One of the most anticipated restaurant openings of 2012, Pitt Cue Co opened this week, serving up its no-frills take on the American BBQ. Emma McAlpine reviews.
So it's finally here. BBQ specialists Pitt Cue Co, responsible for one of the most scrumptious food pop-ups of 2011, have taken up a permanent residency in Soho and opened their doors this week. Like fellow street food success story Meat Liquor, Pitt Cue's restaurant launch has been subject to a similar flurry of hype amongst Twitter foodies and loyal regulars of its trailer incarnation, with queues already starting when we arrive at 6:30pm.
Not that it takes much to build up a queue here, Pitt Cue occupies a tiny little corner site behind Carnaby Street which has a maximum capacity of 30. You could just about swing a cat upstairs and maybe an Afghan Hound downstairs. As a result, there is a ‘no reservations’ policy, which is bound to irritate plenty, but co-founders Tom Adams and Jamie Berger believe it’s the fairest system for such a small space, and I tend to agree. It would be very tricky to get into the place if you could book in advance. At least this way only the keenest get to eat here, rather than those with the best secretaries.
The downside to all this however, is that you have to turn up early, add your name to the list and wait outside. Not ideal on a cold night. My friend and I grab a drink next door in the White Horse and as luck would have it, when I come back to check if our table is nearly ready 40 minutes later, we are next on the list. “You need to wait directly outside or you will lose it,” warns our waitress, who seems rather shocked at our gumption. Having casually disregarded my own rules on keenness and nearly lost our table, I am relieved to say we get in.
The menu is short and no-nonsense, divided into main ‘Meat’ dishes; ‘Sides’ and ‘Extras’ – things like crispy pickled shiitake, pork scratchings and smoked hot wings. There are also daily specials such as pig’s head, faggots, ox cheeks and sausage cooked in the house smokers Doris and Ethel. You can even find out what they’re cooking before you show up via Twitter. Needless to say, I want everything on the menu. Thank god my dining companion likes sharing.
We kick off with the famous ‘Pickle Back’ shots, which have, along with most of the trailer menu, transferred over to the Soho restaurant. You drink one shot of bourbon followed by one shot of pickle brine; the sweet-sour pickle juice instantly cleansing your palate of the fiery alcohol. I wonder where I’ve been going so wrong all these years with the triple-wince whammy of salt, tequila and lime juice. We deem it sensible to order another round, as well as a ‘New York Sour’ – a blend of bourbon, lemon juice and red wine, and the ‘Bic Mac ‘n’ Rye’, basically a Manhattan with pickle juice. If you’ve ever drank the vinegar from the end of a pickle jar, and like the taste of strong booze, you’re gonna love it.
The real star of the show is, of course, the meat, and chef Tom Adams really knows what he’s doing when it comes to the American BBQ. Pulled Gloucester Old Spot pork, taken from the neck end of the shoulder and smoked for hours in Doris or Ethel, is served with a coating of house BBQ sauce and pickles. Melty, smoky, umami goodness, the tangy pickles it comes with are ideal bedfellows, as is a side order of crunchy vinegar slaw with liquorice-y fennel, parsley and red onion.
Then there’s the ribs. Having tried the Big Sleazy’s St Louis pork ribs at the weekend, I was interested to see how the two compared. Unlike the Big Sleazy’s which are slathered in a cloyingly sweet sauce and take some chewing, Pitt Cue’s are lightly glazed and butter-soft with crispy charred edges: the perfect BBQ meat. We also try sprout tops – braised down with a bit of ham stock and garlic – and crispy pickled shiitake, a delightful twist on the dreaded ‘garlic mushrooms’ so beloved of rundown pubs. Little piquant flavour bombs coated in a sesame batter, some sort of campaign should really be started to make these things a common bar snack.
Incredibly, I don’t have that bloated, too-full feeling that one can get after eating out and that’s because essentially, all I’ve eaten is meat and veg. The only carb in sight is a wodge of chargrilled sourdough, good for mopping up juices but a rather dull accompaniment once you’ve got hooked on the tang. So we order a pudding. Sticky Toffee to be exact with a rich bourbon sauce (they reeeeally like bourbon here). Spongy rather than claggy, and beautifully complimented with Armagnac ice cream, I leave my friend the last mouthful. Then decide we’ll halve it.
Pitt Cue is not a restaurant you want to spend hours in, or take your parents to. The decor is unfussy and you're perched on a stool with elbows practically touching your neighbours'. The emphasis is well and truly on the food. But what's wrong with that? Sometimes, simple, good food; the kind that lacks pretension and warms your soul, is all you want.
The bill:
4x Pickle Back £16
1x Whatever beer £2
1x Pulled Pork meal £9
1x St Louis Ribs £9.50
1x Crispy Shiitake £3.50
1x Bourbon pudding £5
1x Big Mac ‘n’ Rye £6
1x New York Sour £6
Total: £64.83 with service.
4/5 stars
www.pittcue.co.uk
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