Ad Lib/Merchant City

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• What are these?

• Average price 2 courses:
   £11.50 (lunch)
   £15 (evening meal)
• House wine: £11.95 per bottle

• Hitlisted
• High point: Possibly the best burger and chips in town
• Low point: Short on vegetarian options
• Food served: Sun-Thu 11am-10pm; Fri/Sat 11am-11pm
• Open since: 2006
• Also offers: Childrens portions, Childrens high chairs, Wheelchair access, Take away

The List's Eating & Drinking Guide 2008 is now in the shops.

This review is from the 2007 edition.

A handsome old fire station on Ingram Street houses the second branch of Ad Lib, which hopes to extend its deluxe-diner appeal to the Merchant City. The original might still be slightly funkier, with its long bar and American-style booths, but the newer addition is sleeker: an open-plan room in soft browns, with the listed building's marble walls shimmering under the lights. With a slightly more sophisticated atmosphere, the staff here are calm and professional, while the chipper service on Hope Street appeals to a younger crowd. The chefs at both are afforded a great deal of creative freedom, which is emphasised by an imaginative specials board that can feature a Vietnamese noodle dish or fish tempura. A 'soul food' section of the menu is similarly diverse, ranging from Louisiana chicken to Thai curry, and even inflects the starters with options such as sweet polenta crab-cakes. However, Ad Lib's biggest draw is probably its selection of gourmet burgers, the classic Aberdeen Angus version a tight, juicy pack of finely-ground mince on a toasted sesame bun, served with stringy fries. Grill options include a lean T-bone steak through which a knife cuts with ease, topped with a luxurious blue cheese sauce. A velvety brownie with sticky bourbon-toffee sauce is the pick of the desserts.