Here’s another one for Shoreditch Eats! After serving up the finest smoked meats for over a year at Dinerama and more recently Hawker House, Smokestak have got their own permanent spot in Shoreditch! It’s not the easiest place to spot, but if you follow the smell of BBQ and wood smoke you should have no issue finding it.
The interior is dark and well suited to the warm smokey interior. There’s a massive open kitchen so don’t wear your best coat as you won’t be able to avoid the smell of smoke lingering in the material. The menu is simple and split into nibbles, small plates, main courses, sides and desserts. We went for one of everything, of course, starting with the pig tails and ox cheek.
I’ve never had pigtails before and let Eamonn go ahead and try them first. They’re somewhere between a rib and crackling.
My first small plate was the brisket slider. I’m a big fan of slow-cooked soft meat and could not fault this.
We both ordered the ribs and were each presented with these beauties – thick cut pork ribs with picked cucumber. Not a flavour combination I would expect to enjoy, but the salty pickle with the sweet smoked glaze was the perfect pairing.
Favourite winter (or just anytime) dessert, sticky toffee pudding. A moist pudding with plenty of toffee sauce and not too much dried fruit.
Wash everything down with a Plantation cocktail (or two, or three, who cares).
