56 North

At the forefront of our city’s fresh obsession with gin, 56 North has a mind-blowing selection of over a hundred different varieties of the botanical-infused spirit. I’d visited many times for drinks, but not tried the food until today.

I was joined on this quest by regular Scran Saloneer and expert baker Lea.

We were seated at a nice, light seat, next to one of their massive panel windows. The interior is quite smart, with the pub managing to balance televisions for sports viewing with a smarter cocktail vibe.

The menu offered choices across brunch, sharing platters, lighter bites and main dishes. This all looked pretty good. Lea was tempted by the mention of eggs Benedict. I’d heard good reports on their burgers, so tried their “original” which matched an 8oz beef burger with cheese, tomato relish and pickles. It came with fries.

After a short wait, the items arrived looking pretty good. Sadly, the smart looks were deceiving as both dishes were very disappointing.

Lea’s poached eggs were cooked through for hard yolks. Poor show. The bacon was flaccid and while the hollandaise looked bright it couldn’t make up for the poorly executed main elements.

My chips were pretty good, but the burger was a dry and flavourless mess. The brioche bun rather disintegrated as I munched my way through it making for an entirely joyless experience.

So overall, 56 North is a lovely place for a gin or a cocktail, but sadly their food doesn’t match up to the excellence of the drinks. Both dishes we tried were poorly executed and totally underwhelming. You’ll find me with solely the drinks menu in my hands on future visits.

Scores
Blythe scores 56 North
2/5 for food
3.5/5 for presentation
3.5/5 for setting
3/5 for service
giving an overall 12/20

Today’s questers were: Lea, Blythe

We ate: eggs Benedict; burger

We drank: cappuccino, water

We wore: silver sea shell; www.tieclub.co.uk tie

Total bill: £18.50