What do Rocky and Swiss Tony have in common?

The purpose built premises has floor to ceiling windows along one side, so it is light and airy, but it retains that slightly hipster, ‘rough around the edges’ urban look that they have achieved with all their venues. The road hasn’t been plain sailing for the small chain recently – their five restaurants have turned into four with the closure of their Leamington Spa branch. What are you doing Leamington? Meatcure rocks.

Once you get past all the chipboard and girders, it is on to the main event, the burgers. They name everything after classic film and TV references – from the Dusk Til Dawn to the Swiss Tony. I have always wanted to try the Rocky Balboa, a special that became so popular it became a permanent menu feature, but it sounded like a bit of a challenge. Having skipped breakfast, and booked a late afternoon table I was ready to move on to the ‘bigger’ end of the menu. The group is all about quality, well sourced ingredients and this is clear from the burgers. 

Although mine was not served medium as I expected, the meat was flavourful and exceptionally juicy. The Rocky comes in a soft brioche bun, with this well cooked patty is accessorised with lettuce and tomato, absolutely succulent beer soaked pulled chicken, double melted cheese, smokey bacon – delightfully crisp, and a dollop of smoked mayo.

This is a fantastic, flavour filled combination. All elements are in balance, and it is an absolute monster. I attempted to lift it by hand and managed one bite before nearly dropping it all down myself and reverting to knife and fork.

I was also really pleased at how well the flavour combo matched with their house red wine – a juicy and strong willed Cabernet Sauvignon that has the power to hold up to big meaty flavours.

One change Meatcure fans will notice is that fries are no longer included in the price of a burger, so you buy your sides separately. I’m not a big fan of this, because to me burger needs fries to be a meal. However, you would definitely be full without them. I chose the paprika fries which had a lovely kick that complemented the smoky mayonnaise particularly.

In the interests of balance, the Boy ordered the steak – something we haven’t tried at Meatcure before. Although he ordered it rare and it was cooked medium, he still complemented the flavour and the relative tenderness of the meat. Again, you need to add your own sides with this, fries, sauce, slaw or salad.

You can expect a burger or steak and side to come in between £9 and £13. I think this is pretty on par with their main competitors and for me the quality and care with which the burgers are cooked is currently pretty much unparalleled. We were not quite as impressed with the steak, but it was certainly enjoyable and still represents good value for the calibre of the dish. If you want the Meatcure experience without this kind of price tag, then head over for their lunchtime offer, which is £6 in Hinckley and I think £7.50 in Leicester (darn you Hinckley!) – there are a range of burgers to choose from which are smaller but just as delicious.

Chicken burgers, vegetarian burgers and fish burgers are also available, along with snackers like chicken wings and jalapeno poppers. If you fancy something a bit different, check out their weekend brunch 11-2pm on weekends, something that is firmly on my to do list.

We finished off by sharing an Oreo sundae, which was truly stacked, and perhaps next time we’ll head over for cocktails – I’m a big fan of their 241 happy hour 5pm to 7pm where you can pick beers or cocktails – and you will see many many pictures on my Instagram account of their White Russians!

So while our visit was not 100% perfect, it was erring on the side of very, very good. Meatcure’s burgers remain my favourite and I will be back to both Hinckley and Leicester on my own dime. Thanks to them for inviting us along and their friendly team for providing such excellent, friendly and relaxed service.