You’d think that The Man Bird would know that my beady little eyes can spot a deal from 1000 paces by now, wouldn’t you? There we were, last week, chomping merrily away at The White Hart in Moorwood Moor and I was lazily reading the promo flyers on the table, telling us all about the Burger and Pizza night at their sister venue, The Canal Inn at Bullbridge (which, FYI, is dog- and child-friendly).
Fast forward to a week later, and here we are, sat at a table, about to tuck into a Cajun Chicken Burger (for me) and a Pizza (for him). I am just going to point out my naughtiness (before he does, as he’s editing!) of ordering a medium glass of NZ Sauv Blanc, rather than the deal inclusive tipples - I was feeling in rebellious mood, and got to the bar ahead of him! There must’ve been some sort of ‘bro club’ in operation, as the guy behind the bar said that His Nibs could always have *my* deal drink if he wanted another – cheek of it.
Anyhow, I digress; back to the food… the actual offer at The Canal Inn is either a Pizza and Pint (or equivalent) for £11pp, or a Burger and Pint for £12pp. Both are cracking deals, especially when you consider that you can CYO pizza with any trio of toppings from their list, and the burger also comes with fries included. I have to say that our server was a really lovely young lass, and she soon got us sorted with our order: we indulged ourselves a bit, ordering a tossed Salad for me (£4) and some Truffle and Parm Fries (£4.50) for His Maj, cos y’know, you need Fries with Pizza #carbcomaincoming!
Available from 5pm, these offers are clearly popular; they were already diners heartily tucking in when we rocked up at just after 6pm, and plenty more came in after us. I had chosen the Cajun Spiced Chicken Burger, and The Man concocted a morsel of BBQ Pulled Pork, Caramelised Onion and Jalapeno – he was going to be f*rting sparks in bed later, wasn’t he? Lucky, lucky me!
It wasn’t long before our food was placed before us and, after a quick check we’d got everything that we wanted, we were left to crack on. On our previous visit to The Canal Inn, I’d had the Pizza so I knew how tasty they are, and after taking the first chomp, His Nibs was in total agreement. Whilst I can appreciate a good, deep, doughy Pizza base, I do prefer an authentic thin, crisp crust one, and the ones from this kitchen are spot-on. Easy to bite into, the Pizza had a beautiful chew time, allowing you to really enjoy the base and topping partnership; you certainly get a generous amount of topping, too. The BBQ Pulled Pork shreds were gorgeously juicy and moist in the mouth, with an incredibly rich taste to them. His Nibs was totally smitten by the contrast between the tangy, spicy Jalapeno slices and the sweet, smoky Caramelised Onion, and I have to applaud his genius in putting them together.
My Burger was delicious! A nice, soft bun housed a crisp-coated Chicken breast fillet that was certainly sizeable by anyone’s standards and nicely satiating. Plenty of cheese was melted over the spicy fillet, imparting a deep layer of flavour to the meal alongside a slice of sweet Tomato and crisp Lettuce. I liked the simplicity of this particular burger; if you squished it slightly, it was the perfect proportion to comfortably manage between your hands in classic movie-scene style. Presented in a metal bowl, each one of my golden Fries had teeny-tiny micro-bubbles on their surface that intensified their crunch factor, and they weren’t greasy in the slightest.
The extra sides were great, too. My tossed Salad had a nice gloss of tangy dressing without being over-powered, and was attractively colourful. The Mixed Leaves, Red Pepper, Tomato, Onion and Cucumber were all cool and crisp to the bite, and there was a nice amount of it in the bowl. As with my Fries, His Nibs’ ones were served separately in a metal bowl and the lack of oiliness meant that the pungent taste of the grated Parmesan sang boldly on the palate. That gorgeous earthy, aromatic richness from Truffle oil came through clearly as well; it’s always fab when a team deliver exactly what they say they’re going to with food, and The Canal Inn at Bullbridge certainly does.
Throughout our time here, the team had diligently done their check-backs and kept an eye on our drinks. His Nibs got his second drink and, with all our extras (and my ‘spenny’ wine; his words, not mine), our bill came to £39. The Canal Inn has a lovely ambience to it, which you really want for a local establishment, and Hot Wings are very happily given here to applaud the venue, the service, and the food.
To book a table call 01629 534888 or visit www.moorwoodhotelcollection.co.uk and scroll to ‘locations’ and hit ‘The Canal Inn’ up. All the opening times are there: bar, breakfast, lunch and dinner.
