After being invited to Ruby to try out their new menu, we jumped at the chance of a burger break from revision.
Since opening in 2012, Ruby has become renowned in Exeter for it’s good quality, local sourced food, and has picked up multiple awards, so we knew that we were likely to be in for a treat.
There have been some tweaks to the previous menu alongside the addition of the House Specials, including three new pulled meat sandwiches, a salt beef sandwich, jerk wings and nachos.
First off, we had a couple of sides as starters. The Turbo Nachos from the Specials; everything you’d expect from everyone’s favorite Mexican dish but packed full with flavour and generous helpings of all the different elements.
The Mac & Cheese, a diner essential in my eyes and Ruby’s is a winner, especially with the crunchy topping.
We were keen to branch out from our ‘usual’ burgers so we decided on sampling three of the new specials; The Larry, the Mutha Ducker and the Salt Beef Stack. NB during exams it is fully condonable to have three mains between two people.
The Larry: Smoked pulled lamb with Moroccan spices, lettuce, spicy slaw, cumin mayo and feta.
The spices in this complemented the lamb perfectly. The fresh and crunchy slaw with an added kick was so good we ordered extra as a side, which speaks volumes for non slaw-lovers.
We also order a side of poppers filled with jalapeno and cream cheese. Don’t worry the pepper isn’t too hot; it adds a kick without getting jalapeno business.
Next, The Mutha Ducker: Smoked Pulled Duck with lettuce, cucumber, spring onion and Hoisin sauce.
This proved to be everything we love about Hoisin duck wraps but the Ruby duck was particularly melt-in-the-mouth tender and the Asian combo worked surprisingly well with the Brioche bun.
The Salt Beef Stack: Hot Salt Beef, Monterey Jack Cheese, Tangy Sauerkraut and Ruby Sauce in a Brioche Bun
This hands down stole the show for us. The Salt Beef was particularly tender and this stack just oozed cheesy, meaty, saucy goodness.
It was by far the most photogenic as well.
Finally, we finished off our feasting with a little palate cleanser in the form of Ruby’s new sorbets; the gluten free addition to the dessert menu. We sampled the strawberry, raspberry and elderflower sorbets, which were a perfect, mix of fruity, tart and sweet. Such a great option for when you’re full to burst but need to end on a sweet note. This was exactly how we felt after powering through all this food!
Overall we were really impressed by the quality of the meat used in Ruby’s Specials and it really was cooked to perfection. We particularly loved the option on the menu for sliders, where you can choose three half-size burgers; perfect for those who are particularly hungry, or indecisive or both (this was evidently us on this occasion.) Now exams are over, we will definitely be going back for a celebratory burger or two.