Instagram #32:

I thought I'd probably saved up enough photos to make another one of these worth it, so here we go! Strap yourself in for four months worth of Instagram memories...

1. Snowboarding for the first time ever on Valentine's Day with my lady love. (Craig was also there.)

2. The view at the top of a very snowy CairnGorm Mountain, taken after falling on my bum a lot while attempting to snowboard.

3. I've been taking a fair few domestic flights for work lately, so this has become a fairly standard sight in my life.

4. A truly wonderful burger at The Breakfast Club in Soho, London. I forced two of my work friends to travel on the Tube for an hour each way just to eat here, and it was totally worth it!

5. A dorky morning selfie, but I guess I felt good that day, so why not?

6. There's pretty much always cake at WOW247 meetings, and this time it came on Toy Story plates. Awesome, right?

7. Celebrating my oldest and best friend's birthday in March with a meal at my home from home, Burger Meats Bun.

8. My glorious usual at BMB: the Big Cheese and cheesy chips.

9. Another (perhaps unnecessary) selfie! I guess it was sunny that day, what with the sunglasses and all.

10. Craig's Easter basket, complete with a chocolate 'egg sandwich', Community mug and  - of course - Easter chicks.

11. My amazing Mary's Milk Bar Easter egg from Craig.

12. A photo in my Grandad's album (from August 1963) of the first Forth Road Bridge half built.

13. Irn Bru flavoured cider (discovered in Carlisle, of all places) called Clan MacFannie. Stay classy!

14. Me and the brother of the bride at his sister's lovely vintage-themed wedding. I could've been a '40s war wife, for sure.

15. The sun setting on one of many flights back to Edinburgh.

16. Attempting to juggle journalism and eating/drinking is not always the easiest, but as long as there's one hand free for my G&T...

17. A new decal for my laptop - I love it!

18. Home made salad niçoise, with smoked salmon instead of tuna. Yum! (And, yes, I actually prepared it myself...)

19. I got a complimentary postcard with my cocktail at Slighhouse on George IV Bridge.

20. I volunteered myself to DJ at my sister's flat warming, armed with Franz Ferdinand, Arcade Fire and way, way too much prosecco. Oops.

21. Visiting with my friends' new cockapoo puppy, and brand new love of my life.

22. Another shot of little baby Chumbo.

23. Indoor fireworks at a lovely wedding in the George Hotel.

24. My dorky face on the new and improved WOW247 Edinburgh home page.

25. Craig, me and our toothy smiles at the aforementioned wedding.

26. A delicious burger on my first visit to Bread Meats Bread in Glasgow. (I'm sorry Burger Meats Bun, please forgive me!)

27. Making new furry friends at Tchai-Ovna in Glasgow this weekend.

28. More burgers (at Nice 'N' Sleazy this time) with my best burger boys, Craig and Steven.

29. And my chosen Nice 'N' Sleazy burger, the Lucretia - delicious!

Burger Meats Bun, Edinburgh:

The title of this post might sound familiar, and that's because I wrote about Burger Meats Bun in Glasgow here not four months ago.  I am (justifiably) obsessed.  BMB was the only Scottish restaurant included in a recent list of the UK's top 10 burger joints, and I couldn't contain my excitement when I heard the news that they would be opening an Edinburgh branch on Forth Street.  Of course I made sure I was there on opening night a couple of weeks ago with Craig, and my previous rave review about their amazing food still stands.

Inside, BMB Edinburgh is enough like the Glasgow premises to feel comfortingly familiar, but not a carbon copy.  The restaurant has high Edinburgh ceilings (quite a change from the Glasgow basement on West Regent Street) and large windows, making it bright and airy, which is especially nice during summer.

I was quite unadventurous on this visit and stuck to my usual Big Cheese burger (no regrets, it's still the best burger around!), but I did try the Buffalo chicken wings for the first time which were super tasty.  Dedicated fans of the BMB Glasgow needn't worry: the only thing different about Edinburgh's burgers are the buns, which are slightly bigger, so you actually feel like you're getting more for your money.  Bonus!

I had a couple of tasty cocktails to wash down my burger (their Dark & Stormy is still my favourite) and then Craig and I shared the intriguingly named Burger & Shake on BMB's dessert menu.  This turned out to be a jam filled macaron 'burger' with a baby milkshake to wash it down, which arrived with stripy paper straws - a blogger's dream!

The BMB Edinburgh staff were so friendly and happy to chat, even though they were no doubt rushed off their feet on their first day of trading.  We even got to meet the lovely Ben who co-owns Burger Meats Bun and who is partly responsible for the creation of my favourite burger.  So, essentially, my absolute hero!

Although I'm sure you've got the message by now, I can't stress how good these burgers are.  If you are an Edinburger (get it?) pop down to Forth Street pronto and try out one of these bad boys for yourself.  You will not be disappointed!

Burger Meats Bun, Glasgow:

 It's no secret that there is a special place in my heart for a good burger.  Last September I posted my list of Edinburgh's best burgers, and intended to write a corresponding one for Glasgow.  Sadly, this venture has been put on hold since I became a poor (and extremely busy) student again!  Still, when I was through for Glasgow's Film Festival last month, I did manage to pay my first visit to a restaurant I'd heard a lot about called Burger Meats Bun.

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Burger Meats Bun is hidden in a basement on West Regent Street, and when Nicola and I first popped in on a busy Friday night it was standing room only.  While waiting for a table, we enjoyed a drink at the bar.  As you probably know, I'm a fan of a cocktail or two, so I opted for a Dark & Stormy, with dark rum, lime juice and ginger beer.  It was delicious!  But I should have mixed it up before I drank it...  Rookie mistake.

After waiting our turn, we were seated at a tiny bar style table and asked for our order.  One of my favourite things about Burger Meats Bun is the simplicity of their menu.  You might think that a choice of three beef burgers, two chicken burgers, a veggie burger and a few sides isn't much, but when the burgers are this good, there's no need to dress them up with too many fancy toppings.  And, believe me, these burgers really are unbelievably tasty - I can't stress that enough!

The minimal menu also cuts down the excruciating decision making process, and pretty much eliminates the chances of food envy when your friend's burger looks infinitely more delicious than your own on arrival.  In my expert opinion, you can't beat a good, old fashioned cheese burger, and that's exactly what I ordered.

Burger Meats Bun don't believe in plates.  Of course, no plates mean no washing up, and that's a philosophy I can get on board with.  Instead, our burgers arrived wrapped in paper (kind of like McDonald's, but better) accompanied by a bucket of homemade fries.  The homemade part is important, because so many restaurants let their amazing burgers down with bog standard frozen chips.  We treated ourselves to a couple of yummy Pineapple Express cocktails with our food, which were on the specials board.

Okay, I have a confession to make now.  My first Burger Meats Bun experience was so good that I went back with other friends two days later.  And I ordered exactly the same thing.  Excessive?  No, because this was (on both occasions) the BEST burger I have eaten in a long time.  And if that doesn't persuade you, then I don't know what will!

Best burgers (Edinburgh edition):

My 100th Inferior Design blog post is dedicated to something very special and close to my heart: the burger.  When my sister and I were younger, my parents always used to make fun of us for going to different restaurants all around the world and ordering... a cheeseburger.  What they didn't realise is that - as all good scientists do - we were simply using the cheeseburger as a control in our big burger experiment in order to properly judge the food quality between establishments.  Or maybe we just really liked eating cheeseburgers.

Source: here

Either way, I do really like eating burgers, and finding new places to eat them.  Along with Craig and our friend Steven, I'm on the hunt for the best burger I can get my hands on, and Edinburgh has a few strong contenders.

Bar Kohl, 54 George IV Bridge

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I walked past Bar Kohl approximately forty thousand times before I finally decided to go in for lunch one day.  It's in a really central location, very close to the Royal Mile and the Grassmarket, and I've eaten there before gigs at the nearby Liquid Rooms a couple of times.  
There are a few other food options on the menu here, but - just as they should be - burgers are the main focus.  Most recently, I've had the New Jersey chicken burger for a change, and very much enjoyed it, but I've been known to go for the Kohl and the good old Cheeseburger in the past.  There are beef, chicken, lamb and even salmon burgers in their repertoire, as well as more than one vegetarian option (something that some burger joints fail at miserably). 

Although some of my friends have found the portion sizes of Bar Kohl's sides a little stingy, in general I would say that the burgers are pretty good value for money.  The other upside to Bar Kohl is their extensive cocktail menu, which has something for everyone.  They have plenty of seating, play good music and the staff have always been very friendly when I've visited.  Horrifyingly, however, they don't have a dessert menu!  Hopefully that won't put you off popping in for a burger, though.


Gourmet Burger Kitchen, 137 George Street

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Gourmet Burger Kitchen is the only chain restaurant that made it on to my best burger list, and for good reason.  If I'm honest, the first time I visited the Edinburgh branch after a recommendation from a friend, I was a little underwhelmed.  I remember the portions being small, the food being lukewarm by the time it got to us, and the bill being quite high at the end.  That being said, I've been back on several occasions since then and was pleasantly surprised at how much the quality of the food had improved.

On the very west end of George Street, Edinburgh's Gourmet Burger Kitchen is easy to get to if you are shopping on Princes Street, and quite roomy despite its deceptively tiny exterior.  A creature of habit, I usually order the Blue Cheese burger (essentially the grown up take on the default cheeseburger of my childhood) but there is a reasonably large menu to choose from.  Again, there are fish and vegetarian options on offer, as well as some more exotic meats.

Fries and other sides must be ordered and paid for separately, which I always think is a bit of a cheat.  Who wants a burger without chips?  Drinks are also a little expensive, but these are the perils of choosing to eat at a chain.  The actual burgers themselves are not extortionate in comparison to the others on this list, and they don't taste mass produced, which is a must for a really good burger.


City Cafe, 19 Blair Street

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Although City Cafe is usually my go to choice for hungover breakfasts (which I highly recommend, by the way) their extensive menu also includes burgers.  They don't have as many to choose from as some other restaurants, but not only does this make it easier to decide, it also gives you a higher chance of receiving an expertly cooked burger.

The last burger I sampled at City Cafe was the California, which was hands down the messiest thing I've ever tried to eat in my life.  There was guacamole everywhere.  Maybe I should have attempted to be civilised and used a knife and fork, but where's the fun in that?  According to the menu, everything about your burger is home made, even down to the bun.  I can't remember the fries clearly enough to comment, but they are included in the price of your burger which is always a plus.

City Cafe is decked out like a 1950s diner, and the place is definitely worth a visit, even just for a milkshake and a look around.  It's just off the Royal Mile or the Cowgate, depending on which direction you're coming from!


The Cambridge Bar, 20 Young Street

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The Cambridge Bar is a little off the beaten track, but easy to find if you know where you're going.  Tucked just behind the west end of George Street, the bar and restaurant is a hidden gem.  Disguised as a bit of an old man pub, it's actually home to some of the tastiest burgers Edinburgh has to offer, and unfortunately it isn't a secret.  If you want to guarantee yourself a table, make sure to book in advance, even on a week day!

The Cambridge's burgers are getting on the expensive side, especially as they don't come with any sides, but taste and quality are definitely worth the extra cash.  Their Blue (cheese) burger was a little too strong even for me on my last visit, but I have previously enjoyed the MOS (mushrooms, onions and swiss cheese), and they even do a Breakfast burger with a fried egg! 

The bar serves Thistly Cross cider, which is an excellent burger accompaniment, and I can also recommend their peanut butter and banana milkshake.  The Cambridge always has a great atmosphere, and is a cosy place to try one of Edinburgh's best quality burgers!


The Holyrood 9A, 9A Holyrood Road

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I'd heard that Holyrood 9A did a great burger long before I actually made it there, and I'm pleased to say that it lived up to the hype.  Unsurprisingly located on Holyrood Road, the restaurant and pub isn't far from the centre of town, and is easy to find.

Staying true to myself, I went for their Cheese burger (which comes with Swiss) and upgraded from standard fries to the sweet potato version.  Everything was delicious, and the sweet potato fries were a good decision, as Craig's string fries were nothing to write home about.  This was easily the tastiest burger I've had in a long time, and at the moment it definitely takes the crown for Edinburgh's best!