Review – Bungalows & Bears

Being something of a local, there has been many a hazy evening spent sat on the leather sofas that are dotted around Bungalows & Bears, absorbing the atmosphere like some kind of drunk, grateful sponge.

Like other bars on Division Street, the place just oozes cool vibes. Lean against the wall too long and your jacket is just sodden with cool.

Drunk, grateful sponges

Anyway, things took a very interesting and delectable turn when ‘Ruby Jean’s Diner’ was introduced to the establishment not too long ago. A quick Google of said Ruby Jean’s reveals that it is a national chain who are “purveyors of home-cooked Americana”.

This shouldn’t put you off sampling every last ounce of deep-fried goodness they have to offer. Ever since Ruby Jean’s planted its roots, an echo reverberated around the Steel City: “Bungalows burgers are sick!”

So last Tuesday I decided to go and see what all the fuss was about. Very important: they serve 2-4-1 burgers on Tuesdays. Vital piece of knowledge, given that Bungalows isn’t renowned for its cheap prices.

Getting a seat was a bit of a nightmare; I suppose it’s no secret that Tuesday is cheap day. After twenty minutes of hanging around the bar, a vacancy made itself available. We managed to beat the other table vultures and scatter our jackets, to mark our territory. Piss off losers, go and order a takeaway.

After ordering a classic Ruby Jean’s burger (smoked bacon, Emmental, mushrooms and onion rings), I saw our waitress making her way towards our table, bearing quite a large and heavy object between her hands.

Ah, this would be the sizeable collection of condiments that I am to enhance my meal with. All the regular faces were there of course: ketchup, mayo, and so on. But, hold on, what’s this? Three types of Tabasco sauce? What for? Are these fuckers trying to kill me?

A short while longer and the waitress graced us with her presence once more and laid down a burger in front of me. I wasted no time in putting the platter of condiments to use; chips and mayo is a match made in heaven.

Meat-induced frenzy

The smell coming from the burger (or rather the smoked bacon) instantly forced me into some sort of meat-induced frenzy. Now I could take you through the ins-and-outs of how good that burger tasted, reeling off superlatives like nobody’s business. But neither you nor I have time for that.

Basically, it’s a fucking great burger. I wouldn’t recommend going if you don’t have an appetite though because, as you can imagine, they don’t piss about when it comes to sizing the portions. Talk about a food baby. I felt like I was about to give birth to a fucking sumo wrestler.

So all in all, a great experience: delicious food, a cool atmosphere and friendly staff. Head down there with a mate on a Tuesday. It will be the best burger that your fiver can purchase.