Man v Food

Man vs Food, Tyne Dock, South Shields
https://www.manvsfoodgrillhouse.co.uk/

The Cook’s Review (August 2017)

This is a redemptive review for MvF, who on my previous visit had delivered one of the worst meals I have ever eaten. Well, eaten was not really what happened as the beef rib was merely bone and gristle and when I complained the server seemed bemused as to what to do – and seemed adamant that ordering beef rib was some sort of culinary Russian roulette where £15-worth of gristle is a possible outcome!

It was with this in mind that I returned to Man vs Food for lunch, as a spur of the moment thing. The place itself is a pretty incongrous establishment in the dockside ambience of South Tyneside but it has the now mandatory clean wood ‘spit and sawdust’ feel. The serving staff were great – funny, attentive and quick. Even when my eating companion had a small error in his order it was dealt with quickly and without fuss. Good.

I had been recommended the Legend Chicken Burger which is a double decker chicken fillet burger with hash browns and cheese, accompanied with fries and a side (I chose, as per usual, pit beans). It was … really quite nice. The fillet burgers themselves were really nicely done and the hash browns added something extra. The sauces and cheese made it moist enough that it was good all the way through and never became dry – although the bun did disintegrate a bit, but that just added to the fun. The fries were … fries, and the beans were … pit beans. All good.

Moreover by companion had ordered … the beef ribs. And they were laden with meat. Like, all the meat. So much meat. Clearly he won at Russian roulette this time around. Another note – Man vs Food has an excellent array of sauces at the table. I tried a few and they were all suitably different to make them worthwhile.

So, has Man vs Food redeemed itself? Absolutely. Whilst the burger wasn’t quite the belly buster I was lead to believe, it was good stuff and value for the £13.95 cost. The serving staff were great and played along with our inevitable banter. Service was quick and efficient. Was it excellent food? No, not really, but it was easily a decent feed and somewhere I would try again.

Well done Man vs Food. Well done.