“Come, let’s go to this place with really good barbecue ribs! It’s almost always fully booked and packed with people.”
Unconscious of where I was heading to, we walked along
what looks like a quiet residential area, minutes from Haggerston station. It
was a converted pub that serves traditional deep-south American style barbecue.
They use American wood smokers to smoke their meat. There is also a good
selection of locally brewed beers that goes very well with the food served.
Since the ribs are the most famous here, we
ordered the pork ribs. It had a dark sticky glaze and came served with refreshing
home-made slaw, very finely sliced. The side order of fries was crisp and
fluffy. The BBQ ribs reminded me of the coffee ribs I used to have in a
restaurant back in Malaysia when I was a teenager. It was sticky and good,
tender on some and over cooked on some. Apparently it was not as good as it
used to be. Well, I must say that the ribs was although nice, it wasn't the
best. I have had better ones. Depth of flavour was also lacking. I hope it was
one of their off days as I have heard really good things about their ribs.
We also ordered a pulled pork slider which I
found it dry and lack flavour. Pulled pork can be really wonderful if made
well. Unfortunately, not this one.
A flight of 3 beers where each was a third of a
pint was perfect to sample a few different beers for those of us who can’t decide
which. We had the Sandford Orchards Devon Mist cider, Kernel Simcoe Pale Ale
and Beavertown Smoked Porter. The porter was the best of all we tried. It had a
chocolate and coffee hint which pairs really well with the ribs. I highly
recommend ordering this porter if you are ordering the ribs.
Dessert of Peanut butter Chocolate Tart was hard and
felt like eating a slab of butter with a slight peanut taste that just came straight
out from the refrigerator. It is rare for me not to finish a dessert but this
was really not my kind of dessert to end a decent meal. The vanilla ice cream
with praline though, was good.
Smile..
Food was reasonably good, though I was a little disappointed from the rave review I received.
Great selection of beers. Generally a pleasant place for drinks and some nice food.
Frown..
It is recommended to not have the Peanut Butter Chocolate Tart.
Will I return?
Yes, more so for the beer and maybe to try that ribs again hoping it will be better.
Dukes Brew & Que
33 Downham Road
De Beauvoir Town
N1 5AA London, UK
Tel: +44 (0)20 3006 0795
