The Banc on West Green Road

A beguiling mixture of modern restaurant and classic shisha lounge, The Banc opened its doors in a former Barclays building – hence the name – on West Green Road back in 2011.

Its younger sister Banc Brasserie is located just across the street and features a café-style menu, whilst The Banc is very much about ‘Burgers, Steaks & More’.

The meaty-focus is not just evident on the menu, but also in the cow-skin décor. I peered through the fence to see a large and comfortable outdoor garden to accommodate many a shisha smoker. Inside and out, the venue is bright, spacious and friendly. The walls and menu are peppered with quirky meat facts and figures.

“Utterly unctuous and unmistakably umami”

We ordered the deluxe burger, BBQ chicken melt steak, chips and slaw. In an era where ‘gourmet’ burger restaurants have become the norm, I was keen to see if The Banc would deliver. Deliver it did. The burger – topped with stilton, mushrooms and onion rings – was utterly unctuous and unmistakably umami (try saying that three times with a full mouth).

The Deluxe Burger

As much as I like my steaks blue, it’s a bit of a riskier proposition where mince is concerned. So I was pleased the patty was properly cooked through yet perfectly moist, a balancing act so many of the aforementioned chains fall foul of.

The burger was served on a pretzel roll, a great twist on the traditional bun and a personal favourite. The chicken was equally succulent and flavourful. The chips, however, took the prize. Golden, crisp and fluffy – some of the best I’ve had in a long time.

The neighbourhood roots of the restaurant really show through in the drinks menu. When The Banc boasts locally made soft drinks, they mean it. Jeffries Vintage Soft Drinks – lower in sugar than your average fizzy pop and flavoured with botanicals – are made less than three miles away. The root beer was a happy throwback to my childhood in America.

In terms of quality, they boast corn-fed chicken and prime Scottish beef. The bill isn’t unreasonable, although at this price bracket a bit more information on the provenance of their proteins, in particular the offer of free-range chicken, wouldn’t go amiss.

We’ll be back of an evening for a steak and for Sunday lunch – a new offering. If they can do roast potatoes as well as they do chips, it may just become a weekly pilgrimage.

Written by Julie Ann Andreshak. Photos by Tom Devine