Burgers and Good times at GBK Brighton Marina

If you’ve not been down to Brighton Marina in a while, next time you go, you’ll barely recognise it. There has been so much work going on and brand new developments, its all looking rather posh these days. Along with a brand new shiny block of seaview flats, has come a hoard of new restaurants to choose from. Over the next few weeks you’ll spot quite a few reviews from the Marina as I’m gradually working my way around them all, working out which are the best new additions to the already extensive collection of eateries.

First up, the brand new GBK (Gourmet Burger Kitchen). Located just off the boardwalk, GBK is in prime position as the first restaurant that’ll catch your eye as you walk down the promenade. The inside is funky, modern, light and airy with plenty of outdoor seating too. I reckon it’s going to be rather popular.

So, a few weeks ago we wanted to take our lovely Japanese student, Aoi, for a farewell night out with us before she travelled back to Japan, so we went down to the marina to go to the cinema (to watch the BFG, which as amazing, by the way)  plus, we were kindly invited into GBK for a pre-movie meal and to treat Aoi to one last ‘British'(ish) experience – burgers by the sea!

The menu has so many different burger-based options, there is something for everyone – even those with specialist dietary requirements. As a vegetarian, I loved that I could choose from 3 different veggie options, or I could chose any meat burger and swap out the beef for a bean patty. Suddenly the options were endless! If burgers aren’t your thing (and you still chose to visit GBK?!) then there are options of salads, or ‘Naked’ burgers without the bun too (loving the strapline for this too –  “Suns Out, Buns Out!“) Plus there are a whole hoard of sides ranging from skinny to chunky fries, coleslaws, salads and dips too. Of note, GBK pride themselves on using only 100% British prime beef, the freshest of ingredients and create all sauces and dips from scratch every day in the kitchen.

When our food arrived, we soon found out the burgers are just MASSIVE! I mean how do you even start to eat that?! Packed with toppings, salad, cheese and sauces, they certainly do not scrimp when it comes to putting together a mean burger. First up, we have the Taxi Driver – with American Cheese, House Onion Ring, Cajun Relish, Smoked Chilli Mayo, Dill Pickle and Salad. This was our Japanese student, Aoi’s choice of burger. I think from the silence that fell over the table and her clean plate, she thoroughly enjoyed it!

I also went for the Taxi Driver but I chose to swap out the beef burger for a veggie bean patty. I did enjoy my burger but found the bean patty to be a little on the dry side. Think I needed a lot more relish on mine and it was looking a little overdone.

V went for the Billy the Kid – with Grilled Goats Cheese, Bourbon Mushrooms, House Onion Ring, Truffle Mayo, Rocket, Pickled Onions. This looked like a much more appetising veggie option and I have to admit, I did have a bad case of food envy, it looked absolutely delicious!

As well as the burgers above, Kirstie also ordered the Classic Beef Burger – with House Mayo, relish, Salad. But being the bad blogger I am, I didn’t get a good snap of it – can you blame me with all this food on our table as a distraction?!

Along with our meal, we all ordered sides of skinny fries, which have got to be literally the skinniest fries I’ve ever seen! V being a fan of the skinny fry was in her element, however I like something a little more chunky, so next time will be ordering the chunky skin-on fries or the sweet potato fries as I like a little more substance to my fry!

Lastly, a snap to show my burger was nearly as big as my face! (Excuse the tired face, this was mid-first trimester, I couldn’t tell if I was sick, hungry, tired, or everything in between!)

Overall, we were in two minds about our meal at GBK – the meat-eaters of our group loved their burgers, with the veggies appreciating all the choice, but wondering if the dry bean burger needs a slight re-tweak in the recipe. We were also divided over the skinny fries and think next time, chunky is the way forward.

These are all minor details and this wouldn’t put me off re-visiting GBK at all  – next time I think I’d choose the goats cheese burger with sweet potato fries though! We had visited within the first week of opening so I’m sure the restaurant is finding it’s feet too, so I’d be keen to go back and give it another go soon.

You can visit GBK on Brighton Marina by just rocking up, or if you are organised you can book online or ‘order and collect’ on their website!

 

We were kindly offered a complimentary meal at GBK in return for an honest review, all words and opinions are my own.