It was burgers all round for me and two friends in a quick visit to Bill’s for a pre-theatre meal.
Situated in a former Methodist Church, Bill’s is decked out in stylish, contemporary décor with high ceilings that make the restaurant feel spacious and airy. Even though it was pretty early on a weekday, Bill’s has a convivial atmosphere and was by no means empty when we walked in on Tuesday.
After being seated by a welcoming waiter, we ordered a bottle of the Macabeo, which was pretty good for a house white, and set about deciding what we wanted to eat. There are a number of good dishes for vegetarians, giving us a range of choice that envies the options of the meat-eaters, a welcome change from a single veggie option in a sea of meat dishes. In a moment of health-consciousness I set my sights on the glow bowl (falafel, salad, quinoa, roast veg, etc.), but was instantly jealous that my friends were about to get a load of chips with their burgers, so instead went for the Halloumi Burger. Our trio of burgers doesn’t really reflect the range of choice available at Bill’s – expect to see a considered selection of mains including Pan Fried Sea Bass, Chicken Green Curry and classed-up version of Macaroni Cheese.
Our burgers arrived quickly, the beef versions accompanied with all the usual trimmings plus a ‘secret sauce’. Mine came with tomato hummus, sweet chilli sauce, roasted red peppers and a delicate mixed salad, plus a generous helping of lime aioli. There was probably a little bit too much going on in the bun and not quite enough halloumi, but the flavours complemented each other nicely. Had there not been an excess of sauce with the hummus and the sweet chilli already in the bun, I would have made much more use of the aioli. My friends seemed content with their hamburgers and tucked in eagerly before I’d had a chance to ask them to take a photo of their plate.
Bill’s is what a good chain should be – we were in and out in just over an hour, with stomachs full and wallets not too empty. It’s not overwhelmingly good (or overwhelmingly anything really) but it doesn’t need to be – Bill’s knows it’s there to get the job done.