swordfish1 Posted December 18, 2013 Share Posted December 18, 2013 Okay, so it will be Texas BBQ, but what style of Texas BBQ?!? Texas style.... I've never been to a barbecue restaurant/takeaway in England that has come near to being as good as even a mediocre Texas bar-b . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alternageek Posted December 18, 2013 Share Posted December 18, 2013 Texas BBQ is broken down by four styles as per the wiki article. Its not like generic as Kansas City or North Carolina style.. We popped in last night.. Not the cheapest of meals, considering the portion size, but you are clearly paying for QUALITY over quantity. I still came out full from my main of brisket and s'more pie for dessert. The brisket was served with a steak knife, but a butter knife would have been fine. There are some teething issues going on (they really need beer glasses over the mason jars - which is fine for soft drinks, but not alcohol; having grease paper under the food - no one wants to cut up paper and eat it) but otherwise we would go back again, as a treat. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doom Posted December 18, 2013 Share Posted December 18, 2013 (edited) Anybody know when Cosmo next door to this place opens? It did say early December on the window, but that's been and gone. Regards Doom Edit: Just looked on their website and it's now saying 2014. Edited December 18, 2013 by Doom Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Angles Posted January 1, 2014 Share Posted January 1, 2014 Went to check Smoke BBQ restaurant out yesterday to line the stomach before NYE celebrations. I love Ribs and general Americsn style food so was really looing forward to this. The logo and general look of the place when I had passed it previously made me think it was going to be a cut above "Ribshack" which didn't cut the mustard and closed after a short shelf life. Sadly I can't be too favourable about my experience. Despite a good initial first impression from the outside, and the decor it was largely downhill from there. Some of the food was good, but tainted as I'll explain below. Sitting down both myself and my friend remarked that the chairs (like wooden school chairs) were quite uncomfortable. The menu was printed on A4 paper, one side with a limited food selection and the other a drink selection. There are no mainstream brands on offer in the beer/cider section, just drinks that suit an aquired/left of centre taste. There was no Strongbow / Magners type drinks on offer and the only cider remaining in stock was Jeremiah Weed and it came with a hefty £5 price tag, and didn't taste much like cider at all. The food options included a range of burgers, ribs, chicken, pork and beef. Surprsingly for a BBQ restaurant there was not a steak option though. The one sharing platter on offer seemed to include a range of the side dishes rather than smaller portions of the good stuff available as individual meals. I fancied a Ribs & BBQ chicken combo, but sadly this wasn't an option. I went for the BBQ chicken and took the £5 extra option for added portion of Rib Ends. My friend had the pulled pork and also ordered the Rib Ends. Unfortunately we were then informed the Rib Ends weren't available, so we chose to order an extra main of St Louis ribs at £14 and share that. The food came directly on what appeared to be grease proof trays lined with paper. I know plates are deemed unfashionable now, but these trays didn't provide a good "framing" for the food, it felt pretty cheap to be honest. Its a good job we did order the extra main as the original portion of chips was pretty small, so this way we actually managed to have a decent portion each by sharing the extra portion that came with the third main. The chips themselves were quite nice, though they were "fish & chips" style chips rather than fries or nandos style chips that I associate with BBQ food. The chicken was also good, and I can recommend that dish, you get a half chicken and it was nice and juicy. My friend seemed happy with his pulled pork too. Unfortunately we weren't so impressed with the ribs, they were quite dry and compared to the other two dishes the meat content was fairly low, there was much more bone than meat. I'd have still been hungry if I had just ordered the ribs. Surprisingly none of the dishes are served with BBQ sauce, rather you have a jar of "home made" BBQ sauce on your table. I smothered it on my food, only to find to my dismay that it was sickly sweet. My friend said he felt like he just poured syrup on his pork. I am a big fan of BBQ sauce, but this sauce at Smoke is for a vey aquired taste, and I hope that the restaurant will either change their sauce to something with a more traditional smokey BBQ flavour or at least offer a smokey BBQ sauce option alongside this one. Overall I would say that theres quite a few issues to be ironed out here, but it's possible these are just teething issues and should reports of improved Ribs, drink selection and BBQ sauce surface over the coming months, I may consider returning again. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
verona Posted January 1, 2014 Share Posted January 1, 2014 (edited) I'm afraid I didn't rate it much either. I've eaten bbq in Memphis, Texas, Chicago and other parts of America. So disappointed as it's not hard to do. I also thought it was expensive. When you add drinks and sides you're looking at £25 a head, which I think is expensive for what are cheep cuts of meet that are supposed to be cooked well and taste authentic. I hope it picks up and addresses it's prices, maybe do a lunch or evening special set menu. If not, once the novelty wears off, I fear for this place, as it's a little hidden and needs to draw people in to survive. It's got Brewdog coming near to it soon also, and they do know their BBQ. Edited January 1, 2014 by verona Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alternageek Posted January 1, 2014 Share Posted January 1, 2014 Surprisingly none of the dishes are served with BBQ sauce, rather you have a jar of "home made" BBQ sauce on your table. I smothered it on my food, only to find to my dismay that it was sickly sweet. My friend said he felt like he just poured syrup on his pork. I am a big fan of BBQ sauce, but this sauce at Smoke is for a vey aquired taste, and I hope that the restaurant will either change their sauce to something with a more traditional smokey BBQ flavour or at least offer a smokey BBQ sauce option alongside this one. When we went the sauce was VERY smokey. Traditional Texas style BBQ sauce should be sweet, as its made with molasses, with a hint of smoke. Also Texas style is about a dry rub, with only sauce as a side, for an occasional dip, not for lathering. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
swordfish1 Posted January 2, 2014 Share Posted January 2, 2014 Surprsingly for a BBQ restaurant there was not a steak option though. Not so surprising for a Texas BBQ (or a Memphis one come to that). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NEKRO138 Posted January 2, 2014 Share Posted January 2, 2014 I also found it to be quite poor. And £5 for a bottle of beer! I'd rather get the train to Leeds for Red's. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alternageek Posted January 2, 2014 Share Posted January 2, 2014 It's got Brewdog coming near to it soon also, and they do know their BBQ. We paid £8 for two slices of brisket at BrewDog Manchester. I wouldnt call that value. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ghostrider Posted January 2, 2014 Share Posted January 2, 2014 I was going to go here on Monday, but after reading these reviews I dont think I will bother. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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