Restaurant Review: Mustang Sally

Ouseburn Valley’s a curious place; a part of town that doesn’t take itself too seriously. Riddled with enigmas, in this funky valley nothing quite turns out to be what it purports to be: ‘The Biscuit Factory’ is an art gallery, the ‘Toffee Factory’ certainly doesn’t manufacture toffee and as for ‘Ouseburn Tower’: mate, my house is taller than that.

Wandering through Ouseburn’s delicate streets earlier this week, I noticed a small sign with a rather sorry looking American flag poking from it ushering me into a caravan-like structure named ‘Mustang Sally’ – who could this mysterious character be? In my quest to find out, I sat down for lunch. Here’s what I thought of it.

It’s a small space with about eight or nine booths split across both walls, which happen to be plastered with Western curiosities, where classic pick-me-up pop songs can be observed as you wait. Having been given the choice of authentic American burgers, hot dogs and a few sides (breakfast is also available) I settled on a ‘classic’ burger (boring, I know) and offered up the modest sum of just over six pounds.

Since I was the only customer (to be expected in such an isolated restaurant with very little brand exposure), the freshly prepared food didn’t take long to arrive. My burger was neat and presentable, but not ostentatious, and consisted of a tender beef patty, sweet mayonnaise, a tangy American cheese, and lettuce served on a toasted brioche bun. Chips (note that they were on the thicker side) were served alongside with coleslaw to provide a contrast. The burger remained intact whilst I was handling it and left a satisfying aftertaste that few burgers have pleased me with before. Although it didn’t look too substantial, the meal turned out to be very filling.

Having finished, I complimented the lone member of staff on her food, was assured the food didn’t come from the supermarket and, rather disappointingly informed that ‘Mustang Sally isn’t a real person. And, after leaving a tip, I was on my merry way.

Being so tucked away, this restaurant is forced to put customer satisfaction at the forefront of everything it does and it’s key that good impressions can be made on customers to keep them away from larger rivals like ‘Five Guys’, ‘Fenwicks Diner’ and ‘Ed’s Easy Diner’ and help keep this plucky little establishment open, especially given that their main customer base – students – won’t return until September.

I can wholeheartedly recommend ‘Mustang Sally’ for its quirky dining experience, faithful menu, good food and reasonable prices:

9/10.