Mockingbird Taproom

After a day out in Chester with the family, we descended on Mockingbird Taproom for our evening meal. Being a big fan of The New Moon Company and their chain of pub /​restaurants around the North West, such as Beef and Pudding in the city centre and The Old Sessions House in Knutsford to name just a few, I thought it would be a safe bet for some excellent food at very reasonable prices.
The restaurant and its food is themed around the deep south, so the menu features a lot of Gumbo, Louisiana style chickens and steaks as well as burgers.
I opted for a Gumbo called ‘Drowning Cow’ — bbq beef brisket was the main feature. Now, it says at the top of the menu «All Gumbos have a touch of spice» — to which I thought, «no problem» as I’ve eaten many a spicy food before. BUT, this was so spicy that I pretty much had to leave half of it. I was gutted, as the dish was lovely and tasted great, but it was far too spicy for something that had «a touch of spice next to it». Neil C. eats Vindaloo, and even he deemed this dish too hot to be able to finish. So it’s not like i’m a wimp or anything, it was HOT! But wasn’t marked on the menu as hot. Maybe the chef just went a little crazy on this occasion.
They have a children’s menu, but even the under 12’s bbq ribs had a spicy kick — which my nephew didn’t like.
It’s a lovely restaurant and the bar area is great. Next time i’d opt for a burger, as I’m sure there’d be no overly spicy options.