Alley Cats

Alley Cats is a must for music lovers and, to set the tone, the menu screams American diner, but with a bit of a British twist (that’s a music reference, folks) and a whole lotta lard (another one). From fried chicken and burgers to toasties and cheesey chips, think ooze with your booze.

Let’s begin at the beginning with brinner – the full English is a burger that will set you up for a… the day. Double beef patties are topped with American cheese, smoked streaky bacon, hash brown, ketchup and a fried egg, and somehow against gravity stacked in a soft white bun with the menu’s standard shredded iceberg lettuce and sliced gherkins. We’re not even going to look at the Triple Bypass burger, or indeed the Elvis, one of three deep-fried breaded buffalo marinated chicken breast numbers (there’s also bunless chicken elsewhere on the menu). The veggie options – again, three – include a homemade falafel offer and a halloumi and slow-roasted red pepper option, while the Taj Mahal is a grilled chickpea patty made with “secret Indian spices”, which ticks the intrigue box. From India, we head to Greece courtesy the toasties, where Zorba presents grilled halloumi with chilli jam and black olives on thick white bread, served with cheese sauce, crisps and a pickle. With pepperoni, pizza sauce and mozzarella, Fat Tony is a clever disguise, but the Make America Grate Again is a back-to-basics (pretty much) cheese on toast get-up. Loaded fries of various shapes and sizes and mac’n’cheese also get a look-in, and specials sometimes make it onto the board – we’ve spotted chicken and maple syrup waffles in the past; a savoury meets sweet mash-up that’s so wrong it’s kinda right. Go for the whole teeth-tingling experience with a Chewy Gooey dessert, a sugar-crusted, deep-filled grilled toastie served with vanilla ice cream and available in three flavours: Nutella and banana, Nutella and peanut butter, or peanut butter and jelly (PB&J to you, of course).

Wash it all down with a local beverage, the likes of Nomadic Beers and North Brewing Co, and don’t forget there’s also a special Sunday brunch menu plus supper clubs to keep an eye out for – recently, Nonna’s Feast served up an evening of Italian dishes including bruschetta, pasta and salads alongside classic Italian cocktails, and tapas and sangria night did just that.

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