The Blues Kitchen

Shake, Rattle n Roll

17 April 2014 - Shoreditch

Being a food blogger now, part of my mission must be to boldly go to new frontiers of the restaurantiverse. And so it was with that in mind that the gf and I headed on down to the latest barbecue in the east: The Blues Kitchen in Shoreditch.

I had been to the original Camden joint before for a drink (and was very impressed with the extensive bourbon list and a 16 year-old blues guitarist on the open mic who could really wail) but hadn’t really heard much about the food. But when the internet started making noise about a new place serving  juicy Texan BBQ washed down with hard shakes - the kind of siren song to lead me on to any rock (n roll) – we decided it needed checking out. And we were in for quite the treat.

First let’s make mention of the venue. In its previous incarnation, it was The Music Bar – a cavernous, minimalist, Shoreditch hangout I only ever visited in the middle of the afternoon when it seemed empty and a bit soulless (although that didn’t stop me enjoying a large number of strong Belgian beers there). Following this re-fit they’ve clearly tried to turn the soul-quotient up to 11. And I think it works. The island bar has now been copper-topped and to contrast the still-bare brickwork, they’ve added shabby-chic tiling, whilst the restaurant booths are immaculately upholstered to add a nice homely feel. They’ve even – and this is an excellent touch – stuck an airstream caravan in there that you can hire for private parties. Even the trip down to the toilets (possibly the second longest in London after the Covent Garden Big Easy) has been decked out with corrugated iron and posters of blues legends to give it that dive-bar aesthetic. But, this is far from a dive…

OK, with that out the way, let’s deal with the important issue: the food. Overall it was up there. We went for our usual BBQ-benchmarks of pork belly ribs (slow smoked for 12-hours), buffalo wings, and onion rings, along with their burnt ends as the second main and a side of mac n cheese.

The ribs were pretty special. You get three massive, meaty ribs for your money which, whilst not being the most tender I’ve ever eaten, are juicy. The pork is full of flavour - well seasoned with a decent smokiness, that could be stronger but is still noticeable. Eaten on their own they would be satisfying enough, but what elevates them is The Blues Kitchen’s own barbecue sauce: a treacle-thick, sweet and smoky effort with quite a kick to it. It’s definitely up there with the best in London (hi, Bodean’s Chipotle BBQ sauce!). Ask for a second pot of it – the gf secured us three - you’re gonna want to drown everything in that shit, yo.

The burnt ends were tasty too. I know people that rave about the burnt ends at Bodean’s, but I have found them to be a little dry. Here you get a big bowl of fall-apart-tender, mouthful-sized chunks of charred brisket, liberally doused in their beer & hickory BBQ sauce - a deeply rich and meaty number closer to gravy than the (amazing) BBQ sauce that comes with the ribs. It too was delightful, but not so delightful that I didn’t also add in the amazing rib sauce. Have I mentioned that the BBQ sauce was amazing? Anyway - I’ve not had brisket that tasty since the first year of Pitt Cue’s truck on the South Bank (let’s pause briefly to remember those special days…) and it made me happy.

Both these mains came with a vinegary slaw and skin-on fries, crisp on the outside but woefully under-seasoned. Also, they were probably only once-cooked which in the post-Heston age, is just plain lazy.

The wings and the other sides were less great. The onion rings were anaemic-looking and the mac n cheese solid and dry. The wings were well cooked, with a crispy coating and tender meat, but an unpleasant amount of salt in the buffalo sauce. With a mild heat, it was thick and creamy but too salty where there should have been sweet and vinegary sharpness. This downer was counter-balanced by the blue cheese dipping sauce. It had a shit-load of creamy cheese in it, which is only to be applauded.

So good I lost focus

Finally I’ll get to the real star here – the hard shakes. We ordered the ‘Caramel Captain’, a chocolatey fudge & rum delight that is probably the best milkshake I’ve ever had. Which, for £8, it should be. But it was immense. I’d go back just for the shake, let alone the tasty BBQ.

This place is a winner on two key points – taste and value. We came hungry and left full, with a doggy-bag, all for around £30pp with service (which was slow to begin with, but did pick up).

While I’ve never been to the US, so can’t make any claims about the authenticity of the Texan BBQ on offer, I can vouch for it’s ‘deliciousity’. I enjoyed it and would recommend The Blues Kitchen to all. Which I guess is what I’ve just done. I’d love to go back and see some live music there. And try their Alligator Bites. Maybe next time my Dad is in town; thus far, his only experience of BBQ was when we went to Red Dog Saloon a couple of years ago and I need to redeem that. Given The Blues Kitchen is the place that Red Dog wishes it was, and he loves the blues, this would be a decent do-over.

http://www.theblueskitchen.com/