Out For Burgers At The Recently Opened Boo In Derby
Published On Sunday 10 Sep 2023 by Sticky Beak
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You have to admire the British Bulldog spirit; even in the midst of slow economic growth and a cost-of-living-crisis, new businesses are springing up. The Man Bird and I had kindly been invited along to try one such new venture, a Burger joint called ‘Boo’ in Derby – I think on the previous site of Dorothy Perkins? Location-wise, its brilliant; literally on the corner of two busy pedestrian routes, and with Primark a mere 100 metres away!
Boo is ultra-modern in layout, with a colour palate of Black, White and Grey with shiny chrome accents. As you walk through the large double doors, there are a couple of order stations to the right-hand side and low, padded pouffe-style seats to wait for your order. Uber Eats and Deliveroo guys were flitting in and out at a steady rate of Knotts too, so clearly the residents of Derby aren’t averse to having a bit of convenience in their lives.
If you choose to eat-in, there’s a choice of large, communal tables and benches (similar to those at Wagamama) or you can indulge in a spot of people-watching at one of the window seats – I love being nebby on busy days! There are also smaller tables for two down the far-right side of the space, near the merch stand, that have banquette-type seating. Boo isn’t the place to go for a relaxed dining experience, it’s definitely pitched towards the ‘get them in, feed them good food, and get them out’ business model; and that’s not a criticism at all, but I just want you all to know what to expect.
The staff at Boo are really, really friendly and, bless them, they never stop!! The kitchen was a busy hive of activity when we visited and plenty of families were taking advantage of the informal vibe and kid friendly food; actually, children have their own section of the menu, so they are certainly welcome at Boo.
We placed our order face-to-face at the counter to get the real Boo experience, and we were served warmly and efficiently. Those of you who know me IRL know that I’m a complete geek over the stupidest (and usually simplest!) things, and a little squeal of excitement escaped my lips when we were handed a shiny, white disc to take back to our table, that lights up and beeps when your order is ready – how ruddy ace is that?! Not only is this little device pretty swish (you get them at the order stations, too), but it prevents the service counter getting clogged up with waiting diners.
One of the great things about Boo is that they cater to any appetite: all their Black Angus Beef Burgers are available in 4-, 6-, and 8-oz options. His Nibs and I both decided to go for the middle ground, the 6oz option; I went for the ‘Haystack’ burger and The Man chose the ‘Big Boo’, priced £9 and £10 respectively. Call me weird, but I love Gherkins on a burger; I know they’re a marmite thing and, bizarrely, I didn’t like them when I was younger. To me, their peculiar tang seems to accentuate the sweeter flavour of Beef burgers, with the added bonus of serving up a bit of crunch and texture. I was a happy bird to see that both our choices had gherkins in – His Nibs doesn’t like them (they’re green which equals healthy), so I was in for a double helping.
The Potato buns were lightly toasted, something that I think should be standard in any respectable burger venue and were nice and tasty on their own. As well as the succulent, flavoursome patty and crunchy gherkins, my burger had Boo’s house sauce, American Cheese and their signature Crispy Onion Strings that are wickedly tasty! My taste buds were certainly having a party as all the flavours flooded over them and, judging by the look on His Nibs’ mush, his palate was equally happy. In addition to all the elements in my Haystack morsel, The Big Boo has rashers of Smoked Beef, crisp Lettuce and sweet, juicy Tomatoes to get your gnashers around.
If you solely had a burger at Boo, your appetite would be more than quelled but, in the name of blogging - and gluttony! - we also ordered sides of Chicken Wings and Chicken Bites (both £5.95). Boo give you the choice of pimping up your sides with either Buffalo, Sticky or Chilli Pepper toppings, so we had the Wings in Buffalo glaze, and the Bites in Sticky sauce. Fans of the sour, spicy tang of Buffalo sauce will love this version at Boo; it hit all the spots on my tongue. In contrast, the Sticky sauce was sweeter and, obviously, stickier, and the two varieties complimented each other really well; though we like our spice, I think having the Buffalo and Chilli Pepper combination would perhaps have been too much.
Washing down our meals, His Nibs had opted for the ‘refill’ option (£2.95) and headed over to the refill station just to the left as you look through the entrance. I had spied the Peanut Butter Milkshake (£3.95 for a large one, and is there any other kind?!) so I had that. Now, I know it’s kinder to the planet and all that, but I lost my patience with the paper straw – they go soggy, especially when trying to deal with a thick shake – and ended up just drinking from the cup. If you don’t like PB then you’ll hate this shake, but if you love the stuff, like me, then you’ll go nuts (pun intended) for this gem.
Whilst we’d been munching away, there had been several tables come and go, and after each one, a member of #TeamBoo was quickly on the scene to wipe down and clear any residual litter, though there are bins for you to clear your own trays – it is a fast-food venue, after all, so don’t get precious/lazy!
Open kitchens always give you a great opportunity to see a kitchen team in action, and Boo’s is never still! Chef was constantly calling for more Beef to make patties with, all of the meat Boo uses is HALAL, and his assistants were moving at the speed of light to assemble all the ordered burgers. Despite a nifty extraction system, some aromas still managed to drift over to our appreciative nostrils – not that we minded! Even as we were finishing our feast, we could hear Chef asking again for more provisions and the food delivery chaps were still arriving in their droves. Clearly, Boo is proving to be popular and, having sampled their food, it’s easy to see why! Hot Wings awarded here…I just wish we lived closer. Many thanks to PR agent, Rebecca, for kindly inviting us over, we had a great time.
Until 30th September 2023, if you use the code STICKYBEAK20, you’ll get a veeeeeery nice 20% discount at Boo, Derby, when using the order kiosk. Whaddya waiting for??!!!!
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