Tornados Smokehouse

July 16, 2015

I had no idea an American style diner was located minutes drive from my house, competing with the likes of Maccas, Subway, Crust Pizza and a kebab shop. If you want a wholesome, greasy yet satisfying meal then this is the place to hit up however if you're not a local (situated in Bonnyrigg) then it might be a bit of trek to get there. I do believe the burgers are great bang for your buck as the servings are relatively large and they are pretty top-notch, comparable to popular burger joints in the city such as Chur Burger and Pub Life Kitchen. Mary's still holds my hold number one spot for the best tasting burger though but this comes close. There are mixed reviews regarding their food as some menu items are hit or miss so come prepared.

Bacon and cheese fries $8.90
Large serving size which was greatly appreciated however we couldn't finish them in the end (between two people). Who wouldn't want fries with cheesy sauce drizzled all over albeit your arteries would be crying from all that grease. The fries were seasoned with a spicy BBQ seasoning which made it especially tasty however we did find that the generous amount of bacon and seasoning together made it overly salty. They were good fries but difficult to finish because of the saltiness.


Belly Burger $11.90
Behold, the pork belly burger consisting of succulent pork belly, battered onion rings and a slice of Swiss cheese sandwiched between two toasted focaccia buns. When you order your burger you can choose to have Swiss or Cheddar cheese. So let's get straight to how amazing this burger was, honestly, one of the best burgers I've had (the best being Mary's fried chicken burger). The pork belly was roasted really well so that it was easy to pull apart, none of that chewy stuff going on. Couple that with fried onion rings and that half melted cheese and this burger just worked for me on so many levels. I go on about how I dislike BBQ sauce to DT because it's too sweet for my liking but I really liked it in this burger and really added great flavour. All these textures and flavours in one burger made it very enjoyable to eat.

Black Tornado $10.90
DT had your typical beef burger which came with grilled onion, BBQ sauce, cayenne mayo and Cheddar cheese. I only had one bite because I was too busy wanting to enjoy my own pork belly burger. Black Tornado had all the makings of a great beef burger. The beef patty was juicy and grilled perfectly so that it was still pink in the middle and tender. The BBQ sauce again was flavoursome and  the cayenne mayo gave it a spicy hit so each bite left you wanting more. DT rates it quite highly although Mary's signature burger takes first place matched closely by Mary's fried chicken burger.

Overall, I was pleasantly surprised by Tornados Smokehouse. I really didn't have much expectations  for it and I had never heard of it so I was shocked by how popular it was. This small joint has a wide range of offerings including burgers, hot dogs,  ribs, chicken and wings at reasonable prices. I would definitely recommend the pork belly burger as that was surprisingly good and you can't go wrong with their beef burgers either. It is American style diner food so be prepared to be bombarded with grease, so bad yet so satisfying at the same time (in moderation of course).

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Here's a photo of the Yoshi yarn amiibo because it's too cute not to share. 

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