I’VE been living in Dennistoun for four years and, as estate agents love to point out, it’s definitely “on the up”.

Trendy new brunch cafes seem to pop up every few weeks and there’s a noticeable rise in people who cuff their trousers on my morning commute. One eatery seems to have predated this East End Renaissance, having opened its doors back in 2014. With retro signage and stripped-back interior, from the outside, Dennistoun Bar-B-Que gives the illusion of an authentic US-style joint.

My partner and I called ahead on a stormy Wednesday night, ordering a burger each, some fries and chicken wings to share. As we live a 10-minute walk away we could not stomach the guilt of having the meal delivered so, after being told we could pick it up within a quarter of an hour, we sauntered down the street and collected the bags from the friendly staff.

Arriving home, we encountered the first problem. Some outlandishly violet coleslaw had spilled from its flimsy plastic tub. Unfortunately I did not realise the level of contamination until I pulled my hand out of the paper take-out bag to find it looking like a primary one’s art project. “That’s a bit purple,” my boyfriend noted, looking concerned.

Once I was free of purple goo I sat down to eat. Sadly the bacon cheeseburger I ordered had a notable lack of bacon. The meat itself was tasty, the salad was fresh and the house burger sauce brought the flavour – but the patty lacked juiciness. As for the “seasoned” fries, there was certainly a problematic ratio of seasoning to fries, as my lips tingled as I ate them. Moving on to the BBQ chicken wings, I could barely finish one. It was completely drowned in sauce which tasted less authentic, more supermarket shelf. Disappointing.

My boyfriend, who had ordered Dennistoun Bar-B-Que’s famed Columbia burger, enjoyed his experience. The burger looked like a delightfully messy arrangement of meat, bacon, cheese, pit pork and – shock horror – the slaw of doom. I asked for his thoughts on his dinner. “Delicious!” he grinned, before taking another chomp and getting the purple solution all over his face. Note to self, I thought. Slaw-related precautions must be taken on our next order.

Overall, Dennistoun-B-Que serves good quality meats in large portions, but the overdoing of seasoning and sauces here and there brought it down a level. I mayo may not be returning (see what I did there).