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Gone are the days when The Bobbin was the kind of place that only offered up a cheap beer and burger to satiate the student occupation while they ate and drank their hangovers away – I should know, this used to be me… You’ll find that these days it’s somewhere that any person from any walk of life can stop by and enjoy a hearty meal haling from an expansive menu that covers pretty much any dietary preference going. Don’t get me wrong, you’ll still find the same amazing value for money food and drinks offers that keep the students coming back time and time again, (and they’re probably as hungover as ever) but these days you’ll find that it’s less ‘pub grub on a budget’ and a little more gourmet and flavour focussed.

Now while a good old beer and burger will always be a classic combination, and honestly I think we’d all be upset if it were to no longer find a home on the menu, the variety you’ll find on the newly revamped Bobbin Menu is one to rival any of the main bars in town. From an enviable all day brunch menu featuring the likes of a Bacon and Avo Crumpets, and a vegetarian ‘Mex Melt Quesadilla’ – which I will be coming back for VERY soon – to a sharer menu packed with tasty tapas style dishes, there really is something for everyone.

I’d highly recommend popping along to the website to check out the new menu in full, but I know that for know you’re all going to be dying to find out what we chowed down on during our visit, so let’s get stuck in!

The sharers…

It’s no secret that my favourite food is all the food, so anywhere that offers a sharer type menu is good in my books – and when they’re designed to be shared, it means I get to try twice as many dishes, plus I can’t get told off for pinching food of off the other half’s plate, win win!

As usual we went for the veggie/pesci options, but there’s a tonne of great stuff on there for the carnivores too; you’ll find the likes of chicken wings, karaage chicken, and cod tacos, all of which can either be ordered individually, or as part of a great value deal consisting of either three plates for £10 or five for £15, an absolute steal!

Once you get past the drool-worthy pics of what we had, read on to get the scoop on how delicious these awesome these little plates of joy were.

HOT HONEY FETA TACOS (V) £3.95

Beet tortilla? Good. Red pepper and sesame houmous? Good. Hot honey buffalo sauce? GOOOOOOOOOD. Seriously though, there’s nothing not to like about this tasty little plate of food. With a lot of the other options either being of a battered or deep fried nature – not that there’s anything wrong with that you understand – this light refreshing plate served chilled provides a light and refreshing break amongst the other more filling dishes. That hot honey buffalo sauce smothering nice big chunks of feta is a tantalising combination, and one I’ll definitely be recreating at home when I’m lacking inspiration on the work lunch front.

CRISPY CALAMARI £3.95

It’s only in recent years that I’ve come round to calamari after a bit of a dodgy experience with a particularly rubbery batch some time ago, and you could be forgiven for questioning how good the quality is going to be when it appears on your average pub menu, but the Bobbin have hit the nail on the head with their version. Panko-crumbed and cooked to perfection, the tasty crunchy bites served on cold crisp lettuce and dressed with sweet pickled onions and Franks hot sauce spicy mayo went down a treat.

CAULI WINGS WITH SALTED CHILLI CARAMEL (V) £3.95

I’ll be honest, there aren’t many things that I miss since going veggie all those years ago, but with delicious succulent looking chicken wings on the majority of casual dining menus out there recently, you can’t help but take a walk down memory lane and feel a little left out, which is why it makes me extra thankful that cauli wings are now a thing, and a great thing at that. Offering a choice between chicken and cauli wings, with an assortment of sauce choices including Korean bbq and Hot honey buffalo sauce with sour cream, everyone’s a winner.

While these little battered morsels were definitely crispy and delicious, I’d describe them as more of a pakora than a cauli wing with a blend of veg inside rather than full florets of cauliflower, but did this lessen my enjoyment of them? Not one bit! Subtly spiced, well seasoned and generously portioned, they really hit the spot. My only complaint about this dish would be the salted chilli caramel sauce drizzled on top… I wanted a bucket load more of it, because oh boy that stuff is tasty! In an ideal world I’d have these completely drenched in that delicious sweet and salty sauce, but maybe that’s just me and my sweet tooth striking again.

Pssst…. Don’t forget to check out ‘Wing Wednesday’ where you can order unlimited wings of either variety for just 30p a wing!

the mains…

As well as your classic burger or hotdog and fries options, all laden in a host of scrumptious toppings including some really great veggie/vegan options, you’ll find a little light relief on the new menu, with hearty and healthy burrito bowls and thai curries being thrown in to the mix. I’d love to say that we were those smug people who went for the fresh and low calorie options, but I’d be lying. It was the stodgy appeal of a delicious loaded bowl on mac and cheese that lured me in, and the temptation of a burger got the better of G as well.

In the name of an honest and transparent review as always, I have to say that unfortunately the vegan Louisiana Chick’n burger that G initially ordered was unfortunately completely over-cooked, to the point where he was unable to cut in to it, but let’s assume that this was a learning curve given that this is a new menu. The staff were super lovely and apologetic, and before we knew it had served up a replacement dish, so here’s what we went for!

‘JACK THE LAD’ MAC & CHEESE (V) – £6.95

I’m a sucker for a good mac & cheese, and holy cow was this a good mac & cheese! Served in what felt like a bottomless bowl, and stacked high with awesome toppings including bbq pulled jackfruit, creamy guac, jalepenos, vegan mayo and spring onions, this was an absolute taste sensation! While a vegan option is available, the cheese lover in me had to go for the original version, and I am SO glad that I did. I mean just take a look at that oozy cheese pull… The sauce was rich and creamy and the toppings tangy and tasty. I’d go back to this dish time and time again and leave fat and happy every damn time.

I was also unable to resist the call of a side of those ‘Angry Fries'( V – £3.45). If you don’t agree that melty blue cheese and firey Franks hot sauce smothered over skinny fries is the ultimate combination, then you can fight me, because you are wrong.

SMOKEY SOYA SLOPPY JOE NO BEEF BURGER (V) £9.45 (including a drink)

With G’s first choice not quite going to plan, I’m glad to say that the replacement that arrived promptly was greatly enjoyed. The realistic ‘no beef’ burger was as good as any other meat replacement burger out there, and heaped with the smokey soya ‘chilli’ on top, this would satisfy the needs of any hungry punter, vegan or otherwise. While the addition of red pepper and sesame houmous might seem like an odd accompaniment, I can confirm that it really does work, adding an extra layer of flavour and ‘sloppiness’ to this filling burger.

Another not immediately obvious choice of side to go with the burger was the portion of salt and chilli fries, but who doesn’t love salt and chilli fries with pretty much everything, right? Topped with fresh chilli and spring onion garnish, and bringing that sweet and salty flavour bomb entirely reminiscent of your last Chinese takeaway, these are bound to become an instant menu hit.

It’s not surprising that with eyes bigger than our bellies as usual, and after making the absolute most of this veritable feast, we were devastatingly too full to try out a dessert. I do mean it when I say that I was devastated too, because the dessert choices sounded insanely good! You’ll find sweet treats such as Baked Cookie Dough, and divine sounding sticky Donut Stacks (which you can bag for £2 on a Tuesday!) I was close to tears and full of regret at having been such a glutton that I didn’t leave any room to try one out, but you can bet your ass that I’ll be heading back as soon as possible to give them my full and undivided attention.

What we did however manage to take full advantage of, and I highly recommend that you do the same, was the new and improved cocktail menu. If you’re only going to try one thing (unlikely as that may be at those prices..) make sure it’s the Watermelon Sugar cocktail. In fact make it about ten of those – enjoyed responsibly of course, because they taste like summer and sunshine in a lovely big goblet. Remember those watermelon Jolly Ranchers that were everyone’s favourite as a kid? Yup, it’s the liquid, boozy version of those, and they are flippin’ delicious.

Massive thanks to The Bobbin once again for inviting us out to sample the new menu, I’m sure it’s going to go down an absolute storm, and I can’t wait to pay a visit again very soon.

Leave a comment letting me know which dish you can’t wait to try out next time you pop by!

Until next time,

B x

• The meal in this review was gifted, but as always all views are my own.