Christmas is the time for friends and family to come together, for snow and laughter, and to share gifts with each other. More importantly though, it’s about food – and lots of it!
Barbecue food might not be the usual choice for the festive season, but we can guarantee it’s much tastier than a dry bit of turkey or boiled Brussels sprouts. Last week, Red’s True Barbecue launched their new Bottomless Christmas Feast, alongside a dedicated Bottomless Cocktail menu. From Meat-Lovers to the Meat-Free, there’s something for everyone to get tucked into here.
We tried a range of festive cocktails, starting off with a refreshing mimosa – the perfect way to kick off the night. The atmosphere at Red’s was relaxed, welcoming and warm. During our meal, we were even treated to an entertaining visit from Father Christmas, who brought the house down with a tune or two from the likes of ‘Let Me Entertain You’ and ‘Sweet Caroline’.
More cocktails followed this live performance. This included a very Christmassy gin cocktail with an icing sugar rim that shimmered under the lights. It can sometimes be tricky to balance the line between novelty and taste, but Red’s cocktails certainly delivered on all fronts.
We were kept well supplied with drinks, including Pornstar Martinis as well as Whiskey Sours. Both of Red’s Bottomless Packages come with drinks included, which means you can enjoy a range of lager, cider, Prosecco, red & white wine, and festive cocktails with your meal. When the drinks are flowing, and the fun keeps going!
Onto the main event: the bottomless feast.
Both the Meat-Lovers and Meat-Free versions came with mash, gravy, onion rings, fries, and festive cornbread. The cornbread was surprisingly delicious, and its sweetness offset the heaviness of the meal. The onion ring was enormous and crispy, and the mash was smooth and tasty. If I had one criticism, it would be the gravy. For a Manchester restaurant, it is essential to get the gravy right, and Red’s was simply too thin and tepid. Improve the gravy game, and the rest of the plate has more of a chance to shine.
I opted for the Meat-Free version, which came loaded with pulled jackfruit, cauliflower wings, smoked vegan sausage, garlic chilli greens and crispy onions. The cauliflower wings were crispy and smokey, and I coated them in some of Red’s speciality sauces.
I was impressed with the garlic chilli greens, which were chargrilled broccoli, adding some much-needed veg to the meal. Generally, I’m not a fan of jackfruit and find it a bit stringy and sweet, but that’s just my personal preference. However, the beauty of this bottomless plate is that there’s so much on offer that you’re guaranteed to find something you like, and you definitely will not go home hungry.
My friend tried the Meat-Lovers feast, which definitely lived up to its name. She had pork ribs, cheese and jalapeno sausage, pulled pork stuffing balls, turkey breast, unholy BBQ XXXL wings, smoked chicken, and meaty pit beans. Unexpectedly, her favourite part was the pit beans – they had a deep and rich, smoky flavour to them. She also enjoyed the pork ribs and BBQ wings, all perfectly accompanied by the extra sides on the plate, such as the mash. She was even given an extra plate of stuffing balls, which were deliciously herby! In the end, the plate defeated her.
After all, that’s what you want from a bottomless anything: enough simply is not as good as a feast!
Red’s True BBQ Bottomless Feast is available all day Wednesday – Sunday until 30th December in Manchester, Leeds, and Nottingham! To book a bottomless feast at Red’s, head to their website.
