There's no slowing down the barbecue trend in London as another restaurant will soon be smoking all sorts of meat in Shoreditch. This time it's Red's True Barbecue, which has a number of restaurants in the north (Leeds, Manchester, Nottingham, Headingly), and this is their first in London.
The menu will be the same as in their other restaurants with some fairly outlandish dishes on the menu. Like the "Ox Cheek Bone Luge" - 8 hour smoked and shredded ox cheek over a "marrow bone canoe" and "a shot of bourbon to luge with". Or there's the Donut Burger which has two patties, cheese, bacon and crispy onions inside, yes, two glazed doughnuts.
So yes, this isn't a place to go if you're on a diet (unless you really want to blow it in style). Also on the menu, which we're told should be the same as the other restaurants, is :
- Snacks: house made beef jerky, crackling and sweet potato chips
- Small plates: Swine fries (sweet potato fries topped with cheese, sour cream, jalapenos and pulled pork), burnt ends, bacon wrapped jalapenos, rib tips and more
- Ribs: baby back pork ribs, St Louis spare ribs, Jacobs Ladder beef ribs
- BBQ plates: Smoked sticky chicken plate, pulled pork & slaw, beef brisket, bean chili
- Sides: Barbecued greens, cornbread, pit beans and mashed potato with white gravy
- Sandwiches: including the Sleepy James which is chicken breast and bacon in waffles.
- Burgers: including the Pit Burger (comes with brisket, pulled pork AND bacon) and that donut burger.
- Desserts: Pecan and salted caramel peach cobbler and toasted marshmallow sweet potato pie
The restaurant, which is taking over the space that used to be La Casa Negra, will seat around 150 and will be split across two floors. As for the design, they're not cutting corners there and are recruiting Russell Sage studios (Grain Store, Dishoom, Quaglino's) to fit the place out. Red's James Newman says "as with all our sites, each has a different creative style and design. Shoreditch is set to step the game up once again."
It'll be primarily a no-bookings restaurant (although they will take bookings for 8+ mid-week). But they will take your number and call - so you won't need to queue. But you may need to walk home to work off some of that food...
Red's True Barbecue opens at 52-54 Great Eastern Street, London EC2A 3EP on July 24 2015. For more information, follow them on Twitter @redsTrueBBQ
