Who are they?
The yacht is a pub run by the Flaming Grill chain and as such it focuses as much on food as it does on the usual British pub drinking experience. As such, it has to be the first pub I have ever been to that includes the normal, Wetherspoons' staples of burgers, steaks, currys and pasta dishes alongside Turkish kebabs, Mediterranean seafood and tons of others. Check the menu out here, though I am not sure exactly how authentic these are might be compared to the real thing. Either way, both the food and drink is cheap and on the recommendation of a good pair of friends we tried them out on a Friday
Thoughts
Being a Friday and as well as the first Friday after payday, it was no surprise to find the pub packed - beer garden and all - with wait times of an hour minimum for all food. In this case, it's not difficult to pass the time and after ordering their massive Grill Burger (having been egged on by Natalie) and settled in to some cocktails to pass the time.
Needless to say, the burger itself is intimidating by its sheer size: two large beef patties, fried onions, tomato relish, cheese, bacon and two small chicken breasts sandwiched in a sedans bun. The only disappointing thing was the portion of chips and onion rings, which was promised as a giant double portion, though such thoughts were an initial overreaction and I was glad to have fewer things on my plate
So first
and foremost, an eating challenge is not just a bad idea, it comes with pretty
terrible quality ingredients as well. The oversized burgers were of the frozen
variety, as expected, but had such a dry and overly processed consistency with
the additional rusk and gristle paired with the thoroughly tasteless beef (if
this was actually what the burger was made out of). To eat one was a challenge;
to eat two was a thorough challenge. The top burger was much easier to tackle,
given that it had received some of the relish and melted cheese to
counterbalance the lack of flavour, whilst the second was a complete drag to
have to eat. Likewise, the bun was overly toasted and lacking in flavour,
leaving me reaching for a judicial dollop of ketchup to even out the equation.
However,
there is light at the end of the tunnel, as the bacon and dual chicken breasts
at the top of the stack could not have been tastier. The pieces contained
plenty of tender, juicy meat and flavour despite having probably shared the
same freezer space a half an hour prior. To me, this is proof that this
establishment has some decent food on offer if you choose wisely, though beef
patties are sadly not on this preferred list.
As a place for burgers, I suppose that the fare is on par with other pub chains, though
I won't recommend the challenge as something to travel to do. I was grateful
for the albeit small portion of oven chips as a distraction from the massive
burger, which clearly was more quantity over quality. as time was no factor in
the challenge, I say that anyone who is determined enough can probably finish
it, but at the cost of a bloated stomach and the pain of the last few bites
where my whole mouth screams not to eat something so dry.
This "challenge" experience also makes me think that the burger challenge at Red Dog Saloon
probably offers a better prospect because even if you don't manage to down the
burger, chips and milkshake in 15 minutes, you are still left with a tasty,
good quality burger. With the Yacht, you are just left with a stodgy
disappointment.
Conclusion
Novelty value notwithstanding, the food at The Yacht is on par if not slightly worse that your basic pub fare, though if this meal is anything to go by what they lack in quality they make up for in quantity. Don't expect haute cuisine here, just a ton of rather sub-standard ingredients for a massive meal and were it not for peer pressure I wouldn't have enjoyed it more than I did.
Score
5/10
Where can I find them?
http://www.flaminggrillpubs.com/pub/yacht-bexleyheath/c1884/
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