Bobby’s Tacos - They Do Sunday Brunch!
Confession time - I haven’t been to Bobby’s for Tacos yet.
Double confession time - I don’t rate Tacos!!!! To the point of where I would almost say, I don’t like tacos….almost, not quite…..
ARRRRGGGGGGHHHHHHHHH! There, I said it! It’s out there.
Similarly to my other unpopular opinions and thoughts towards, caviar, truffles, lobster, champagne and just about every other overpriced ‘luxury’ item that carries no actual substance and when you break it down there are just way better value for money alternatives out there. Burgers! There’s another one. Overated, they’re fine but what’s all the excitement about? I will never be that person who will regularly be happy to shove a £15 glorified sandwich into my gob.
For me, it’s all about value for money…..which really is how we should rate all food. I have had as many great meals in Wetherspoons as I have fancy restaurants and the great Gregg Wallace once said that he had been let down by some 3 Michelin starred restaurants in Europe but never by a trip to a Harvester. Who are we to argue with a man with so many accusations of misconduct thrown at him………….I can hear him now shouting ‘LAAAAVVVEEEERRRRLY’ mouth foaming with blue cheese dressing just after he’s polished off his third visit to the salad cart telling the entire place that he’d just done 500 sit ups…………
As you might imagine, I fully appreciate the work that goes into cooking nice things like tacos and burgers. I have a certain level of insider knowledge. I have made burgers before, I’ve made tacos before. I have even cooked lobster tacos, topped with caviar…….so what I’m saying is, I get it! The price is the price because of the hard work and great ingredients that go into making something delicious! But surely there has got to be a point where all of that hard work and great ingredient sourcing becomes irrelevant when the final product just isn’t good value for money? For me, burgers and tacos sit right in that little arena! I have tried all those amazing burgers in London, from all those reputable places and I still firmly believe that a maccies holds its own more than sufficiently. I don’t see the step up in quality vs price. That being said, I haven’t had a maccies for years because even those burgers are just, meh!
This is how I feel about tacos. Tacos are basically Drayton Manor Park in corn tortilla form. Packed with gimmicks, a prospect that you will be undoubtedly excited about, a brewing sense of adventure, only to be inevitably let down by the whole, underwhelming experience. Left out of pocket, yet strangely unfulfilled with a feeling like you’ve spent your time and hard earned money stood around watching other people have all the fun. Tacos don’t last, they are engulfed too swiftly, leaving you sat watching everyone else joyfully demolishing theirs.
What we’ve done is taken a street food….tacos……turned it into a trend and tried to make it a full, sit down, restaurant experience. I am not talking about Bobby’s here, I’m talking about the grander scale of ‘us’, the royal ‘we’….tacos everywhere…….What should have been a few quid for a quick fix on the move, becomes an upscaled price tag for a whole meal that will never quite deliver sufficient bang for your buck. While the deliciousness doesn’t come into question, it will never fully satisfy you……
This is a long winded way of saying that I am greedy and need at least 10 tacos, I could eat them all day long and not feel like I’ve eaten a meal.
To be clear, I am not saying that Bobby’s tacos aren’t delicious, let’s recap…..I haven’t been yet……but with the price of the meal, I would be more inclined to head to their sister restaurant, Dough & Oil and smash one of ‘those’ pizzas and end up feeling way more fulfilled with the whole experience. I am sure that if we had an MTV style Celebrity Death Match, Taco vs Pizza, we would unveil their costs and find them totally comparative but for some reason, the pizza just seems a more satisfying option! Before we all get our knickers in a twist, remember, I am but one man, albeit one man with an opinion that I am always more than happy to share without anyone asking for it, an opinion that is sometimes hard to swallow………
Having said all that, if anyone wants to prove me wrong, I am more than willing to attend Bobby’s for tacos as someones guest. You have the chance to change my opinion, as I am extremely open minded to these things….especially towards free dinner!
Right, that’s enough ‘taco bashing’……….let’s get down to why we are really here……..
Luckily for me and my narrow taco mind, Bobby’s don’t just do tacos. They also serve a taco free brunch! Every Sunday, 10-2pm.
This seems to be news to people. I am unsure how? Am I the only one of the 3629 followers they have on Instagram or the 12.7k followers their sister restaurant, Dough & Oil have that has seen any of their instagram posts about it? Another one of these Shrewsbury moments that makes me feel like I’m taking crazy pills. Almost everyone I have spoken to is shocked (and excited) to learn that they are open on a Sunday and serve brunch.
What I love about their brunch offer is that they have ditched the temptation to chuck 5000 items on a menu, try to cater for every possible customers requirement, putting the kitchen under way too much pressure (something far too common in our lovely town) and instead spend 4 hours perfecting the art of just 3 items. Do less but do that better! It’s the perfect philosophy. Especially considering I can’t make decisions, particularly on Sunday mornings……..it shows confidence and knowing who they are…….and who their customers are……..
They are banging out burritos, Mexican eggs and some homemade granola on those now synonymous metal ‘taco trays’…..
There was a rare occurrence in our house a few weeks ago. We stayed up beyond 10pm. I mean, it’s rare to be up after 9 but it can happen. But to pass 10????………we even passed midnight. This is roughly when I get in if I am working late but even then I am usually tucked up in bed by 12.30……..we passed 12.30……..In fact, we stayed up until the insane time of 1.30am! Mum & Dad were well and truly on the lash!
It was our anniversary, we threw a dinner party, we drank all sorts; then my beautiful wife said the immortal words ‘I have a bag of wigs upstairs’……I have never seen anything descend more into chaos so quickly in my life………
We had friends staying in Shrewsbury for the weekend. They’re from Manchester and so we instantly over compensated for their ‘coolness’. We had to impress and pander to their supposed coolness….they aren’t cool, not one bit…...we usually over compensate by sticking to the places that happen to have ‘that’ big city coolness to them, the Dough & Oil family……..
This time we had to deal with it being a Sunday morning. A struggle in Shrewsbury. Neither Dough & Oil, nor Oil is open and there aren’t many places serving the sort of hangover food we needed on this very rare, hungover occasion. Especially as my best man ‘HAD’ to get back to Manchester to watch the football, so service needed to be quick-ish!……..We needed flavours and we needed vibes and we needed them to not cost too much!……..ENTER BOBBY’S BRUNCH…..
Despite all the ‘taco bashing’ I do, I was excited to eat there. Who wouldn’t be? Everything else they run has great vibes, great flavours and never too expensive (remember it’s the value for money on a taco that’s the issue, not the price), just about everything you could need!
Bobby’s, if like me you haven’t yet ventured there or if like the other thousands of followers that don’t seem to know they exist on a Sunday, is set in The Parade. That weird sort of out of town but right in the middle of town, sort of still in use but lost, dystopian shopping centre but also a sort of accommodation complex that’s got a real misfit of shops in it. It’s like a resort hotel reception area in a small town in Thailand, packed with things the hotel owners ‘think’ you need. Ahhhh yes, I’ll just grab my model train set on the way to the beach……The lighting is weirdly bright and the whole place lacks atmosphere. There’s not really any reason to go there, but also lots of reasons to go there! It’s a strange place to me, always feels so far out of town, so disconnected, yet its less than a minute from the very centre of town. Anyway, there is another reason to go now…..Bobby’s. They have built a legit and actual real life hidden gem! Bobby’s is like the oasis of The Parade, almost like a mirage! It’s got that cool underground, sort of retro, slightly dark, upmarket dystopian feel that Dough & Oil and Oil both carry. I spent a large chunk of our meal constantly pointing into the corridor exclaiming ‘I would never believe I was in the Parade’……
The first thing I saw when we walked in was a smiling welcome from the staff. Precisely what I needed when I was still so blurry eyed, reliving and questioning every single shot of ‘Galliano’ I had the night before. It was precisely the sort of uplifting cuddle my soul needed that made me feel like I was in the right place, a place where someone was going to look after me!
The second thing I noticed was the most amazingly beautiful and stunningly organised fridge of Pacifico. All in a line, all neat and tidy. This is the kind of thing I used to need when I was hungover in kitchens. 10 minutes starring at the perfectly organised and labelled tubs in the dry stores helped ease the ‘hang-sixty’ or 5 minutes sat on the floor in the blast chiller stroking a bunch of chervil…..such pretty, soft leaves……..Again, another feeling that I was in the right place for my state……
The third thing I noticed…..THERE WAS A DOG!!!! The ultimate hangover cure. All you need is good food and a big fluffy doggo to cuddle! Am I in heaven?…….
The biggest revelation of this whole arrival didn’t land at first but I eventually noticed we were the only customers???? I couldn’t believe it. I had been panicking all morning that there wouldn’t be any tables left. We would be sat on the cold floor of the Parade in our Hawaiian shirts, stuck in the bright lights, lost…….I suppose with hindsight, the number of people who were surprised to hear that Bobby’s is open on a Sunday, it shouldn’t be a shock that they weren’t packed…….WAKE UP PEOPLE! YOU ARE ALL MISSING THE DELICIOUSNESS!!!!……..
Between the 4 of us we ordered 3 burritos and a granola. The first thing to come out though was a bottle of pure hope. Quite possibly the greatest hangover drink ever invented. This pink water stuff in old school milk bottles. I think it was hibiscus and something but I can’t really remember…………I have checked my notes, it just says ‘Pink Water, Everything Elections’…….the correct amount of sense for the hangover I was enduring………
I was the only person in our group either not driving or not too hungover to order a cocktail. I had the Jalarita and I think it was probably the best cocktail I’ve had in Salop. Spicy, sour but without a single suggestion of heartburn, a grand achievement considering my reflux issues! A compounding moment that made me truly realise that I was without question in the right place. I want this and the pink water on my back with 2 straws. I would be a happy, happy man!
Quite often, empty restaurants bother me. There is a lack of atmosphere and a constant overwhelming feeling that the staff are desperate to do something to avoid the inevitable cleaning, tidying and organising jobs. The pressure can be quite daunting and overbearing. Not here, it was gorgeously laid back and the service amazing (I’ll get on to that shortly). The food arrived swiftly, the one definite positive of an empty place………
There was a little confusion about the glutenisation in the wrap for the burritos but after checking and confirming that the burrito wrap, unlike the in house corn tortillas, had been touched deep inside by some wheat, we opted to have the burrito laid bare. Shamelessly ripped open and spread across out tray. We were delighted to see that they had given us some corn tortillas instead of the wheat wrap. We now had breakfast tacos………time for me to get confused about where I stand on the whole taco bashing thing………
The great thing was that we got to witness the burrito in its fully clothed glory as well as in its semi naked, teasing taco form. Both were everything they needed to be. The black beans were light and not too heavy, something they are often cursed with. The egg seasoning and texture was perfect for collecting up in a tortilla of any form. Too many chefs are too determined to create sloppy, wet eggs that are a struggle to collect with a fork and actual make toast more soggy. I almost let out an audible gasp of excitement when I realised there was a potato rosti/hash brown (what’s the difference? Should we care?). It had a lovely flavour, maybe a touch soggy but a comforting texture for a hangover. The avocado was bright green - tick, and very lightly seasoned. It could have been seasoned more but there were so many flavour on the plate, it just doesn’t really matter. The salsa rojo could only be described as perfect hangover heat. Just the right punch in the nasal passages and throat to clear you out without forcing a cough, splutter or gag that could have had dire consequences with the state we were in. The pickles added all the light relief you needed. The spit cooked pork was incredible. I think I saw on their insta page that they have one of those elephant foot, donor kebab rotisserie machines, but then maybe I didn’t? Maybe I am like everyone else I know who can’t remember anything on their socials? Weird?!
For £12 it was great value……had I found a taco format that I agree with? Maybe I need tacos when I’m hungover?…….
The house made granola looked like a great option for something a little lighter. My friend who was potentially in the worst state of anyone had that. It arrived with lots of little bowls so you could construct every mouthful however you choose. Our friend was largely concentrating on making sure she was breathing but did take a second to look up to let us know it was delicious.
While the food was great and in my constantly shared opinions, the perfect Sunday Brunch (far better than Rimmer & Lovejoy), what Bobby’s really needs to treasure is the service. From the moment we walked in, to the moment we left the two heroes of that place will be the front of house staff. Those beaming, welcoming smiles when we walked in, the easy way they tackled our gluten free needs, right up to the compliments about my dungarees on the way out (its like they knew their way to my heart) it was top drawer. I have done some shifts front of house and I can tell you, it is the hardest job going. It’s as stressful and physically demanding as the kitchen but you also have to deal with the ever changing landscape of customers, and you can’t escape………
As 4 extremely hungover close friends, who had spent the last 12 hours pretty much laughing non-stop we were, as you can imagine talking a hell of a lot of nonsense while being largely unhelpful and indecisive about pretty much everything. We were navigating conversations about 90s one hit wonder super group Extreme, reminiscing about a particular wig laden performance of ‘More Than Words’ my best man and I performed the night before. It spiralled into us forming our own Extreme tribute act, called Houmous & Chutney, before finding out one member of the original band’s name was Pat Badger. Which in turn led us to creating his solo project and hit album ‘Badger Loves….(mashed potato)’…….
To the four of us, this was a collection of the funniest conversations imaginable, to anyone from the outside, I can feel the tumbleweed. Even harder for a front of house magician to work their magic. We needed the sort of man management that Sir Alex Ferguson would be proud of!
You have to sort of acknowledge the laughter and fun, but not get too involved and risk knocking the wind out of our sails. You have to acknowledge the laughter but not let your customers think you are trying to get in on a joke you have no chance of understanding because it’s hardly even a joke in the first place. Fortunately for us, Sir Alex had donned the form of a waitress! A waitress who walked straight in to this, full on and absolutely smashed it. The perfect level of attentiveness; understanding the state we were in and delivering everything we needed and maybe even more. The even more bit, being when she came over and asked if we wanted some FREE CAKE! They were closing the kitchen for a week and had some cake to get rid of. Such a simple but generous gesture. Something so many places will overlook. The first instinct would be to put an offer on, to try to flog it. Then when that hadn’t sold, just chuck it in the bin! They would rather waste the food than offer out freebies. The food waste warrior inside me roared! What a stunning way to approach your food waste!
I’m unsure if the fact it was so quiet was just by chance and a one off quietness, but then Sunday’s can be strange for service. The fact of the matter is, this place should be packed every week. It has it all, good vibes, great food and even better service, at a really good price! I feel like I need to go around and give everyone a good shake lately, I am finding nothing but deliciousness, yet no-one seems to know about it. It certainly isn’t for Bobby’s trying, their socials are amazing, really clear and really attention grabbing, just like the rest of the family! So you don’t really have an excuse not to try it! I mean, hell, it was good enough to make me want to go back, stuff my own words into a corn tortilla and try their tacos, whilst drowning myself in pink water and Jalarita’s!
