A 40-year-old school bus hidden away within a huge tent on a Hollinwood industrial estate may not be the first place that springs to mind when you think of classic American-style dining, but for the past six years, the Old School BBQ Bus has won admirers for its smokehouse food, live country music performances and the atmosphere that comes with it.
I wouldn't necessarily describe myself as 'brave' when it comes to spice. I like a madras as much as the next man but hotter curries such as vindaloo have never really appealed to me, so for those reasons I've never really dabbled with 'ridiculously hot' sauces like the hangman claims to be. During the 15 to 20 minute wait for my food, I took in the surroundings of the venue. As it was only 6pm, it had not got rowdy yet by any means, country music was playing at a pleasant volume and the unmistakable scent of BBQ cooking filled the tent.
As the pork belly and burger both came with fries, I opted to swap one of the sides out for the 'donut onion rings' . The onion rings were a bit too thick for my liking and the batter did indeed have a taste of fairground-style ring doughnuts, which did not really work for me. The fries, on the other hand, were very good - crispy on the outside and fluffy on the inside with red salt/chip spice giving it an extra kick of flavour.
After delaying the inevitable, I finally moved onto the Hollinwood Hangman. I tried the burger without the sauce first and it was a genuinely good burger. The chicken was cooked excellently, while the cayenne rub, jalapenos, and chilli cheese gave it just the right amount of heat.