you were working as a waitress in a cocktail bar when I met you - or so the Human League are currently claiming, at full bloody volume.

Meanwhile, I'm on my third attempt of asking the guy behind the counter for a receipt. "Can I have a receipt?" I say, nodding like an idiot and smiling by way of sorry-I'm-being-deafened sign language.

There's a certain age beyond which you can never, ever mention the music's too loud. And I passed it many, many moons ago. So the charade continues until ba-da-bing. Suddenly there's a look of understanding on the face of the white-aproned cool dude behind the counter. His attention is drawn away from the cups of brisket being tipped into rolls, sauces being squirted and mountains of spiced fries being tipped on to red trays and on to me. He smiles widely beneath his baseball cap as he realises what the the badly dressed old geezer has been on about. "A seat, man! Of course you can take a seat, man!" And with that he waves me towards the formica-topped wasteland that is the interior of Dennistoun Bar-B-Que.

Frankly? I give up and shuffle off to have one of these "eh?" conversations with Luca, occasionally raising my hearing trumpet as we gaze at the non-stop hustle and bustle behind the chipboard counter with its fridgeful of imported drinks and shiny chrome smoker nestling against the back wall. Soon enough, I'm being called up to collect two of these red trays covered in greaseproof paper and spread with a huge amount of food. Somehow, I have ordered £24 worth of hugely in-vogue man food. And there's lots of it. There are sandwiches bulging with smoked brisket and others stuffed with pulled pork, there's a half rack of roasted ribs and an extremely wide, fat burger sprawling cheekily across the tray amid what are simply mountains of crisp, skinny fries covered in paprika, salt and pepper and giving off heated wafts of something that smells deliciously like cumin.

The ribs are certainly the real deal, not slathered with some disgusting red poo - sorry, goo - but having an appetising dry and crisp exterior. They pull apart to reveal hot, sweet, tender pork hanging between the bones. Even so, the brisket sandwich is a head turner, rammed tight with shredded beef containing crispy, crunchy caramelised nuggets and sections of super juicy meat and then, wafting in afterwards, just the right amount of smoky aftertaste.

There's a pulled pork sandwich, too, which is lathered in a spicy barbecue sauce - as it should be - and those fries which dominate the whole tray are fiery. But the burger? Ah, yes, I clearly made a mistake nodding every time the guy behind the counter shouted something over as he was preparing the food. I couldn't hear properly and as a result I have opted for ours to be stuffed with everything extra on the planet. There are pickles, sauces, both white and creamy, onions and a mighty dollop of what looks like red cabbage coleslaw that's dominating everything. Among this onslaught the only impression I get from the burger patty is a sort of neutral, bland and definitely under-seasoned flavour, though it has a light texture. Compared to the sandwiches and ribs the burger nonetheless seems severely outgunned.

Now, another pulled pork burger joint, I hear you say. If the cupcake explosion was Sex And The City's revenge on the men of the planet then the slow-cooked, smoked brisket and burger explosion is Man V Food's response. There is nothing hotter on Planet Food (Scotland), with real burger places cramming people in this summer.

Apart from the portions and prices - they do a cheeseburger for just £4 here and the fries cost £2 - Dennistoun Bar-B-Que is refreshingly unthemed. Or, if it is a theme, then it's less schmaltzy and manufactured than some of its city-centre rivals. Good ribs and brisket too.

And, er, great music.

Dennistoun Bar-B-Que, 583 Duke Street, Glasgow

(facebook.com/dennistoun barbque, 0141 237 7200)

Menu

Ribs, brisket and pulled pork joint, this time in the heart of Glasgow's east end. Burgers, spicy fries and imported soft drinks too. 4/5

Atmosphere

What decor? Counter culture feel to the plain vanilla look with its formica-topped tables chipboard counter and man-cave feel. 4/5

Service

You places your order and you collects your heaped tray from the counter - pleasant and friendly staff.

4/5

Price

With burgers from £4, fries at £2 and brisket sandwiches £6, probably the best value in town at the moment. 5/5

Food

Proper smoky-tasting crisp and juicy brisket in the sandwich; moist pulled pork with a good hit of barbie sauce; great ribs. Burgers so-so. 7/10

TOTAL 24/30