The last time I tried to book us at Smoke, our options were 5:30 or 9:30 p.m. So for my birthday, I booked a few weeks in advance... just to make sure. If you are driving, the Charles Street Car Park is right next door, so you don't have to walk that far... especially if it is raining cats and dogs.
When we walked in, clearly they had gone for the more modern country look. I'm pretty sure this might be the poshest looking BBQ joint I've ever been in. There were quite a few people in, but honestly there was probably no need to book as there were a number of tables available. We ended up getting a table overlooking the kitchen area. The smell was lovely :).
The menu is about the right size for a BBQ place, although I've not seen a steak on a BBQ menu before. There were a lot of things I wanted to try and I could tell that Mr. Snarky was struggling to narrow down his options as well. So I did what any hungry, meat-eating, American would do... I suggested the Smoke Sharer Plate. Our waitress informed us that they had run out of a few items... for example the sausage on the Sharer Plate, but told us that they were substituting Burnt Ends for it. SCORE! That's what I wanted anyway! When ordering the Sharer Plate, you do get a heaping mound of twice cooked chips and one other side. However, we both wanted different sides, so we spent the extra £3 and got a second side.
While we were waiting I decided to have a cocktail... it was my birthday afterall and had the O'Hara's Iced Tea. It was kind of like a Long Island Iced Tea... lots of alcohol, but not quite as tasty. They also brought us a glass of popcorn to munch on, but it was very stale popcorn. If I were them, I would 86 that in a heartbeat. I noticed that they had one jar of BBQ sauce on the table and no other condiments. I was a bit sad that they didn't have a few different types of BBQ sauce, like you would find at many BBQ restaurants in the U.S. A little something for everyone! The sauce was ok, but if I could bring my own BBQ sauce, I probably would. The sauce was really sweet, no spice like it said on the bottle, and it was definitely lacking a bit of acidity and smokiness. The rest of the condiments (mayo, vinegar, ketchup, etc.) are next to the service line and they seem to be quite stingy with them.
Our plate came out and it was a sight for sore eyes. The chips were quite fresh and crisp. The turkey leg is very dominating and I'm not sure if there is a guide to eating it, but I kept finding these really tough bits... almost like bone as we were trying take meat off of the bone. However, it was nice, not dry and certainly didn't taste like a Christmas turkey! The pulled pork was ok, but it seemed to be lacking in smokiness. They did pour some sort of sauce over it, so I don't know if it is a different BBQ sauce, but honestly I got from it was that it was a bit spicy. The baby back ribs were really lovely... tender, but again needed a good slather in a decent BBQ sauce. The Burnt Ends... well they were really tender, but I was missing the chewiness and smokiness of the bark. Like the pulled pork, they felt like they had been soaking in juice. Surprisingly, the star of the show for me was the chicken thighs. They weren't covered in a sauce, but the way they were grilled reminded me of when my dad used to grill BBQ chicken. It was juicy and full of flavor. Of course, I would have liked some BBQ sauce to go with it, but on its own, it was by far the winner of all the meats. Mac and Cheese could have used a bit more salt/stronger cheese and the coleslaw was nothing special.
When we admitted defeat, our waitress took everything away and brought some water back. We decided to chat and finish our drinks... let our stomachs rest before attempting dessert. Awhile later, our waitress wasn't popping by as often and the kitchen was starting to close up. Clearly they run on a tight schedule (when we booked, the website told us exactly how long our booking was for). Eventually we flagged down a different waitress to get our bill. I was a bit sad I didn't get to try their S'mores, but I'm sure we will stop in again. The Sharer Plate is £30 and was really a good deal for all the different types of meats we got to try. I think if you weren't as hungry as we were, you could probably feed 3 or maybe even 4 people off of the plate... although you may want to think about individual sides as those aren't very large. Not bad! read more