I don’t know if this is the general consensus but ‘boat food’ is one of my favourite sit-down meals.

Say what you want about the price, but I loved the food on the Ben-My-Chree and the Manannan when I was six years old, I love the food on the Manxman now at the age of 23 and I’m sure that I will continue to love the Steam Packet’s food offering for as long as I live.

That being said, I was particularly excited recently when the Manxman announced that it would be updating its menu, and I couldn’t wait to try it.

Luckily, I was due to go away that weekend anyway to watch Liverpool play at Anfield, but even if I wasn’t, it would’ve been extremely tempting to book a Manxman ticket simply to try this new menu.

Walking up the stairs to the Manxman’s seventh floor, me and my dad did not hesitate to head straight to the canteen and explore the options available to us.

Little did we know how difficult that would be.

The new menu included options such as fish and chips, teriyaki chicken, Manx beef pie, chicken curry, Thai vegan curry, classic beef stroganoff, spaghetti and meatballs and mac and cheese.

‘Between the bun’ options also included the ‘Smokey Manxman’, ‘Spicy Manxman’, the ‘Manxman Double Stack’ and ‘Manxman Veggie’.

After several minutes of careful consideration, I decided to go with the Smokey Manxman burger, and it was the best decision I have ever made (no exaggeration).

The £13.05 delight included a six-ounce A&J Butchers’ beef patty, a Ross Bakery bun, crispy onion rings, Manx cheddar, Andreas Meats bacon, burger mayo, red onion chutney and chips to go alongside it.

I did ask for the red onion chutney to be removed though, which was met with the positive reaction of ‘yes, of course’.

The burger was initially a tough nut to crack, as I tackled this behemoth with plenty of forward planning.

The first bite was incredible, and the A&J Butchers’ beef patty was instantly the standout, complimented really well with the supporting acts of the Manx cheddar and little crispy onion rings.

As I delved further inside, I then got to experience the bacon from Andreas Meats, which was also exceptional.

I felt sorry for all of those in the vicinity who had to witness me eating this thing, as it was not a pretty sight - napkins are certainly required.

After I finished my burger (and wallowed in my misery that it was over), I witnessed by dad eating his Manx beef pie from A&J Butchers which was smothered in gravy.

I quickly realised that my remaining chips needed this gravy like a plant needs water, which led to me queuing up again for 20 minutes to get the gravy I desired.

It was a great decision, as the remaining chips and gravy was almost like a second meal - and a second delightful experience.