RESTAURANT REVIEW
Thundercat, Glasgow, is visually and atmospherically balanced from the get go. The neon lit interior is trendy and enthusiastically decorated, while never being too dark or too cluttered for it to pull of an unexpected family-friendly vibe. An impressive balance, considering it feels a bit like a night club. Only a clean one, with excellent food! Including the best gluten free burger I've had yet.
Something small but important that struck me when I descended the stairs and arrived on the restaurant/venue floor was the noise level.
As a person with hearing loss, I tend to avoid certain bar-restaurants as they play music exorbitantly high in place of atmosphere. In Thundercat, however, you don't have to shout over the music while you eat.
Also, despite how busy the place was, the service was personal and detail-oriented. Definitely not the disinterested, exclusive experience some similarly cool eateries in Glasgow are burdened with.
In fact, I was delighted to see the clientelle ranged from students on dates to families with young children.
While Thundercat is famous for its Chicago-style pizzas, I was more tempted by another star item on their menu that's had people talking: the BBQ-flavoured brisket burnt ends. These chunks of sweet-glazed, perfectly cooked beef melt in your mouth while having enough texture on the outside for a satisfying bite.
As if the brisket burnt ends weren't wonderful enough on their own, the horseradish and buttermilk dip they're served with is absolutely luscious.
The other sides on the menu pale in comparison, but the brisket burnt ends are so good that it's hard to care. That being said, the cauliflower bites are a great vegetarian option.
Light and flavourful, if a little oily, they pair well with pretty much anything and come as a generous portion. I loved that they were topped with pecorino too, and served with fresh celery and blue cheese dip, adding an unexpected depth of flavour to what could have been a forgettable side in another restaurant's hands.
The chips and dips, as expected, were delicious. As with the other sides, they are surprisingly light enough to finish completely on top of a large main dish. There are five different seasonings to choose from on your chips or (alternatively) tater tots, and a plethora of options to load them up with toppings too.
Glasgow's gourmet burger scene is saturated with restaurants, and within those restaurants a dizzying array of burger varieties to choose from. So the fact that Thundercat has just a choice few burgers on the menu is actually refreshing.
A standard, no frills burger, is arguably the ultimate test for any establishment taking fast food classics and elevating them to restaurant quality. And Thundercat's offering - the 'smashed bacon cheeseburger' - is everything you ever wanted a cheeseburger to be.
The beef is extremely flavourful, and the decision to cook it as a smash burger means the succulence of the middle - along with the american cheese and secret recipe burger sauce - had a perfectly crispy outside to contrast with.
Other restaurants, such as Buck's Bar or Bread Meats Bread, pin their burgers together with wooden cocktail sticks. Not here! Thundercat has confidence in the structural integrity of their burgers, which are wide rather than tall and not overladen with toppings, meaning the contents don't slide around when you take a bite.
Don't be fooled by the grease paper the food is playfully served on. This is serious comfort food, for people seriously invested in feeling satisfied with what they get.
Thundercat also do a fantastic chicken burger. Their buttermilk fried chicken comes as a generous portion yet still feels light enough to polish off with ease.
Does Thundercat Do Gluten Free Burgers?
Yes! Not only does thundercat do gluten free burgers, but their buttermilk fried chicken is gluten free! Great news for gluten intolerant folks continually disappointed that fried chicken is ususally off the menu.
The gluten free burger buns at Thundercat are made with potato. But don't be put off by how unusual this sounds: they hold together surprisingly well, and have a great texture.
Not only that, but the gluten free buns at Thundercat are the same size as their regular burger buns.
Final Thoughts...
Thundercat, Glasgow, is not your average dimly lit venue-come-eatery. This is a subterranean gem with glorious food, and lots of it! In particular, I think I'll be dreaming of those brisket burnt ends for years to come.
They're set to change up their menu soon - keeping on many current favourites of course - so I may even be back with a second review in a few months!
Don't let Thundercat's visually playful setting anf value for money fool you. The food is polished, and the chefs lend a thougful approach to even the humblest of dishes.
