EATING OUT: Spoiled for choice? Not at all-but if you love burgers then you won't have any beef with this joint in Edinburgh as that's all they serve GOURMET BURGER KITCHEN 137 GEORGE STREET, EDINBURGH.

Byline: BY TAM COWAN 

They say that burgers can't be choosers (or something like that) but it's a different story at GBK in Edinburgh.

Apart from offering a classic beefburger (100 per cent Aberdeen Angus beef) in 14 variations including Jamaican, Mexican, cajun and satay, Gourmet Burger Kitchen - to give the place its full Sunday name - boasts something to please everyone.

Just so long as you like burgers, of course. Five chicken burgers, five veggie burgers, five speciality burgers (chorizo, pork and apple, lamb, Greek lamb and venison) and three junior burgers (for kids or smaller appetites).

Elsewhere on the menu?

Well, erm, there isn't much else on the menu...

Just four salad options (who the hell goes to a place called Gourmet Burger Kitchen for a bleeding salad!) and three side dishes - GBK fries, a mixed leaf salad and GBK sauces. There's not a sniff of a starter on the menu (no bad thing as I promise you'll be stuffed after your burger) and, if any desserts are available, they must be on a seperate sheet.

Again, though, I guarantee you won't have room for a pudding. In short, I could sum up this eaterie in four words - good burgers, great milkshakes. End of story.

The decor is all wooden floors and wooden panels and I bet the owners are delighted we're now two years into the smoking ban. One casually discarded cigarette butt in this place and it wouldn't only be the burgers chargrilling.

My mate Keith reckons they've spent more money on the spotless toilets than the main restaurant.

Spotless loos are reminiscent of the regularly-inspected WCs at McDonald's. Unfortunately, that's not the only similarity.

At Gourmet Burger Kitchen, I'm afraid it's a case of queueing up to order your food and paying your bill in advance.

I hate that system (who wants to fork out for a meal before you've even tasted it?) but I hope it doesn't put anyone off visiting GBK as, unlike flimsy McDonald's efforts that you could cook by holding under your oxster for five minutes, the burgers were really good.

Now, don't get me wrong. In terms of a truly great burger in the capital city - an Edinburger if you like - I don't think the peerless Bell's Diner has anything to worry about as the tiny Stockbridge restaurant, if you'll pardon the pun, makes mincemeat of its rivals. I've also heard good reports about The Cambridge - any readers from Edinburgh care to spill the beans?

But if you're passing GBK and you're partial to a burger, I would recommend you give it a bash.

We both ordered the plain and simple cheeseburger - a hefty, juicy beef patty cooked to perfection with lots of melted cheddar and a good dollop of salad and relish.

Thankfully, the pointless, tedious sesame seed bun (perhaps my No.1 culinary pet hate) was conspicuous by its absence.

Instead, the burgers were served in oversized sourdough rolls which, unless I'm very much mistaken, tasted as though they had been baked on the premises.

The GBK fries were also pretty good. They're billed as "freshly prepared" chips on the menu - but I can safely assure you the only preparation involves someone in the kitchen digging a handful out of the deep-freeze and dropping them into the fryer.

Yes, they were unquestionably frozen chips, but they were dry, crispy and a deep golden brown. And that's fine in my book.

The dips for the chips (garlic mayo, blue cheese, satay) are also meant to be good but, having forked out pounds 2.65 for a relatively small portion of fries, I wasn't prepared to hand over another pounds 1.50 for a smattering of sauce.

The burgers were washed down with a couple of excellent milkshakes. Okay, pounds 3.45 seems a little steep but the ice-cream content was very impressive.

Overall verdict?

Well, Keith reckons Gourmet Burger Kitchen will be "something else" a few months down the line - I'm not so sure.

TAM'S HOT PLATE AWARD

GOURMET BURGER KITCHEN

Address: 137 George Street, Edinburgh

Tel: [phone]

Open: All day, seven days

Wheelchair access: Yes

Bill for two: pounds 27

Food: 4/5 - great if you like burgers

Service: 3/5 - partly self-service

Decor: 4/5 - simple but spotless

Toilets: 4/5 - ditto

Value: 3/5 - dearer, but better, than Mickey D's

Total: 18/25

The current Hot Plate winner is Grill Room, Royal Exchange Square, Glasgow. 0141 225 5610

23/25 Two Fat Ladies At The Buttery, 652 Argyle Street, Glasgow. Tel: [phone].

23/25 Jockey Club Restaurant, Western House Hotel, 2 Whitletts Road, Ayr. Tel: [phone].

22/25 Urban Bar and Brasserie, 23-25 St Vincent Place, Glasgow. Tel: [phone].

22/25 Spice Garden, 11 Clyde Place, Glasgow. Tel: [phone].

22/25 Bella Fresca, 2093 Paisley Road West, Glasgow. Tel: [phone].

22/25 The Champany Inn, Linlithgow, West Lothian. Tel: [phone].

22/25 Harviestoun, Dollar Rd, Tilllicoultry. Tel: [phone].

22/25 Amarone, Nelson Mandela Place, Glasgow. Tel: [phone].

21/25 Chatters, 58 John Street, Dunoon. Tel: [phone].

21/25Pataka, 190 Causewayside, Edinburgh. Tel: [phone].

'There's not a sniff of a starter on the menu (no bad thing as I promise you will be stuffed after your burger)'

[e-mail]

CAPTION(S):

BUN APPETIT... Burgers; HELP YOURSELF... Diners must order food at the counter; ONE TRICK PONY: Food is great - if you like burgers