the cheese is Mac & blue cheese, and it’s laced with jalapeños. Some of my very favourite things piled into a toasted semi-brioche bun. Actually, I don’t know what the difference between brioche and semi-brioche is. Must ask someone someday.
The patty at Splendid is good. I wasn’t asked how I liked it cooked, but here that wasn’t a problem – I know how they do it, and it suits me – a hint of pink, well within my range.
It’s not the juiciest patty I’ve ever had, but I’ve had a lot and it’s definitely up there, and unless you take it out and eat it on its own, the cheese all over this ensures it’s not an issue.
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| You can see the gooey cheesy Mac here… |
And speaking of the cheese, I’m not generally a particular fan of blue cheese. But here it was gently nudging rather than shouting in your face, muted by the soft gooey tubes of macaroni. Of those, there were enough to be falling out from the burger, but not so many that they took over.
This is a fun burger. You can’t really put macaroni in a burger and not have fun- it’s fun to look at, and it’s fun to eat. And the texture, naturally, is different to regular cheese. Fun.
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| Inside the Mac Attack… |
But the blue cheese on it ensured it also worked as a cheeseburger. A bacon one at that. The bacon at Splendid is very crispy. It really looks the part and balances out the cheesy taste well. And rounding things off was the heat injected by the liberally applied jalapeños.
This, again, wasn’t something that jumped up and slapped me in the face, but built gently to generate that particular enjoyment that slightly hot food can do.
Bottom line is you’re not going to have any sort of disappointment at Splendid. You can pick anything from the menu and you’ll like it. I am so pleased I finally got to try it but you know what? I will still be going back to the fried chicken & waffles.
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| It’s a bit of an animal but can’t fault it… |
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