Burgers and shakes at Almost Famous...

There are some restaurants which I have been meaning to visit for a while but somehow I never seem to get around to it and Almost Famous* is one such place. I have heard so much about over the years yet somehow I have never made it to dine there - I missed two recent launches of their new menu in Liverpool and Manchester due to other commitments, but I finally arranged to pop in to the Great Northern location of Almost Famous in Manchester last week to sample their new menu, thanks to my lovely pal Martin who is the General Manager there.

I love the vibe of Almost Famous, which sets a fun and relaxed tone with a décor featuring neon signs, bold artwork, cascading fairy lights and an eclectic playlist which gives the space a real buzz. It was busy when we arrived, with plenty of people tucking in to towering burgers and indulgent milkshakes to banish the winter chill outside.This is just the place if you feel like a casual dining experience and to get the evening underway, I ordered a boozy shake which came topped with lots of fresh cream and a Bourbon biscuit. My companion went for the equally decadent 'fudgin ridic' made with chocolate fudge and Oreos.

If you have not already guessed, Almost Famous are all about American diner style cuisine and sometimes there is nothing more appealing than to let your hair down and tuck in to a burger so big it is nearly impossible to hold. They tick all the boxes in this regard and the sheer scale of my partner’s choice of the Awesome HQ was a sight to behold – this huge creation consisted of a double cheeseburger topped with buttermilk fried chicken, halloumi, slaw, peri peri BBQ and bacon bacon mayo – phew. Silence fell as he enjoyed every bite and he confirmed this was one of the best burgers he had ever tasted, which I had already discerned from his silence as he dedicated himself to eating it.

I have something of a fixation with halloumi and you can always find a couple of blocks of it stacked in my fridge, so when I saw the Phok-Meat burger on the menu, I just had to try it. This vegetarian option did not disappoint, with deep fried halloumi tossed in smoky and sweet pho-king sauce topped with iceberg lettuce, red onion, jalapeno, smashed avocado, chipotle mayo and jalapeno mayo. This was a seriously tasty take on a vegetarian burger and there was a generous amount of halloumi, while the other toppings added heaps of flavour and I loved the subtly spicy chipotle mayo.

The loaded fries served at Almost Famous elevate the humble potato to something spectacular and an order of Phoenix Fries topped with bacon rain, JD maple glaze, shoestring onions, frazzle dust, chillies, bacon bacon mayo, redneck BBQ were full of flavour.

Meanwhile I opted for a classic side of Winning Fries, a mixture of skin-on and sweet potato fries  served in a generous portion.

Another side of Mac Balls - crispy coated mac n cheese balls served with bacon bacon mayo dip were the kind of treat which you can just carry on eating. I love mac n' cheese at the best of times, and coating it in breadcrumbs and frying it just makes it even more irresistible.

We also ordered some Blasts  (Boneless buttermilk fried chicken pieces) smothered in delicious Pho-King (hot teriyaki) sauce, which made the ideal side dish to share. 

It was time for dessert and while I was too full to contemplate it, my dining companion enjoyed an ice cream cookie sandwich, vanilla ice cream sandwiched between chewy chocolate chip cookies and topped with salted caramel and cookie dust. It was quite a creation, just perfect for a sweet tooth and there was easily enough to share between two. 

The food was delicious and the vibe was fun, this was a perfect laid-back evening and I enjoyed finally dining at Almost Famous!

Almost Famous 

Unit 2 

Great Northern 

Peter Street

Manchester

M3 4EJ

http://www.almostfamousburgers.com

What do you all think, do you like the sound of Almost Famous and which of these dishes would you like to try? As always I cannot wait to hear your thoughts and thank you so much for reading this post.

Until next time,

Camille 

xo

*I was a guest of Almost Famous, this meal was complimentary. All opinions expressed herein are my own and honest.