When Alley Cat closed amid a storm of controversy many wondered what would be come of this once beloved hipster shack. The answer was revealed rather quickly in the form of Bootleggers.
Bootleggers is basically much the same but with a much more coherent theme, the same quirkiness, drink selection and (a slightly tweaked) menu. It’s styled just like a bootleggers den, so has a more wild west feeling to it, lots more wood than before and more booths too. We sat in the ‘dining section’ and had no beers – so I’m mainly reviewing the food side of things.
We sat in a booth with the littlest one (7 months) in a high chair at the end and I have to say for a hipster-ish bar they are surprisingly kid friendly with high chairs, kids menu and coloring books and pens. The music was a little loud, but we were sat very near the speaker and the selection was good so we let them away with that one!
The staff were pleasant and accommodating without being over bearing or pushy. I ordered water which came in this massive old corn whiskey jar with ice and a straw. It’s pretty cool actually that they put the effort in even with free water, but I was a little disappointed to not see a lunch menu, so everything was full price (£9 for the burger).
I had previously seen them doing a £5 lunch menu but I guess that has been scrapped now. I had the New York Burger which came with pastrami, sauteed onions, cheese, mustard mayo, lettuce, pickle. A fantastic combo of a juicy slightly pink inner and charred outer on the burger, peppery fried pastrami and sautéed onions that are definitely worth raving about, all in a bun that held everything together until the bitter end. I also tried the poutine, which I would argue isn’t poutine, but is delicious none-the-less. It consists of their awesome fries, cheese and peppered sauce (much like you’d get on a steak) a mass of savory goodness that came out as glorious as it sounds.
In conclusion – surprisingly child friendly, amazing food, pricey for lunch.
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