meetmyeats-blog

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Smokestak

It’s always cool to visit a place that has an interesting backstory. Once a front-of-house manager at Gordon Ramsay’s and Roka, Smokestak’s David Carter first made his success on the streets of London, producing barbecued meats for hordes of hungry carnivores; since then, he’s found a new home for the monster of a smoker he brought back from Texas. Minutes away from Shoreditch High Street (Overground), Smokestak sits discreetly on the corner of the street with its minimalist exterior decor. On the inside, its industrial-ish design gives off a real steampunk tavern vibe, especially so with the smoker looming in the shadows overlooking patrons. It’s both rough and elegant at the same time, with the smell of barbecue permeating the air and constantly tickling the back of your throat. 

I guess this is what it’s like to walk into a giant smoker. 

The doors at the entrance really foreshadow the kind of food that’s made here; it’s heavy. Much of the menu emphasizes smoky, dark flavors, with a few, lighter and brighter options to balance that out. It’s split into five sections - snacks, starters, mains, sides, and desserts. Of the snacks that were offered, the Pigtails (4.5) were perhaps the most satisfactory, essentially chunks of tail with crisp outer shells protecting soft flesh within, soaked in a dark, honey-based sauce, and it comes in a decent serving size. The other snacks we got weren’t as memorable, with the Cured Pigs Jowl (2.5) as pretty much a few small slices of crispy bacon (to be fair, it was really, really crispy bacon...), and the Padron Tempura (3.5) really feels like an excuse to put any form of vegetable on the menu (The tempura option uses varying vegetables, check the menu before visiting!). Unfortunately, we skipped the Crispy Ox Cheek (4.5), which may have been a game-changing item. 

Coming at a fiver each, the Beef Brisket Bun offers a taste of one of Smokestak’s famous brisket. It comes as a rolled slice of brisket and pickled chillis between a crisp, buttery bun. In terms of texture, the meat reminds me very much of salt beef, except it comes with pockets of amazing, glistening pockets of flavorful fat along the edge that melt in your mouth to coat your bite. Another starter that I thoroughly enjoyed was the Wild Mushrooms with Beef Dripping Toast (7.5). You can’t go wrong with a pile of sautéed, fleshy mushrooms that take on the intense taste of charred beef, sitting on a bed of thick toast. 

In all honesty, I preferred the Thick-Cut Pork Ribs (9) more so than the Beef Brisket (9.5), which was fairly small. The ribs come lathered with a thick coat of sauce, yet it’s not really too overpowering, instead bridging the flavors of char on its surface and the meat itself, which comes through clearly. It’s not melt-in-your-mouth levels of soft, as it does have a bite to it, but it’s good enough. Like the beef brisket, the Monkfish Tail (11.5) is small, but it’s still good, succulent fried fish as an option for non-meat customers. Sides are a decent size, although the Celery, Almond and Preserved Lemon Slaw (4) was perhaps a bit too drippy for my liking, even if it did bring that citrus balance to cut through the smokiness. The Jacket Potato with Smoked Rarebit (5) was huge, though, and goes a long way in filling up the remaining space in one’s stomach. Potato pottage in a half shell of baked skin, with an airy cheese layer on top; what more do you need? 

This.

Once upon a time, back home, I had the most amazing slice of cake that came DRENCHED in a butterscotch sauce - one of the most indulgent desserts I’ve ever had. Since then, this is the closest thing that has replicated that experience. Even so, at 6.5 pounds, the Sticky Toffee Pudding with Burnt Butter Ice Cream is a bit pricy, perhaps better suited for special occasions. It’s rich and moist, with a toffee glaze that has a well-rounded and deep flavor, yet isn’t too sweet. 

I know I like this place because I’ve woken up the next morning wishing I had another plate of meat in front of me, and I know I will make that a reality without feeling too hard of pinch on food funds; it’s a nice place to hang out with a bunch of friends, order a bunch of different meats for a taste of decent American-style barbecue, maybe grab some drinks at the bar and hopefully leave without spending more than about 15 pounds.  

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Atariya

Legend has it that the Atariya group supplies some of the best restaurants in London, and even across Europe, with fresh seafood - our curiosity took us to one of their little known sushi takeaway shops just across Bond Street Station, where they’ve sandwiched themselves between a Nando’s and an Osteria Ambrosia. The place is small, little more than a wider corridor, with some tables and chairs squeezed in along the edges of the room. Tiled grey floors, light beige walls and the occasional glimpse of a staff member in an almost surgical attire working in the storage room behind the counter; it’s as though we’ve walked into one of their wholesale stores. Yet instead of an array of seafood on display at the entrance, we’re greeted by a long counter of beautiful, mouth-watering slabs of fresh fish, a grand sight for any sashimi lover. 

Sporting a menu that offers a long list of reasonably priced sushi, rolls, and other bites, the rice bowl items are what’s really of value here. With options like Negitoro-Don (Chopped Tuna with rice) or Una-Don (Grilled Eel with rice), most were within a price range of  £9 to  £15, although the prices seem to fluctuate. We chose to go with the Una-Don, Salmon Oyako-Don, and the pricier but tremendously value-for-money Super De Luxe Chiraishi Don. 

I mean seriously, just look at that. 

For its  £20 price tag, its still of amazing value for the variety that you get. This bowl here has yellowtail, tuna, salmon, mackerel, scallops, ikura (Salmon Roe), tobiko (Flying Fish Roe), crab sticks, boiled and fresh prawns, tamago (Egg), pickles... In addition to these, there’s a small amount of Uni (Sea Urchin) and proper crab meat, which are both somewhat uncommon to see in a Chiraishi don. Unfortunately this glorious bowl didn’t belong to me, so I can’t attest to the freshness of most of the seafood here; I did, however, have a small taste of the uni just to test its freshness, and it certainly wasn’t straight from the sea, but was fresh enough for it to not be unpleasant. (Just barely, though) The tuna was better than average as well. 

Despite it’s humble appearance next to the Super De Luxe Chirashi Don, the Salmon Oyako Don is also really worth its price of  £10.75. A satisfying 10-11 pieces of melt-in-your-mouth (really) salmon, and flavorful Ikura, a good choice for anyone who’s perhaps new to sashimi or just needs a quick fix for their cravings. I should note here that the although the ala carte sashimi slices of Salmon were £1 a slice, they were somewhat larger than those used in the don.

It’s been said that many Japanese sushi chefs despise salmon, and true enough, many restaurants in Japan don’t serve this fish that’s widely popular in the rest of the world. Not an ingredient that’s traditionally used for sashimi, salmon was introduced to the Japanese to be consumed raw by Norwegian trade delegates looking to promote their seafood market to Japan in the 1980s. Having spoken to a couple of sushi chefs, there seems to be a consensus that the quality of salmon has a much lower cap than that of tuna and other fish; however, at this price point, who cares? Order that salmon, I say, and enjoy something that’s familiar, quality, and likely to be more savory than low-grade tuna. 

I’m going to be coming back here - a lot. It’s probably a better alternative to other popular Japanese cuisine destinations like EatTokyo, with higher quality product, and no ridiculous wait to get in; when we arrived at 6 pm on a weekday, the store was completely empty, with customers trickling in throughout the hour, and most only getting takeaway sets. It’s not the kind of place where you hang around and have long chats though, especially if it does start to get crowded. Fresh wasabi was perhaps too much to hope for, but I’ll forgive them for delivering on that Salmon-Oyako Don, the thought of which is really making me hungry as I’m writing this.  

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Dishoom

Everything about Dishoom (King’s Cross) feels unapologetically Indian - vintage decor that gives it its rustic charm, incense fumes seeping through counter slits around every corner, and a grandiose view of the upper deck that hangs over the sleek, marble bar top. There’s no mistaking the experience one might expect to find here; this is not your average cafe.

Designed after old Irani cafes of Bombay, Dishoom reaches deep into a history steeped in culture to create a space that is open to all. Yet the food it serves makes little compromise, despite the fusion elements of the breakfast menu.

Served until 11.45 AM daily, the morning selection features a series of breakfast sets, most of which involve an Indian take on classic British breakfasts, as well as Naan rolls - flat, hand-baked tandoor oven breads that come with a variety of fillings. Other options include fruits, grains and toast, while cocktails, juices, and traditional drinks were the beverages of choice. 

The most pleasant surprise of the morning was, perhaps, the deliciously spiced Masala Chai. Coming bottomless until 5 PM with a single, sliced piece of buttered toast, the  £2.70 Bun Maska is perhaps the best thing on the morning menu. Expect a warm, energizing drink that tickles the tongue with a strong taste of masala and ginger, accompanied by a crisp piece of toast that’s buttered across its center with just the right amount; enough to suffuse the palate with creamy, dairy goodness, but not so much as to take the crunch of the edge. Don’t make the same mistake I did - make sure to order the Bun Maska and not just the Masala Chai, which are two separate items on the menu. This is why I spend too much time studying new menus and annoy waiters with countless iterations of “just give me a moment”. 

I wish I could say the same of the Big Bombay, essentially the Indian version of a full breakfast. By that I mean its a full breakfast with a bunch of spices thrown in the mix. Although every element on the plate was certainly a curious commodity to the senses, one can’t help but feel that the food is exceedingly one dimensional, and does little in the way of delivering a real punch like the Masala Chai is sure to do. Similarly, the Bacon and Eggs Naan Roll that I placed my bet on was sorely unrewarding; based on its description in the menu, I expected piping hot bread filled to the brim with an abundance of quality filling. The bacon and eggs were not enough to save the lukewarm naan bread from disappointing. The chilli jam, however, is a personal favorite and, I feel, worth a try!

With all that said, there are still plenty of items on the menu worth a try, not to mention lunch and dinner menus that feature more authentic dishes, and while some of the items listed above were not life-changing culinary exploits, they were still good, creative food that’s certain to provide a unique experience. I, for one, will go for the Bombay Omelette on my next visit, which caused my head to turn when a plate of it passed by our table. Two generous slices of toast and a long roll of spiced omelette; what’s not to like? 

The greatest reason to visit Dishoom, however, (and I cannot stress this point strongly enough) is a number of table tennis tables along the walkway just next door that come equipped with paddles and balls. I’m looking forward to the next two-hour table tennis session fueled by copious amounts of Masala Chai.