For fast food it's hard to beat - they are using a new way to pay and while a bit strange at first…read moreit works well Week 5 burger was great

Having spent more time in McDonalds over the past couple of years (with friends and friends who…read morehave children and babysitting a couple of grumpy teenagers now and again, and my other half and 2 teenage children), it has changed from my student days nearly 11 years ago. Before it was something that vaguely resembled meat on a soggy bun and watery coke to wash it down served with fries that were maybe potato in a previous lifetime (one good thing back then about McD's, they let you add the salt yourself rather than Wimpy and Burger King where the salt is added when they are cooked), the staff (rarely spoke and were definitely unhelpful) looked about as grey as the burgers and the decor and the furniture was functional not stylish (think lots of moulded plastic). Now they've done an about turn and realised that if they are going to survive they need to change. How have they changed? Well salads for a start, and I don't mean just a few limp bits of lettuce. The salad bowls are well thought out with good choices, garden salad (greens with tomato, cucumber, onion etc), grilled chicken salad and crispy coated chicken salad and Caeser salad (as well as being excellent portion sizes). With all the salads you are given the dressing in a tub, so its up to you how much you slather on. Also on the menu now are Quorn burgers (though I haven't tried these yet, but they actually look really good), so vegetarians now have a choice apart from the obligatory bean burger (which is hit and miss at the best of times). The deserts have also changed and there is now fresh fruit, fruit salads and I've also seen natural yoghurt served with mixed berries. .........and thats just for the adults. What about the kids? We've all seen the documentaries about how badly the kids (and adults!) of today are eating. You only have to turn on the tv to see Jamie Oliver campaigning about school dinners or the fast food documentary 'Super size me' (was it this that prompted some of McD's changes I wonder?) as well as the scary health programmes that tell us that most of todays kids will not have a very long life span thanks to the junk they eat. ............So that brings me back to what McD's now have on offer to children. Before it was chicken nuggets (and I've never seen chicken look like that) covered in ketchup (which is full of sugar and salt), although these options are still available they now offer chicken grills (mini proper chicken breast fillets grilled, no salt, no coatings), carrot sticks, veggie bites, grapes, apples, corn on the cob and fish bites (like fish fingers and 100% fish fillet). These are only a few of the now 108 items available to children for the new happy meals (prices range between 2.49 and 3.49 depending where you go). They also have a nutrition chart for their most popular products and their childrens basic menu printed on the back of the liners they use for the trays, so you can actually see that things are improving and they really are trying to cut down the amount of sugar, fat and salt in their food. Also available (if you ask a member of staff) is a booklet that contains the nutrition facts for every single product they sell (the information is also available on their website). Add to this mix, special offers on burgers that are only available for certain periods of time or on certain days (their Deli sandwiches which look very like Subway's sandwiches). The decor has changed and looks more Jasper Conran than eastern block with swish leather look stools and block sofas. Unfortunately the new look isn't going to last. Only a month after the furniture was changed I started noticing little tears in the fabric, stains on the wood tables and the children's art work which had been up on my previous visit had been removed to show that they had stuck it up with glue. The dried glue 'blobs' still attached to flaking paint. I'll give McD's their due the whole chain has tried to change but in some locations you aren't going to get people eating rabbit food (salads) or being respectful of the furniture. It is meant to be a high turn over restaurant and I have noticed the staff make a lot of fuss around you if you've been sat for more than 30 minutes (you try being quicker when you have kids in tow) if the restaurant is busy in a hope you'll hurry up and leave and vacate your seat for the next hungry hoard coming in. I don't like being rushed especially when I've paid for the privilege to sit down and eat and I've noticed this branch is worse than most at doing it. The toilets were grim and thats about as polite as I can be about them. I'm sure they were clean but the lack of respect I noticed by customer and also staff left the toilets in a very horrid state, with no proper handbasins only the metal wall mounted ones. I realise this is for space saving but I now make a point of trying not to use the facilities! Overall, I try now and avoid this and other McD's as much as possible their recent

When it comes to good old American style grub, I love a hot dog. More specifically I love a chilli…read morecheese dog, and that's where my problems begin. You see, I've found it ridiculously hard to find a chilli cheese dog in Glasgow that has blown me away. The chilli is too hot or not hot enough, the cheese isn't melted or there just isn't enough of it, the hot dog is of a pretty poor quality... the list goes on. Finally my quest is over. Burger7 have been crowned my hot dog knights in shiny tin-foil armour. Burger7 have been on mine and Craig S's "Top 5 to Try" list for a wee while now so when the mood struck us for some USA dining we decided to take a wee drive out. I found a local postcode and placed a justeat collection order so it would be ready for us arriving. (I won't go into the saga that we thought we were ordering from the Coatbridge restaurant and ended up ordering from the Airdrie restaurant by accident!) I had ordered my chilli cheese dog, some gravy fries and a side of mac and cheese (always!!!) and couldn't wait to tuck in when we got home. First, the gravy fries. It is not your average chips and gravy. The gravy was thin, homemade and sweet, with a tomato-y tang to it. It tasted delicious and went well with the perfectly cooked fries. The portion was absolutely huge too so I was quite happy to share when my little one and hubby decided they wanted to try them too. The mac and cheese was really creamy and well seasoned, with a lovely hint of sharpness. I'm crazy about mac and cheese and this was some pretty good mac. The portion size was just about right, but again my wee one had decided that this looked pretty tasty too and helped me eat it. Now, I know you want to hear about that hot dog. As it was foil wrapped for our journey home it was a mess... a beautiful one at that. The bratwurst was juicy and flavoursome without being watery or greasy. It was also huge and outsized it's bun. The chilli wasn't too chunky, had a nice kick of heat to it without being overpowering. And it was just covered in melty sharp cheese. Everything tasted great on its own. Together, it was pure bliss. I've been searching high and low for that hot dog and now I've found it you can guarantee it'll be a regular part of my life now.

If you are wanting a sit down restaurant this is not your place. Me and my husband drove 35 mins to…read moreeat there however no seating.. disappointing

Eats from the Street is a pop-up village at Glasgow Fort with 5 different vendors - it was on this…read moreweekend, and will be back on 1/2 November, and then 29/30 November and 27/28 December. I'd never been to Glasgow Fort so it was quite the adventure for us to head along and check it out (although I wanted to cry when I realised the Fort is an outside shopping park!). The set up of Eats from the Street is pretty cool, there's a double decker red bus parked outside Argos and the 5 food vendors all have their own set up around the bus. You grab your food and take a seat in one of the booths in the bus to eat - meaning you're out of the wind/rain which is nice. There's also dining tables outside if it's not raining. When we visited, the foods on offer were from Zoete Koek (crepes/waffles), Mighty Mexican (tacos, burritos), Breaking Bread (bahn mi), Nusou (noodles), Fat Hippo (burgers). I was impressed with the range and that none of the stalls were selling the same thing, meaning there was a good range of variety. I'd never tried any of these stalls but decided to go with Nusou noodles of the chicken variety. Most stalls seemed to be selling food at the £5 mark which I thought was a really good price for what you go. The noodles were super tasty, fresh and packed with veggies - I'd definitely get these again! Graeme tried a burger from Hippo and it had a crazy-good sauce on it which I'd have happily scoffed in a tub on its own. Sitting in the bus was a nice way to spend a Sunday lunch and generally the street food area had a pretty cool vibe to it. Check out the website for details of who'll be popping up for future dates, it's well worth heading along to check it out, especially if you live close to the Fort. (It's worth noting that there's some construction work happening at the Fort just now and there were really long queues of cars to get in when we were leaving - we arrived just after midday and didn't have any problems getting in, it seems to get busier later in the afternoon. Be warned!)

Great place to bowl, eat and drink, with good entertainment and music. The centre is as new, very…read moreclean and tidy with top class bowling lanes. The staff are also very friendly and helpfull. Pro bowl has the best bowling pricies anywere, with great deals on all the time and party packages available too. Great place for the kids, and adults alike. Fab night out or to test your bowling skill!!!

Great place to spend a few hours with or without the kids. Prices are very reasonable and there's…read moreseveral good deals running day and night. Place was clean and staff were tidying up throughout the time I was there. Staff were helpful and cheery especially to my children. Would definitely recommend it and I have already made plans to go back with friends.

Myself and a few friends were there a little bit ago for a last minute dinner. They were kind…read moreenough to let us in 5 minutes before the kitchen closed...super thankful for that because we were starving and had run out of options. Their steak pie that the rest of my party had was pretty good, drinks are great, but the burger...not so much. I tried to play it a little safe with that, but it was over cooked and the burger itself was small and flat. The ambience of the place is nice, quiet, and relaxing. I would return, but I'd just choose a different main dish.

Mondo has a nice look and feel to it since the location had a refit when it changed to Mondo…read more If you ever visited this location when it was called 'Ata bar & Grill' the menu is quite similar, a few changes but nothing too drastic. Overall the quality of the food is good, the prices are reasonable and staff are attentive and friendly. My only issue with Mondo is that the quality can vary, and the vegetarian options are limited to 2 pizzas and one pasta (main courses). Since changing to Mondo I have visited twice and ordered the Penne Arriabiata each time. The first visit the sauce coated the pasta and was tasty with a slight heat. The second ( more recent visit) the sauce was too spicy ( in my opinion) which killed the subtle flavour and as it was a drier consistency which did not coat the pasta. Friends and family members who have visited have liked the quality and despite my concerns I'd visit again.

This place seems like it has been there since time began and the decor has never changed nor have…read morethe staff. The thing to get if you go here is a burger with onions and a cola float. Huge roll with a tiny burger in it and packed full of steamed onions. It might not sound too appealing but it takes me back to my childhood when this seemed like a great treat all washed down with cheap cola topped up with ice cream. Seats are hard wooden type bench type and lights are bright orange plastic shades which omit hardly any light. An experience to be tried at least once if you are in Airdrie.

Roll and sausage with onions Has now unfortunately closed :-(read more

Its a Beefeater , but to be honest I think this chain in food quality and quantity is great value…read moreand a big step up above your harvestors and brewers fayres . You will get a good steak here but the beer choice is limited . The layout and general quality of surroundings are good and the service excellant.

when you've been travelling all day you really need to fall down and sleep but I suppose it's…read moreimportant to take some fuel on board first and I'd say we were very lucky to choose the Premier Inn attatched to the Black Bear. OK, so it's a beefeater and serves the standard Beefeater fayre. I don't really have a problem with that as it happens to be the kind of food I like. I had a sirloin cooked exactly how I asked and accompanied by plenty of fries and a very tasty serving of salad, I rounded my meal off with a large ice-cream sundae which wasn't brilliant on quality but there was plenty of it. Because we were staying at the Premier Inn we got the meal deal of two courses and a drink and breakfast which did work out cheaper and to some extent lessened the impact of the 'higher than they should be' prices. The service we received was excellent with the staff being friendly but not intrusive. In line with new legislation the staff team went to great lengths to make sure gluten free items were served without contamination from allergens.

Perfect location for a late night snack when you stagger out of the pub after a night out. Prices…read moreare cheap and food is of an okay standard. Usual things on the menu that you would expect such as Pizza's, burgers, kebab's etc. My personal favourite is a Bonanza burger which is basically a burger topped with kebab meat and sauce and popped in a burger bun. I also like their chips, they are those little thin geasy ones that are oh so appealing after a night on the tiles. Staff are nice enough and shop always looks nice and clean. It can get quite busy on weekends when pubs spill. They also have a selection of curries etc on their menu but I have never had a curry from them. Not to keen on their pizza's though as hate these cheap bought in bases.