Grill on The Alley #TCATakeover, Manchester

Name 3 things that you associate with America… Go on, I date you. Okay, 1, 2, 3; 4th July, Burgers and… Manchester? Okay, the third one ISN’T that American, but Grill on the Alley, Manchester city centre have been theming up these three items together in celebration of Thomas Cook Airline’s four new airplane routes to America. From 4th July, Grill on the Alley are offering four limited edition American inspired burgers especially for their Manchester customers – yummy!

Always one to LOVE a good theme, I popped down to Grill on the Alley in Manchester to try out the #TCATakeover for myself. If you want to try it out too, you’ll have to be quick, as the limited edition burgers are only running for one month from 4th July onwards. Based on the feast we had at the weekend, I would definitely recommend having a try…

So, what are these American beauties on offer? The four new burgers are each named after one of Thomas Cook Airline’s new stateside routes, these include New York City, LAX, Boston and LA. Each are inspired by traditional food of the destination – for instance, the New York burger is inspired by typical NYC Deli’s, served with toppings of pastrami, pickle and Lancashire cheese. I could just be in Brooklyn now!

Settling down over the menu with a bottle of South African’s finest white, my guest and I contemplated the burgers. Heck, we like to dive straight in, so we skipped starters in favour of the main event.

My burger buddy decided to go for the Boston Burger – a classic beef burger topped with prawns and crayfish, garlic butter and back bacon. An unusual combination inspired by Boston, I wasn’t sure what she would make of it – but in actual fact she loved it! Apparently the toppings were absolutely delicious; having crayfish in any way is pretty unusual, let alone on a burger, yet I am told it should be made a regular occurrence!

Now, my choice was a little more unusual. Having been invited to Grill on the Alley to try out the burgers, I was determined to do just that. There was only one small issue – I don’t eat meat! As soon as I was asked for my order, I was totally honest with our lovely waiter, William, about my little dilemma. Luckily he was a total babe and asked the chef to make me a special fish fillet burger so I could have the exact same experience with something I was comfortable eating. The chef agreed and I was presented with my own fish-finger-esque-LA-burger. Such incredible service!

My fish burger was so delicious – it came with two huge pieces of fish and the added LA inspired toppings (with a bonus added pot of tarte sauce to boot!). Honestly, how many places would accommodate someone as fussy as me? It was fab and I was so delighted I could have my own take on the #TCAtakeover! The burger was delicious and the side serving of chips was just as yummy. I managed to catch the chef when he was walking past and thank him personally.

After polishing off the burgers, we took our time finishing off the bottle of wine (which was delicious and a reasonable price at £16.50 for such a lovely restaurant). The burgers themselves were £12 each which although seems a little pricy for a burger on face value, is a lot cheaper than Grill on the Alley’s usual mains (steaks cost around £20) and is actually probably only a pound or two more than your standard chain burger restaurant, such as GBK.

Despite being so full I thought I was at bursting point, William convinced me to go for a light pudding (just a small chocolate fudge cake, you know) and it turns out I had room in me yet! My dessert was delicious, served hot with a side of ice-cream. My guest went for an unusual choice from the summer dessert menu, the Lemon Possett. It was a treat both for the eyes and the tastebuds!

Thinking we were NOW truly at bursting point, we were asked where we wanted any more drinks… And just couldn’t resist the fruity cocktails we had seen being served around the restaurant! I pointed out a particularly yummy looking concoction that another customer had and William brought us over a pair of Zombies; filled with rum and fruit, these were so delicious and a perfect palette cleanser after a big meal. Delicious!

However, if a burger won’t quite satisfy your American cravings, Thomas Cook Airlines are offering all those who purchase the #TCAtakeover burgers are Grill on the Alley a chance to win a trip to LA, NYC, Boston or Miami themselves. All you have to do is book a table at GOTA via this link and then post a picture of your chosen burgerusing the hashtag  #TCABurgerTakeOver to @GrillManc and @TCAirlinesUK on Instagram or Twitter to enter. Easy peasy, and good luck!

I have my own paws crossed for a trip to New York, New York… Just imagine all the blog photos!