Previously on The Blog About Nothing... in London!

  • stamaria Santa Maria
    Best Pizza in London
  • tapcoffee Tap Coffee
    Coffee time in Warren St
  • exmouthespresso Bean Review
    Exmouth Espresso Blend
  • kurobuta Kurobuta
    Japanese Tapas
  • oddonos Oddono's
    Gelato in Chiswick
  • smokehouse Smokehouse
    Mouthwatering Burgers and BBQ
  • firehouse No 197 Fire Station
    Complete disaster
  • irisandjune Iris & June
    Independent Coffee Shop in Victoria
  • coffeeguide The Not Official London Coffee Guide
    Humble take on the independent scene
  • dumdum Dum Dum Donutterie
    They don't have Cronuts but they do Cros
  • bonanza Bean Review
    Bonanza's Espresso Blend
  • moo Moo Cantina
    Lomito Time
  • chorbizarre Chor Bizarre
    Restaurant with personality
  • squaremilebelen Bean Review
    Square Mile's Belen Espresso
  • ottolenghi Ottolenghi
    Not as good as usual!
  • quantus Quantus
    European cuisine in Chiswick
  • pearlliang Pearl Liang
    About Time for a Chinese
Showing posts with label ribs. Show all posts
Showing posts with label ribs. Show all posts

Barbecue London Style

I bought a bottle of BBQ sauce in Memphis. I think the stewardess broke it when she tried to jam it into the overhead compartment
Jerry Seinfeld (Seinfeld episode “The Doll”)

The other day I went out with my University mates to catch up over a couple beers and some bites. We ended in Red’s True Barbecue in Shoreditch. The place brings true barbecue to London, low and slows smoked prime cuts, and flavours from Carolina to Texas.

Place is noisy with dimmed lights and smells of smoked meats. We went with the BBQ Feast and washed it down with lone star beers. Flavours were ok but can’t say they are close to the original American barbecue. Meat was a bit dry, there were a couple highs like the cheese and jalapeno sausage and the burnt ends but also some lows like most of the ribs.

Feast Time

Nice place to have some drink with friends and you don’t want to think too much, but not if you want the real deal, in that case I would recommend looking somewhere else.

Red's True Barbecue
T: 0203 021 2302
American Barbecue
Approx Damage: £40pp
Area: Shoreditch
Borough: Hackney
Twitter: RedsTrueBBQ
Red's True Barbecue Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato Square Meal


A Posh BBQ Joint

I'm not force-feeding myself a steak at four thirty to save a couple bucks, I'll tell you that! 
Jerry Seinfeld (Seinfeld episode “The Cadillac”) 

I got my friends Jason and Richard and Peter came back from Singapore for a weekend and we decided to go out for some drinks and food. As Jason is from Texas I decided BBQ was in order. The place Blue Boar Smokehouse, an upscale, quite nice, dark colours restaurant offering British seasonal ingredients to give a twits to the traditional American BBQ. 

Blue Boar
We started with the Blue Boar ribs, they were amazing. Meaty, juicy, and tender. They are like butter, so you will end licking the bones. Great seasoning, intense spices. The meat is smoked over fruity wood chips, marinated, and then charcoaled. The result a perfect finger licking ribs. 

Ribs
Our main was the Tomahawk steak. The house specialty, a monster steak with 32 ounces, perfectly cooked medium rare, perfect flavour, the best way to describe it is just succulent. 

Tomahawk
As a side we got creamy greens with shredded ribs, really nice, perfect indulgence, guilty but tasty pleasure. We washed down the food with a lovely Chianti Nipozzano Riserva 2009, a revelation, it was absolutely fantastic.

Greens
Wine
All in all a perfect meal, great food, nice drinks, service was ok, a bit hectic they should relax a bit but overall great experience.

Tomagram!
Singapore Team
Blue Boar Smokehouse
T: 020 3301 1400
Steakhouse / BBQ
Approx Damage: £40pp
Area: Westminster
Borough: City of Westminster
Twitter: BlueBoarLondon
Blue Boar Smokehouse on Urbanspoon Square Meal


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Robatayaki Takes Charlotte St

“George is right, Jerry. See, here, you're just another apple, but in 
Japan, you're an exotic fruit, like an orange. Which is rare there” 
Cosmo Kramer (Seinfeld Episode “The Checks”) 

Fireside cooking or most commonly a charcoal barbecue is the Robata cooking style. The place in London to find this is no other than Roka. Rustic design but still the place gives you comfort, two locations in London and one in Hong Kong. In Roka you will find a Sonchu Lounge, 6 course tasting menu, sushi, sashimi, and of course robata dishes. 

The Robata
We started the night with a salmon sashimi, simple, well presented, and fresh. Tuna tartare and quail egg with caviar was the next dish, amazing flavour combination, the caviar with the delicate quail egg was perfect, a dish to die for. 

Sashimi
Tartare
Moving on in the starter section we got soft shell crab with a garlic and soy mayo, nicely battered and fried, crunchy, not oily, the homemade mayo was spot on, in conclusion it was excellent. Keeping the frying note we got some tempura prawns, nicely executed again, great tempura, really nice. 

Crispy soft shelf crab
Tempura
A dish I couldn’t missed was the chicken wings, excellent glazed, great flavours but just a bit dry to my dissapointment. 

Wings
To end the night we got our Robata, baby back ribs, glazed with spiced master stock and cashew nuts. Awesome, excellent flavour, the master stock has lemon, oranges, cinnamon, and other secret ingredients, they were lovely, perfectly cooked and with a great flavour. 

Ribs
I just can say a really nice diner, good service, and amazing presentation in Charlotte St

Roka
T: 020 7580 6464
Japanese Cuisine
Approx Damage: £38pp
Area: Fitzrovia
Borough: Camden
Twitter: RokaCharlotteSt
Roka on Urbanspoon Square Meal


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American BBQ Smokehouse in London

The other day I went to a Chelsea’s match and decided to eat after the game. I have to tell you it’s not an easy task to find a decent place open that late in Fulham Broadway. I ended in Bodean’s, original American BBQ smokehouse. All meats slow cook to enhance flavours and keep their juices, with 4 branches in London to try the Kansas City BBQ style. 

Stamford Bridge
BBQ Time
The place is a bit small and cosy, some booths, red light ambience, full of American memorabilia, and ESPN with American sports on the monitors. After a couple minutes and a beer in hand I went for the game day special 15 quid for their buffalo wings, a full rack of baby back ribs, chips, coleslaw, and a beer. 

Smokehouse
Game day special
The wings had a nice flavour but were completely overcooked. The ribs were outstanding. Great flavour, nice seasoning, traditional American BBQ. I ate the full rack with a big smile on my face. 

Ribs and Wings
Barbecue reminds me the Seinfeld episode “The Millennium” 

Jerry: Hi. Sorry I'm late. There're a lot of chairs and balloons in my apartment. How about I make it up to you with dinner?
Valerie: Someplace nice this time?
Jerry: Yeah, I'm sorry about that Mongolian barbecue last night. I'd heard good things
Valerie: I don't know, got a two in Zagat's
Jerry: Let me just check my messages. Maybe a nicer girl called
Voice (O.C.): Hello?
Jerry: Hello? Who's this?
Voice (O.C.): Jane. What number did you dial?
Jerry: Seven?

Bodean's
T: 020 7610 0440
American BBQ
Approx Damage: £20pp
Area: Fulham
Borough: Hammersmith & Fulham
Twitter: BodeansBBQ
Bodean's on Urbanspoon
Square Meal


A great bar and a Michelin star

In case you don’t know I’m talking about Hakkasan. Alan Yau’s soho flagship restaurant. Yes the same one of Wagamama, Busaba Eathai, Princi, and other projects. The place has one Michelin star, two locations in London, both with a Michelin star each, and 8 more across USA, Middle East and India.

The place
We got a bit early on purpose to get a cocktail from the amazing bar. Nice atmosphere, dark colours, and great music. One of my friends commented that the music was like being in Fabric.


The bar
Cocktail time
For starters I share with Marisol the Jasmine tea smoked organic pork ribs, and the dim sum platter. The pork ribs were amazing, just like butter they melted in your mouth. The dim sum selection was extremely good, one of the best I’ve had in London, my favourites the scallops shumai and the har gau.


Dim sum platter 
Ribs
I had also the chance to try the salt and pepper squid and it was superb, it is the best one I have had, the batter was perfect, it was puffy, the squid perfectly cooked, and great seasoning.


Squid
For main the black truffle roast duck with tea plant. Amazing, best dish of the night. The duck was tender, and the touch with the earthiness flavour of the truffle a great combination.


Duck time
Stir fry pork belly in salted fish sauce, what can I say you know I love pork belly. It was great, nice spicy punch, and excellent combination of the fish sauce with the tender belly.


Pork belly
I was also able to try the chicken satay, amazing, perfectly executed, nice sweetness and great balance with the peanut flavour.


Chicken satay
For desert we shared the Jivara hazelnut bomb. Quite clever execution, a hazelnut ice cream trapped inside a rice crispy coat and all that swamp in hot chocolate. Nice flavour, and good way to end a perfect diner.


Jivara Bomb
Great cocktails, outstanding food, and amazing service, the least you can expect in a Michelin starred restaurant.

Every time I go to a Chinese place I have flash backs of the Seinfeld episode “The Chinese Restaurant

George: She called. He yelled Cartwright. I missed her
Jerry: Who's Cartwright?
George: I'm Cartwright!
Jerry: You're not Cartwright
George: Of course I'm not Cartwright!

Hakkasan
T: 020 7927 7000
Chinese Cuisine
Approx damage: £60pp
Area: Fitzrovia
Borough: Camden
Twitter: Hakkasan
Hakkasan Hanway Place on Urbanspoon
Square Meal


Cachaco's Ribs Venezuelan Style [On The Road: Caracas/Recipe]

You know Venezuelans love BBQing, so every time I go visiting the family I ask my friends to prepare a nice one to get together and enjoy some steaks, chicken, sausages, and in this occasion ribs. My friend Cachaco is a master doing the ribs, he let’s them marinating in his special and secret recipe that includes onions, lots of garlic, malt and coke, at least that’s a couple things I have seen when he’s prepping. 

The artifact
For the BBQ he uses a mix of coal and wood, it’s kind of funny watching him cutting the wood as a proper lumberjack. We got two cuts of meat sirloin and skirt, and the famous ribs, as a side potatoes and guasacaca which is basically the Venezuelan interpretation of guacamole. 

Meat selection
Starting
Flipping
Skirt in action
The ribs were superb even tough Cachaco was nagging they weren't as good as he expected, whatever! The sirloin perfectly cooked medium rare, and the skirt was juicy and the flavour beyond imagination. The ribs were magic, great the flavour, and it's like butter they disintegrate in your mouth, I should bring Cachaco here to London and open a food truck, that would be a hit. The guasacaca was rustic, powerful, and very typical. I will let you with my recipe for a real and authentic Venezuelan Guasacaca, just like my mom used to make. 

Who said ribs?
Meat time
Ready, set, go!
Guasacaca 

1 Onion 
2 Green peppers 
2 Ripe avocados 
4 Garlic cloves 
½ Tomato 
¼ Cup chopped coriander 
¼ Cup chopped parsley 
½ Teaspoon of chopped chilli pepper 
1 Tablespoon olive oil 
2 Tablespoon vinegar 
1 Tablespoon of Worcestershire sauce 
Salt and black pepper to taste 

For a rustic look, chop the avocados, the peppers, tomato, and the onion, mix them in a bowl, then finely chop the garlic, coriander, parsley, and chilli pepper, add to the bowl stir and mix, finally add the olive oil, vinegar, the Worcestershire sauce, salt and black pepper to taste. If you prefer a more fine and sauce like look, you can add all the ingredients in a food processor and blend. Also if you’re not too much into spicy kicks get rid of the chilli pepper. 

Guasacaca on the making
The recipe reminds me the Seinfeld episode “The Statue” 

George: Oh my God, it’s exactly the same! 
Jerry: What? 
George: When I was ten years old, my parents had this very same statue on the mantle of our apartment, exactly and one day, I grabbed it, and I was using it as a microphone. I was singing, MacArthur Park, and I got to the part about, I’ll never have that recipe again, and it slipped out of my hand and it broke. My parents looked at me like I smashed the Ten Commandments. To this day, they bring it up. It was the single most damaging experience in my life, aside from seeing my father naked

Caracas
Venezuela


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