Most of the weather this week was quite rubbish, the spells of sunshine made me really excited for summer but it’s not here yet – so I needed to cheer myself up… with a burger!
At the suggestion of my colleague Lorelei Reddin I went down to The Rockstone on Onslow Road in Bevois Valley to see whether their burgers stood the test.
When I walked into the restaurant, the venue screamed country. The chalkboards above the counter, the brick-layered counter, even the music.
It is a mix of a traditional pub and a country restaurant that you would pull up at on the side of the highway, in the middle of Texas, in a cowboy film.
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Fortunately, it was very quiet when I walked in and so as soon as I approached the bar the waiter was instantly very helpful.
She offered me the menu and I went straight to the burger section and chose the BBQ melt chicken burger with sweet potato fries and a fizzy drink. The burger came with onion rings, lettuce, tomatoes, gherkins and garlic mayo with a salad on the side and some “house slaw”.
While I waited for my order I couldn’t help but look outside and hope that the drizzling rain would turn into a nice hot summer day.
Putting that to one side, the atmosphere of the restaurant was welcoming, it was quiet but the background music didn’t make it awkward as I waited for my order.
My feet were slightly cold – and it wasn’t just because my table was by the door, although that may have played a part…
The reality is that the majority of the time I am always cold, 45 per cent of my year is spent with me rubbing my hands together and shivering whenever I’m sitting down somewhere mildly fresh.
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Incoming food review this weekend on the @dailyecho pic.twitter.com/A9WWBYOAfJ
— Jose Ramos (@Journo_Jose) April 14, 2023
When my order finally came I was very impressed, it was big – I knew there and then I would not finish it.
My fear with burgers is that they can be quite dry, and it can be hard to find the sweet spot, but so far so good.
The burger was tasty and warm, the fries were crunchy, and the coke wasn’t watered down (as some restaurants do, not naming names…)
Having stuffed my face and sighed two or three times at how full I was it was time to return to the office.
Overall the experience was really nice, the waiter came to check if everything was fine and made me feel valued and the food was warm and tasty.
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