Beef Brisket Bun al desko

As you might have guessed I rather like Pitt Cue Co. Since becoming addicted to their Picklebacks (whisky shot chased by a pickle brine shot served with pork crackling) from an early stage, they’ve always held a special place in my heart. This year they upgraded from the silver trailer (which retired at the end of last Summer with a massive party with Hawksmoor and Tweat Up) and moved into a (marginally) roomier location in Soho, just off Carnaby Street. We are now practically work buddies. Move over Bodeans! I rejoiced at being able to pop over to my favourite BBQ joint for their a dose of their flavoursome, melt in the mouth pulled pork for lunch.

St Louis pork ribs and baked beans

Their delicious trays of pulled pork, BBQ ribs, brisket and smoked wings were an instant hit. Such was their popularity that soon the queues descended and it wasn’t unusual to wait 30 minutes to enter the bar plus another 30 to be squeezed into a seat in the tiny jam packed restaurant.

Pulled pork and burnt end mash

Grabbing a meaty £6 takeaway bun for a midweek lunch is fortunately a simpler affair with a choice of tasty buns filled with pulled pork (my obvious choice) and beef brisket (surprisingly good enough to rival their mighty pulled pork). My only complaint was they were a bit wee for the price but both were so rich, meaty and good that it almost didn’t matter.

Pulled Pork Bun to takeaway

Still I missed the trailer, the freedom of the outdoors, the riverside, all the joys the great British summer has to offer (ha – it always seems to rain when we visit), the weighty takeaway boxes of tasty meat and beans, but most of all the lack of 30 minute queue.

Pitt Cue Trailer

And now joy of joys the trailer is back in town! And it sounds like they’re armed with a filthy new menu of specials. I wanted to try the incredible sounding Trailer Trash Burger (mac cheese, pulled pork and pickles in a brioche bun). I was equally intrigued by The Big Ode (voluminous smoked brisket, pulled pork, smoked house sausage, french dipped middle bun, pickles, slaw and hot and smokey sauce in a brioche bun).

French Dipped Beef Brisket Bun

But instead the special of the day was the more refined (yet no less refined to eat) French Dipped Beef Brisket Bun. This consisted of thin slices of generously fatty beef brisket, pickles, slaw, parsley sandwiched between the ever beloved brioche bun of which the bottom bun had been soaked in a rich beefy tomatoey jus.

Hair of the Hog Cocktail

They also do a range of cocktails and I sampled the Hair of the Hog cocktail which consisted of bacon vodka, tomato juice and a massive hit of spice. Thick, savoury and packing a lot of heat, I tried not to think too much about the calorie count of this bad boy!

Pulled pork 'n beans

We could help but grab an old favourite to take home, a good old weighty box of pulled pork and beans. The pork was so tender and smoky. There was so much depth of flavour. At first bite, all the memories came flooding back of why I loved Pitt Cue Co so. And on that note, here are a few other photos of past visits to the trailer and restaurant.

Jamie Berger on Pickleback duty at the trailer

Picklebacks: whisky chased by pickle juice served with pork crackling

Big Mac & Rye at the restaurant

Crispy pickled shiitake (which I'm not a massive fan of) and smoked hot wings

Amazing beef brisket bun

Beef ribs and beans at the restaurant

Nice smoke ring action on the St Louis pork ribs

Please note photos used in this blog post have been taken over the various encounters I have had with Pitt Cue Co over the past year.

Pitt Cue Trailer
The Queens Walk (beneath Hungerford Bridge)
London

Pitt Cue Co
1 Newburgh St
London W1F 7RB

Just two of the MANY trays that arrived that night

We arrived to rows of communal tables laden with a variety of sauces, bibs and very necessary giant rolls of kitchen towel. Rubbish bags were attached at the ends of the tables. Things were going to get messy. This definitely looked like my kind of party!

Margarita, sauces and garlic bread

It was not long before the trays of food arrived and it was time to put the bibs on. In fact mountains of food arrived. There were trays of garlic bread and a never ending stream of trays piled high with steaming crawfish, sausage, corn and potato. I loved the corn which was so sweet I thought it had been boiled in sugar but it was in fact amazingly all natural and served coated in a very spicy BBQ rub. The polish sausage was also exceptionally flavoursome and delicious.

Starting off small

But what of the main event, the crawfish? I loved them. These were fabulous and so fresh; I could see them wriggling around as they were wrestled into the pot in the kitchen. I soon mastered the art of peeling these delicious freshwater crustaceans and became a one woman production line with the gruesome process down pat:

• Twist off head, suck juices
• Rip apart tail lengthwise to extract the fresh meat
• Drench in a variety of sauces and pop into mouth

There were an excellent range of home made sauces including cocktail sauce (chunky tomato and horseradish), comeback sauce (which sounded like it contained everything from Bea’s description of it which included mayo, ketchup, garlic, chilli and worchestershire) and cajun butter. They were all very good and I found myself dipping anything and everything I could into them including the garlic bread and potato which I tried not to fill up too much on.

More food

Soon the shells piled up and I was feeling extremely full and satisfied, safe in the knowledge that I was helping the environment by eating what was essentially an American pest that has overtaken British rivers. Good job me. And nice work to Crayfish Bob for supplying the crawfish.

Cray heads

They also served up a mean margarita. I had thought they seemed strong and as it turned out they only consisted of tequila, triple sec, and some lime juice as they’d forgotten the shaved ice.

Dessert consisted of a range of ice lollies which made a very welcome and refreshing end to the meal. I had the Pimms ice lolly which was lovely with flavours of cucumber and strawberry.

Pimms Ice Lolly

We left ridiculously full, contented and a little in awe at the fact the crawfish were still coming out of the kitchen and that the Singaporean couple at our table who were still going strong at it and peeling away. “Zero calories” one of them had said with a nod, referring to how the energy expended in peeling them cancelled out the calories consumed when eating them. Sage advice indeed.

We had a very enjoyable evening at Bea’s Crawfish Boil. There was a great atmosphere and good tunes on the sound system. Highly recommended to seafood lovers who are happy to be bombarded with food. This was very much an all you can eat event and good value at £24 a ticket (excluding drinks). Tickets to remaining Crawfish Boils are likely to sell out soon, so get in quick. And don’t forget your fat pants!

Bea’s of Bloomsbury at Maltby Street Market
Arch 76, Druid Street
London SE1 2HQ

Brockley Market

London on the other hand did not really seem to want us to go. What followed was a frustrating 2 hour journey there consisting of getting on (and getting kicked out of) a variety of public transport options. We arrived grumpy, hungry, angry, “hangry” if you will. But soon our ailments were all forgotten as we went on a furious mission of purchasing delectable delights and stuffing our faces with them as quickly as we could possibly manage.

Mother Flipper

I was most interested in checking out Mother Flipper whose burgers have gained great notoriety in the London burger scene. They produced some decent and very good looking burgers sandwiched between a beautifully shiny brioche bun. They’ll even halve them for you on request.

Chilli Flipper burger

The Chilli Flipper burger was surprisingly tangy from their use of a chilli chutney with a moderate heat, with the beef cooked to a nice medium.

Double Candy Bacon Flipper burger

The Double Candy Bacon Flipper sounded right up my street. But rather than being double the candy, it was actually double the beef. It had some subtle sweetness from the bacon but not as much as the name would suggest or as much as I would have liked. I have a huge appreciation for foods of an evenly balanced sweet to savoury ratio so I could have happily done with a bottle of maple syrup as an extra condiment. Still a decent burger nonetheless.

Mother Flipper

Serious Smoothies

Serious Smoothies turned out to be a bit of a lifesaver as their tasty vanilla and banana smoothie with maca (a Peruvian plant) made for a very rejuvenating energy booster when we were on the verge of fainting with hunger. Friendly guys too.

Serious Smoothies

We drank it down far too quickly to remember to take a photo.

Vanilla Maca Smoothie

Egg Boss

The Egg Boss served up quite possibly the best scotch eggs I have ever eaten. They were perfectly cooked with the gooey yellow egg yolk in the centre, glistening like a golden jewel and a wonderfully crisp coating on the outside.

Paprika Scotch Egg

The Paprika Scotch Egg had a touch of spice and additionally flavoured with fennel seeds. The Cumberland Scotch Egg was more traditional but also very tasty. Both were excellent when served with a dash of the Rib Man’s Christ on a Bike hot sauce and a dollop of onion chutney.

Paprika Scotch Egg with The Rib Man's Christ on a Bike Hot Sauce

The Egg Boss produces a wide variety of different scotch eggs including a black pudding scotch egg and a notably spicier one called the Holy Fuck Scotch Egg made from The Rib Man’s notorious Holy Fuck hot sauce. However both of these were sold out by the time we got there so I’d advise you to get there early.

Blintz Boy

Paul Wesolek (aka Blintz Boy) was really lovely and friendly and kept offering us free tasters of his amazing blintzes – thin pancakes wrapped around various fillings and pan fried to crispiness. I’d never tried them before but they were an instant hit with me.

Blintz Boy

We were full but picked up some of his delicious pork and sauerkraut blintzes for dinner and they made a quick and tasty supper served up with a dollop of sour cream and cornichons. The crisp outer shell housed some serious deliciousness beneath.

Pork and Sauerkraut Blintz

We also sampled some of his cheesecake blintz which were great too – wonderfully creamy and decadent using a kind of Polish curd cheese called Twaróg.

The London Particular

I found myself drawn to the sourdough doughnuts at The London Particular which sounded very intriguing, not least because there was only 2 left and one person nabbed one of these just before me while singing their praises.

The London Particular

There was the option to have them plain (with sugar and cinnamon on the outside) or piped with a custard of your choice. That day there was the option of lemon or chocolate custard – I opted for chocolate. It was quite different to other doughnuts I’ve ever eaten with a nice, chewy texture and with a hint of salt making it all the more moreish.

Chocolate Custard Sourdough Doughnut

We found Brockley Market to be a great market with loads of interesting street food stalls as well as a good range of stalls selling fresh fruit and veg, meat and fish where you can pick up some quality local produce. Definitely worth a visit – particularly when London lets you!

Brockley Market (Open Saturday’s 10:00 – 14:00)
Lewisham College Car Park
Lewisham Way
London, SE4 1UT

The Soho Food Feast comes across as a smaller, more intimate and better value Taste of London at £6 for entry and £2 per dish. The line up of restaurants was excellent and included the likes of Barrafina, Bocca Di Lupo, Dehesa, Hix, Polpo, Quo Vadis, St John Hotel, The Ivy, The Meatwagon and many, many other huge names in the restaurant scene. Also present were top chefs including Fergus Henderson and Peter Gordon.

Kopapa: Pomegranate glazed lamb ribs with herby cous cous and Turkish yoghurt

It was certainly also more relaxed than Taste of London as there wasn’t the need to rush around trying to cram as many dishes in as possible before an allocated time slot was up. Plenty of time to sit back, relax, have a nice drink from Milk & Honey who were manning the bar and soak up the atmosphere.

Brindisa: Jamon melon

As well as food and drink there were cooking demonstrations, raffles, vegetable carving competitions, auctions, face painting for the kids and funky tunes on the sound system. We also purchased some amazing cheese from No.2 Pound Street who provided us with such a rapid and plentiful tasting session that my head was spinning by the end of it.

Dehesa: Lamb ribs with picada

We sampled a variety of dishes but firm favourites were the delicious and tender grilled lamb ribs from Dehesa and an amazing, creamy, melt in your mouth strawberry cheesecake from Groucho Club.

Groucho Club: Strawberry cheesecake

Soho Food Feast was a fabulous day out in the sunshine. Lots to see, do and taste! Stuff your face all for a good cause! I will definitely be keeping my eye out for tickets again next year.

Bocca Di Lupo: Veal tongue, peara (bread & bone marrow 'polenta') home-candied mostarda & salsa verde

Kopapa: Plantain, sweet potato and coconut curry with tamarind dressing and quinoa curry leaf salad.

The Union: Rabbit Terrine and prune on walnut bread

The Fresh Olive

And now there seems to be a trend emerging towards “no-choice” (or “limited-choice”) menus. I suppose it makes perfect sense when it is not uncommon these days for a particular must-eat dish to be the talk of the town across the social media world. Not to forget the London street food scene (which is surging in popularity these days), where stallholders mainly specialise in one kind of dish anyway. So I suppose it was only a matter of time before the restaurateurs caught on and perfected one or two dishes only for their menu.

Roast Chicken, not for the squeamish

HIX at The Tramshed opened on Wednesday and is London’s most recent restaurant to adopt the “limited-choice” approach. The latest in chef and restaurateur Mark Hix’s line of restaurants, they offer roast chicken and sirloin steak on their menu. And fortunately they do take reservations.

HIX at The Tramshed

We visited on Friday night and the place was buzzing with diners and Shoreditch hipsters pressing their noses against the glass to get a good view of the trendy décor and artwork adorning the restaurant. I hear there had been some difficulty over the past year or so in getting the Grade II Listed former power station converted into a restaurant but now all seems to have come right and after a serious refurbishment the place looks very cool. It was a gorgeous large open space all centred around a specially commissioned Damien Hirst piece called “Cock and Bull” featuring a striking preserved Hereford cow and cockerel suspended in a steel and glass tank of formaldehyde overlooking the entire restaurant.

"Cock and Bull" by Damien Hirst (His painting "Beef and Chicken" in the background)

There was also a mezzanine seating along the back of the restaurant dominated by another specially commissioned Damien Hirst piece called “Beef and Chicken” – a painting of the 90s Cartoon Network characters “Cow and Chicken”. While a plasticine portrait of Mark Hix himself watches over the expansive bar.

Suffolk Crown asparagus with chervil dressing

There are three starters on the menu which change on a daily basis at £8 per person for all three, fulfilling one of my most guilty pleasures: not having to choose, but instead being able to have everything on the menu. The Suffolk Crown asparagus with chervil dressing which provided lightness and freshness to what would soon be a rather heavy meal.

Ham hock with green split peas and Tewkesbury mustard

The ham hock with green split peas and Tewkesbury mustard came across as a salady version of ham and mushy peas. And the Yorkshire pudding with whipped chicken livers was an obvious favourite with deliciously smooth and creamy chicken liver and a crisp and fluffy Yorkshire pudding flavoured with chicken fat.

Yorkshire pudding with whipped chicken livers

We ordered a roast chicken, slow reared and free range from Woolly Park farm which comes with chips for £25. The chicken arrived propped on the specially designed roasting dish it had been cooked in. It was a little shocking to behold with claws still attached, feet dangling helplessly in the air and a spoon up it’s backside for serving the stuffing. Certainly not a roast chicken for the faint hearted!

Roast Woolley Park free fange chicken and chips

The waiter offered to carve the chicken for us, but I decided to give it a go and found that it was tender enough and fell apart without too much effort from my prodding knife. It was a very good quality chicken with dominant flavours of rosemary and lemon, perhaps with a hint of garlic and thyme.

The chicken roasting stands were also available to purchase in 3 sizes which upon reflection I am rather tempted by – they look handy for getting even heat circulation from 360 degrees for that all round crisp skin.

The chips were crisp and fluffy and had been sprinkled with the roasted chicken fat for that extra tasty hit of flavour.

Sirloin steak comes from the Glenarm Estate in Northern Ireland and is available at £20 per 250g also served with chips. We asked for the steak to be cooked medium rare as is recommended for sirloin, but it turned up a little more on the medium side. It was a nice chunky beast of a steak dry aged in a Himalayan salt chamber. It was good although I couldn’t help noting it didn’t really wow me like the sirloin steak I had at Goodman’s a few weeks ago.

500g Mighty-marbled Glenarm Sirloin steak

The side of creamed cauliflower with Berkswell cheese was surprising, being more literal than the cauliflower and cheese sauce we’d been expecting. However it was delicious and served better as a tasty sauce than a side.

Creamed cauliflower with Berkswell cheese

We had a very enjoyable evening with friendly and helpful service and a good selection of beers. However I felt perhaps the atmosphere and trendy décor and artwork contributed a lot to my enjoyment of the food. At the end of the day, in the world of limited-choice restaurants I find the roast chicken and steak concept a tricky one to grasp. For somewhere like Burger and Lobster I understand it, but for roast chicken I rather enjoy cooking it at home and for steak I have a tendency to favour Hawksmoor or Goodman.

Basement Art Gallery coming soon

To add further confusion to the mix they offer a takeaway service from 11am – 7pm for the lunch and early dinner crowd with steak sandwiches, chicken and chips, and chicken or steak salads on the menu. Also a basement art gallery will be opening soon. And they have a coffee loyalty card with decent coffee from Caravan.

So what is The Tramshed? Steak and roast chicken restaurant? Takeaway lunch spot? Art gallery? Cafe? Is it possible to be all of the above? What it will be and how it will fare will be interesting to see.

HIX at The Tramshed
32 Rivington Street
London
EC2A 3LX

In typical London fashion it rained. The main dining tent was packed out so we improvised and huddled together under our own makeshift tent of umbrellas to shelter from the drizzle, nice and cosy, only leaving our nest to run out and gather tasty morsels from the deliciously scented stalls surrounding us.

The Rib Man

Large Platter o' Ribs

I’m a huge fan of The Rib Man’s rib rolls but as I’ve said before, I rather enjoy it when food requires a little effort. So when I heard ribs on the bone would be on the menu that day I was there in a flash. These were meaty ribs, not quite falling off the bone or tender as the meat in his the rib rolls but tasty none the same. I have his notoriously spicy Christ on a Bike sauce at home so was quite cautious as I sprinkled it on my ribs mixing it with his delicious BBQ sauce. But my friends were more daring “accidentally” drenching on the Bike Sauce (from a bottle which the Rib Man was kind enough to open for us) and spent the next 20 minutes or so blowing noses, sucking on air trying to relieve the burn but always returning to their platters for more spicy rib action.

Homeslicepizza

Pumpkin, Bacon, Stilton and Coriander Pizza

Homeslice is run by fellow kiwis with a reputation for non-traditional but amazing wood fired pizzas. I tried the pumpkin, bacon, stilton pizza and found it a very flavoursome combo with all the comfort factor of a hot creamy pumpkin soup. One of my favourite dishes of the day and excellent for a rainy evening such as that evening.

Kimchi Cult

Cult Special Burger

Kimchi Cult’s “Cult Special Burger” came complete with all the trimmings: bacon, cheese and of course a dollop of kimchi. It was a very tasty burger although I did note the beef was well done rather than the medium cooking I’ve become accustomed to, which made for a firmer texture. Still I’d note it’s not a bad way to introduce the less adventurous to the joys of the spicy pickled cabbage that is kimchi. We on the other hand were clamouring for more, more kimchi!

Hardcore Prawn

Crab Bisque

Any kind of creamy seafood soup is a particular weakness of mine so of course I had to order the crab bisque from Hardcore Prawn. With asian inpsired flavours, coriander, coconut cream and chilli for a bit of kick, the only thing lacking was a bit of seasoning but after requesting a little extra fish sauce things were soon set right.

The Bowler

Free range pork shoulder and beef chuck steak meat balls, with red onion and tomato sauce, cumin sour cream and coriander on pasta

Although incredibly full I managed to squeeze in one final dish, the meatballs and pasta from The Bowler. I’d seen their van before; covered in faux lawn it is always recognisable. Meatballs are generally not something I’m naturally inclined towards choosing however these were very good quality with a tender texture. Uncomplicated, no fuss, comfort food. Ikea eat your heart out.

Kimchi Cult

Homeslice

The Bowler

Kimchi Cult

There was also a bar set up by Camden Town Brewery serving a range of beers, cocktails and wine. In spite of the weather the atmosphere was buzzing. It was a very enjoyable way to spend an evening. With the weather starting to pick up for the Summer I’d definitely recommend checking it out on a Friday night.

Street Feast London (every Fri night until 20 July)
Sclater Street Car Park
91 Sclater Street
London
E1 6HR

The White House

Just a taking a little break from my usual meatridden spiels to reflect on a moment of finer dining a couple of months ago. It was our last night at home in Wellington and we were looking for a convenient excuse to convince my parents to allow us to take them out for a bit of a blow out at a nice restaurant. As it turned out it was their wedding anniversary so off we went to The White House.

The White House is one of Wellington’s swishier restaurants, situated in the prime location of Oriental Bay, looking out onto beautiful views of Wellington Harbour.

As we very rarely go out for such meals, we decided to go the whole hog and ordered the Menu Degustation all round. The meal was wonderful. Each dish a delight. Beautiful to look at and beautiful to eat. Little nods to molecular gastronomy here and there. Explosions of exciting and complimentary flavours and textures left, right and centre. Ten courses of heaven.

1. Crudité

What a fun way to start the meal. Crudité served in the form of a pot plant with everything being edible (except the pot). I’d seen photos of such dishes before, but never experienced the pleasant surprise of having one presented to me. The “plant” was in fact a freshly picked radish grown on the restaurant rooftop, served embedded within rye breadcrumb soil and delicious creamy goats cheese deep below.

Crudité

Crudité

2. Heston’s Mock Turtle Soup

The fun continued with the second meal. This was the main item which drew my attention to the Menu Degustation int he first place. I’d enjoyed the television series Heston’s Feasts, where gastronaut Heston Blumenthal created an amazing consommé seemingly with a gold pocket watch in a teacup and some hot water from a teapot. We had a great time watching this dish recreated at The White House and the consommé (which turned out to be chicken) was delicious!

Just an innocent gold cube in a coffee cup

Just add water!

Magic!

Nice bread and butter

3. Seared scallops, red pepper harissa, smoked fish puree, fennel, date and orange salad

I love scallops and these were nicely seared and complimented with a combination of sweet citrus and umami flavours with a just hint of spice. Gorgeous.

Seared scallops, red pepper harissa, smoked fish puree, fennel, date and orange salad

4. Slow-cooked pork belly, ginger and lychee jelly, spicy cashew butter

The pork dish was one of our favourites, although this is a very close call as we loved them all. Lovely Asian flavours, tender pork and fun textures. I particularly enjoyed the cashew butter.

Slow-cooked pork belly, ginger and lychee jelly, spicy cashew butter

5. Palate Cleanser

The palate cleanser arrived with some ceremony in a bowl of dry ice. Inside we discovered a refreshing strawberry granita with balsamic vinegar to help intensify the rich strawberry flavours. Dehydrated strawberry crisps added a bit of extra crunch.

The palate cleanser arrives as a bubbling cauldron

But it turns out to be Strawberry granita with balsamic vinegar and dehydrated strawberry crisps

6. Sous-vide breast and leg of duck, braised cabbage, orange kumera mash, mandarin paste

Another favourite, the duck was beautifully tender from the slow sous-vide method of cooking. I liked that we were given meat from two different parts of the duck for contrast and comparison of flavour and texture. The flavours were kept relatively simple here but it was hugely enjoyable.

Sous-vide breast and leg of duck, braised cabbage, orange kumera mash, mandarin paste

7. Angus pure beef fillet, fried scampi, Worcestershire spatzli, carrot puree, oxtail juice

The fillet of Angus beef was served rare and incredibly juicy and melt in the mouth. I was also surprised by the size of the fried scampi which added a tasty “surf and turf” factor to the dish.

Angus pure beef fillet, fried scampi, Worcestershire spatzli, carrot puree, oxtail juice

8. Over The Moon triple cream brie, blushing pear

The cheese course consisted of an incredibly creamy brie served with a nice poached blushing pear. Delicious!

Over The Moon triple cream brie, blushing pear

9. Classic creme caramel

Dessert arrived in the form of a lovely and light creme caramel, one of my Mum’s favourites. Traditional but flawless.

Classic creme caramel

10. Molten chocolate pudding, buttermilk ice cream, malted chocolate soil, raspberry puree

What meal would be complete without a second dessert? For those who find a creme caramel too restrained, this should certainly keep them happy. Rich and chocolatey with a gooey decadent centre, the milky buttermilk ice cream made a good contrast.

Molten chocolate pudding, buttermilk ice cream, malted chocolate soil, raspberry puree

Chocolate pud demolished!

I think my parents really enjoyed their meal. We certainly did not leave hungry! Every dish that emerged was an absolute delight and we couldn’t fault a single thing. I have only praise for head chef Paul Hoather. At some point during the meal he wandered by and my Dad (formally being in the wholesale fresh produce business) remembered him from one of his previous kitchens called him over for a little chat and reminisce which was nice.

Although the price of $140 per head was very expensive as far as New Zealand meals go, I felt that for the quality of food we received it was very good value compared to what you would pay in London for something equivalent, even in spite of the terrible exchange rate! If you can afford it as a rare treat on a very special occasion I’d highly recommend it.

The White House
232 Oriental Parade
Oriental Bay
Wellington
New Zealand

Now when one thinks of lobster in London, there’s just one place comes to mind… Burger & Lobster.

Grilled lobster

Brought to you from the folks behind Goodman, there is no menu, only one simple question “burger or lobster?” With both dishes priced at £20, it’s not difficult to guess who wins. In fact a quick glance at the plethora of bright red shells adorning the tables around the restaurant is all it takes to clearly see who the star of the show is.

Lobster Roll

Lobster (imported from Nova Scotia, Canada) is served whole (grilled or steamed) with a jug of luxurious garlic butter sauce. Alternatively for ease of consumption there is the option of the lobster roll where the sweet lobster meat is extracted, dressed with wasabi mayo and served in a buttery brioche bun. Both come with chips and a nicely dressed salad. At such excellent value for lobster in Mayfair the crowds are certainly drawn. And with a “no reservations” policy in place, they wait.

I must say the waiting isn’t so bad. Names and numbers are recorded in case you wish to go elsewhere and be called when your table is ready. Alternatively you may have a drink in their bar while you wait which is a pretty good idea – their cocktails are fabulous!

Mojito, Martini and I forget what's in the middle

Having recently enjoyed an extremely lengthy chilli crab meat extraction process while in Singapore, I decided to give myself a break and treat myself to the convenience of the lobster roll. It was very enjoyable but I must admit it was a little tame in comparison to the lobster roll I had at the USS Chowderpot III in Connecticut last year - huge morsels of lobster overflowing out of a heavily buttered roll, with extra butter on the side just in case the first heart attack didn’t finish you off.

Regardless I’m an unrefined soul at heart and there’s nothing I love more than getting my hands dirty picking out every last scrap of meat from shell or bone. With the lobster roll I found I missed that particular pleasure and ended up staring longingly at other whole lobsters around the restaurant when my roll was long gone. But nevermind, more reason to return I say.

Burger

Although burgers are naturally overshadowed by their lobster companions, they really are excellent in their own right. Weighing in at a decent 10 oz, these burgers did not leave my dining companions wanting. I had a taste and can happily say that these were definitely on par with burger offerings from the likes of MEATliquor, Lucky Chip, Hawksmoor and other such burger trendy restaurants.

Burger as it comes - build your own

Like the mains, dessert options are also limited. On this evening we were offered a choice of lime or chocolate mousse at £4 each. We ordered both and found them a nice little ending to a great meal.

Chocolate Mousse and Lime Mousse

I must say I am a huge fan of Burger & Lobster. They are definitely my kind of restaurant and I hope to be returning again in the near future… this time for a whole lobster! Highly recommended, but perhaps best in groups of 4 or less just before 6pm to help reduce the waiting time.

Burger & Lobster
29 Clarges Street
Mayfair
London
W1J 7EF

Incidentally if it’s lobster you’re looking for, I hear there’s a couple of special events coming up in London:

• Brasilian barbeque restaurant Cabana will be doing a Lobster Night on May 19th. On the menu will be a whole spicy Malagueta lobster, fries, house salad & caipirinha for £19.95
• God Save the Clam - a special event brought to you by Pitt Cue Co and Rock Lobsta from 31 May – 3 June. Serving up a clam bake from a rooftop overlooking London Fields, there will be plenty of meat and seafood to go around. Tickets on sale now.

UPDATED 16/05/2012: Excited to hear there will be 2 new branches of Burger & Lobster taking over the Bistro du Vin sites in Dean Street, Soho and St John Street, Clerkenwell. More to go around!

MEATmarket

If MEATliquor is a dark burger dungeon, then MEATmarket is it’s polar opposite – it’s brighter twin brother, bathed in fluorescent lighting and decorative signage and situated in the heavens that is the balcony overlooking the tat and crafts of Jubilee Market. Seemingly modelled on fast food chains, MEATmarket comes across much more accessible and family friendly version of it’s evil twin. 

Decorative signage overlooking the seating area

Soft drinks are bottomless and burgers on offer include the classics Dead Hippy, Double Bubble, Philly Cheesesteak and a new addition, the Black Palace Burger; a double patty burger filled with grilled onions – this is MEATmarket’s nod to the American, fast food, burger chain White Castle.

The Black Palace Burger

I ordered the Black Palace burger and found it to be very good, with their signature beef patties beautifully grilled on the outside and perfectly pink in the middle, oozing with bright yellow American cheese, some tanginess from the pickles and some sweetness from the grilled onions. The flavour was all there, the only thing lacking was a bit more seasoning.

Philly Cheesesteak

My burger buddy in crime, Mr Tech Devourer went for the Philly Cheesesteak and Dead Hippy burger (which still remains my favourite offering from the MEATpurveors) and enjoyed both. Poppaz were also ordered which consisted of deep fried, crumbed, gooey cheesy bites of jalapeno and green pepper.

The Dead Hippy Burger

Hot Dogs are also on offer from the bacon wrapped Ripper to the Kraut and Corn Dog, which were both unavailable during our visit. The formerI suspect would have something to do with sauerkraut, while the  latter must refer to the classic battered sausage on a stick – one of my childhood favourites when drenched in ketchup. I’ll definitely be back for this!

Brown Hard Shake

Also to be returned for are the Hard Shakes. We had a Brown Shake which turned out to be a delicious creamy, vanilla thick shake laced with bourbon. Yum, very yum.

The interior of one of the poppaz

Being well aware of the queues every time I attempt to visit MEATliquor, it will be interesting to see how the convenience focussed MEATmarket concept will fare. If they can speedily get those burgers out to the throngs of hungry theatre goers, shoppers, tourists and food hipsters alike without sacrificing quality, then I don’t doubt this little market will very soon become yet another one of the hottest spots in town.

Entrance to MEATmarket on Tavistock Street

MEATmarket
The Deck
Jubilee Market Hall
Tavistock Street
Covent Garden
London WC2E 8BE

Check out Tech Devourer’s write up of MEATmarket.

Ribs being prepared by Red Dog Saloon

I once seriously considered dining at every rib serving restaurant in London in order to find the ultimate ones. Of course these were the days before my cravings for tasty meats could be sated by the likes of The Rib Man, Pitt Cue Co, Hawksmoor and other such fine meat-drenched establishments – when they appeared on the scene I felt the need to search no longer.

But the moment I first heard of Ribstock (a Rib competition devised by The Rib Man and organised by Tweat Up) I knew it was for me.

Ribstock

10 competitors descending upon a churchyard in Soho with nearly 1000 racks of ribs, all battling it out to win the glory of being crowned “Great British Rib Champion 2012″ (oh and £1000 + £1000 worth of Porsche Knives). But the best part is that lucky ticket holders get to taste all the ribs. I just knew my whole life had been leading up to this moment.

Opera Tavern Piggy

Having previously been to a similar Tweat Up event The UK Chilli Stand Off, I knew it was going to be good. We had been so very well watered and fed. So much so that we had to leave half way through our chilli tastings to walk off our bulging, full bellies. Unfortunately upon return we found that they had run out of most of the chilli. Gutting!

On the Redhook Grill

In the instance of Ribstock however I was absolutely determined to taste all 10 ribs. And nothing was going to stop me. Not the cold. Not the rain.  And not even the irritating sore throat and cough from the cold I’d contracted.

And so taste I did! Here’s how it all went down.

Stonewall Cocktail courtesy of Milk and Honey

The Line Up

1. Andy Annat: Cherry smoked St Louis style spare ribs
2. Redhook (Jeffrey Roxas-Green): Jospered ‘n’ Jaxxed Roxas Racks – Slow-cooked smoky British belly ribs
3. Red Dog Saloon: Hickory & mesquite smoked St Louis style spare ribs
4. Cattle Grid: Slow cooked, fast finished with Cattle Grid sauce
5. Barbecoa (Sebastian La Rocca): Pit-smoked baby back ribs with coriander & chilli
6. Lucky Chip (Ben Denner): Barbecue Pork Ribs
7. Opera Tavern (Lukas Lakomiec/Ben Tish): Iberico pork ribs with PX, beets, almonds and new season’s garlic sauce
8. Ben Spalding: Baby back Tamworth pork ribs glazed in a smoked Portuguese linguica sausage and chipotle sauce
9. Cabana (David Rood): Sticky baby back ribs with spicy malagueta sauce
10. The Rib Man (Mark Gevaux): The Rib Roll

Barbecoa

First up to start serving was Barbecoa with their pit-smoked baby back ribs with coriander & chilli. These were tender little morsels, covered in a thick tomato-based BBQ sauce with a sprinkling of spring onion, coriander and chilli to freshen things up.

Barbecoa: Pit-smoked baby back ribs with coriander & chilli

Ben Spalding

Ben Spalding’s rib of choice were also of the tender, fall apart, baby back variety. These were much smokier than Barbecoa’s with a very nice looking glaze of smoked Portuguese linguica sausage and chipotle sauce.

Ben Spalding: Baby back Tamworth pork ribs glazed in a smoked Portuguese linguica sausage and chipotle sauce

Red Dog Saloon

Red Dog Saloon smoked their spare ribs with hickory and mesquite and served them with a spicy whisky sauce. These had a smoky, licoricey flavour with a nice sticky glaze. Although spare ribs have more bite than baby back, these just peeled away from the bone nicely. The spicy whisky sauce had a real kick to it also.

Red Dog Saloon: Hickory & mesquite smoked St Louis style spare ribs

Andy Annat

Another St Louis style spare rib (but quite different from Red Dog Saloon’s) came from Andy Annat, the British BBQ champion. These came with a bourbon mist spray which I missed out on, but imagine would go beautifully with these smoky, sweet ribs. And when I say sweet I mean it – the sweetness of these ribs were intense! But that’s why I liked them so much.

Andy Annat: Cherry smoked St Louis style spare ribs

 Opera Tavern

Although considered the most “restauranty” dish of the lot and confusing some by resembling something that would be found at the Taste of London Festival, I absolutely adored the Iberico pork ribs from Opera Tavern. The flavour of the pork was gorgeous and despite having initial reservations about the almonds and beetroot, found it all came together beautifully with the meat, PX sherry and delicious garlic sauce. I was all but licking my plate clean and begging for more after this dish!

Opera Tavern: Iberico pork ribs with PX, beets, almonds and new season's garlic sauce

Redhook

At the Redhook stand I couldn’t help be feel a little like we were being bribed for votes when they offered us not only a delicious hunk of belly pork rib, but also coleslaw, a tasty grilled king prawn and a bloody mary shot. All were delicious and the meat was lovely and tender.

Redhook (Jeffrey Roxas-Green): Jospered 'n' Jaxxed Roxas Racks - Slow-cooked smoky British belly ribs

Lucky Chip

I adore Lucky Chip’s burgers and now I know I love their ribs too. The quality of their belly pork ribs just shone and perhaps a little sous vide cooking prior to grilling may have contributed to their tenderness. With full fat intact I thought Lucky Chip produced the most outstanding, meltiest meat of the day. Apparently these melting morsels will be available at their SliderBar residence in the Player Bar, Soho when they open soon.

Lucky Chip: Barbecue Pork Ribs

Cabana

More extras came from Cabana in the form of coxinhas, a popular Brazilian deep fried snack consisting of shredded chicken, potato and tomato sauce in a crispy coating. These were a tasty and welcome addition. Unfortunately these baby back ribs were a tad dry by the time we got to them but they were quite different from the others with a mild sweetness and strong flavours of lime and chilli. They were served with a nice spicy malagueta sauce for dipping.

Cabana: Sticky baby back ribs with spicy malagueta sauce

Cattle Grid

I used to frequent Cattle Grid when they had their Soho premises so I was already familiar with their ribs. I’ve always found these to be pretty classic as far as ribs go; sweet and sticky with crispy bits from the grill and the meat falling off the bone with little assistance required.

Cattle Grid: Slow cooked, fast finished with Cattle Grid sauce

The Rib Man

Saving another “oldie but a goodie” for last is The Rib Man’s classic Rib Roll. Mark Gevaux’s ribs are slow cooked outside for hours until the tender meat falls off the bone, and is then shredded up and placed in a buttery roll. Add as much of his famous Holy Fuck hot sauce as you dare.

The Rib Man: Rib Roll

I can’t tell you how happy I was to have tasted all 10 ribs – some certainly weren’t shy on portion sizes and by rib number 8 it was getting quite challenging. But I must say all competitors did an amazing job of producing porcine delights with such a wonderful variety of delicious flavours and textures. I would be very happy to eat any of them again!

The Rib Man Stand

However if I had to choose my 3 personal favourites would be Lucky Chip for their quality of meat, Opera Tavern for producing something non-traditional but so delicious I wanted to eat it again and again and Andy Annat because I do have a soft spot for sweet, smoky meat.

The Lucky Chip BBQ on the go

But the Ribstock public voted and the winners were Redhook with 96 votes. Lucky Chip followed at a very close second with 91 votes. And third place, my old haunt Cattle Grid with 55 votes. (Incidentally Andy Annat followed very closely in fourth place with 53 votes.)

Redhook with their winning ribs

There was also a hot sauce competition with Cabana, Chef Jocky, Red Dog Saloon, The Rib Man, Young Turks and Tom Parker Bowles in the running. There was quite a good selection of sauces with very varying tastes. Some more more sour, some were more barbecuey. Tom Parker Bowles was awarded the prize although it seems some controversy and confusion currently stands on whether there was a mix up with the sauces. UPDATE 02/05/2012: There has since been confirmation from both Tweat Up and The Rib Man that there was no mix up and indeed Tom Parker Bowles was the rightful Hot Sauce Champion of the day.

Hot Sauce Tasting

It really was an awesome event and thanks to Tweat Up for doing a wonderful job of ensuring everyone had a fantastic time despite the weather. Thanks to The Rib Man, Mark Gevaux for coming up with such a brilliant idea and to the competitors for producing such tasty ribs. I believe all of Soho was perfumed with the beautiful scent of barbecuing meats that day and I would not be surprised if most visitors to Ribstock needed to go home for a lie down immediately after – I know I certainly did. Bring on Ribstock 2013!

UPDATE 04/05/2012: My pal Tech Devourer wasn’t fortunate enough to get tickets to Ribstock but instead managed to get into the alternative at Century Club. Check out his review of the Ribstock Corporate Box.