Sat on the site originally inhabited by the fondly remembered Charleys, and a few other incarnations over the years is The Newbridge Restaurant. Outside it has the look of an American roadhouse but with a modern twist. Ample parking surrounds the stand-alone building and I noted a BBQ and outside area too.
Inside has retained Charleys charm structurally with the sunken bar area and multi-level seating throughout. White walls and furnishings offer a contrast to the wooden walls and brass accents, all kept interesting with splashes of colour on seats, coffee tables and where you least expect it. It certainly makes for an interesting and comfortable place to eat.
The staff were top-notch from the minute we walked in the door until the moment we left. Mainly younger servers, but seemingly 100’s of them, we found that mere seconds went by when trying to get attention rather than the usual minutes. The staff couldn’t do enough for us either, with follow-ups for all courses and this is all whilst the restaurant was about 70% full and getting even fuller by the minute.
The kids had sausage and chips (as always) with good-sized portions and ice cream in some really-fancy-for-kids copper bowls that they loved.
The menu for older kids (adults) has all the favourites you would expect, and some even have a wee twist. My wife had the escalope of chicken, tobacco onions and mash with Chorizo cream. That Chirizo cream could be eaten on its own! A well balanced and moreish dish.
I opted for the burger with applewood smoked cheese, caramelised onion jam and crisp parma ham in a brioche bap. The mains don’t come with a side, which I’m not a big fan of, but it is what it is. We opted to split a sweet chilli and sour cream cubes since it was extra.
The burger was fantastic with the real charred meat flavour on the outside and the tenderness of the beef complimenting each other. The cheese, ham, jam and rocket are a classic combination but came together to make for an overall top-class burger. I’ve had a few (hundred) burgers in my time and I have to say that this really did stand out.
The sweet chilli cubes were very good also; the dressing was not overpowering and the fresh sliced red and green pepper giving a nice heat and crunch to the side.
On a Friday night, they also have half-price cocktails with I did indulge in and had a french martini and a dark and stormy. Both were proper real-deal cocktails, presented in the correct glasses with fresh garnish and were utterly yummy. Both cocktails came in around £4, so it was excellent value for money.
The burger was £9 and the side was a £3 on top of that, making it a little pricey for a burger and chips but reasonable overall and I would definitely go back for seconds!
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