When it comes to food, Southampton has so much choice that you could probably eat at a different restaurant every day for a year and still be left with more places to try. I'm definitely not complaining because going out to eat with my family is one of my favourite things to do and that's how we found ourselves at Southampton's latest addition, Bite Me Burger & Get Plucked recently.
The new eatery can be found in London Road, Southampton and houses both brands under one roof. I quite like the idea of the best of both worlds especially if you're not sure what you fancy.
Bite Me Burger make delightful mini burgers that are just the right size to fit perfectly between your finger and thumb. I love this idea because all too often I end up with burgers that need cutting in half or just fall apart when I pick them up. Plus, with their pick and mix options, it means you're not restricted to just trying one burger. You can choose from duos which is what we had with a side of fries or go all in and order the quads, a dozen or a box of twenty-four.
I'd visited the restaurant on their launch night so already had a taste for what was to come but Arran was like a kid in a sweet shop and didn't know what to order. There are sixteen burgers to choose from but disappointedly only one vegetarian and one vegan option which I feel is a bit of an unacceptable oversight when there are so many vegetarian and vegan options they could've created.
It would be great to see these choices expanded on the menu in the future.
We arrived hungry and ready to order so with chilled drinks on the table, we started on the menu. I ordered two burgers I'd tried on the opening night that I really enjoyed. The Hawaiian is made up of aged grilled beef patty, Mezcal BBQ sauce, bacon, Swiss cheese, pineapple and it tastes unbelievable! The mix of sweet pineapple with grilled beef and swiss cheese is delicious. It's definitely one of my favourites.
My second choice was the Bloody Mary, aged grilled beef patty, horseradish, onion, cheddar cheese, secret Bloody Mary sauce. I wish I knew what the secret sauce was because I'd buy it in jars, the succulent beef and horseradish gives the burger a kick while the tangy sauce levels it out.
Arran ordered the Lambtastic, luscious lamb burger flavoured with mint, cumin, smoked yoghurt, jalapeno, stilton, aioli, watercress. He's a lamb fiend so it couldn't have been more perfect for him and he absolutely loved it, I think he would've ordered two of these if he had the chance.
His second choice was a classic bacon and cheese, The BC is aged beef patty, cream cheese aioli, bacon, brie, crispy onion. It looked so good and it's definitely one I would try next time.
There is currently a lunchtime offer where you can get a duo, fries and a drink for £8.50 which is a really great price if you take into consideration the cost of the burger sets on their own.
I love Bite Me Burger, the flavours and burger choices (if you're not vegetarian or vegan) are brilliant but I do have quite a soft spot for Get Plucked and the Chicken Cones are incredible.
There was a little confusion over our order so we ended up trying one of the chicken burgers and three of the cones. We actually took two of the cones home with us to have later on in the day because there was just so much food not that we were complaining. It was great to be able to try more of the menu.
The chicken cones are made with delicious crispy waffle folded into a cone and filled with fried chicken then topped with your chosen sauce. They really are as good as they sound and there is a great selection of sauces to choose from too. I'm usually not a spice fan at all but the Buffalo Cone was my favourite closely followed by the Honey Butter. Arran opted for the Asian BBQ with Gochujang BBQ sauce, spring onions and sesame.
If you were to try one thing from Get Plucked, it would have to be the chicken cones not just because they're so flavoursome but they're quite aesthetically pleasing too. The presentation just makes it more fun and I loved that about Get Plucked.
If you're planning on heading into the restaurant to try a bit of everything, it could get pricey quite quickly but it would be a great place to go with friends so you can order bigger and split the cost. I have really enjoyed both my visits to Bite Me Burger & Get Plucked, I just personally find the prices a little off-putting for Southampton especially when we have places like 7 Bone that do it so well at a fraction of the cost.
Should you try Bite Me Burger & Get Plucked? 100% just maybe on payday.
Complimentary meal for the purpose of review - see disclaimer.