A look inside Bodean's in Soho
What can you tell us about Bodean's?
Bodean's is something of a London institution, having originally opened over 20 years ago in 2002. Since the original Soho opening, they've expanded to Covent Garden and Tower Hill and their longevity isn't something we see very often in the London restaurant scene.
But they're not resting on their laurels, because right now the restaurant is going through a mini-revolution. They've brought in Richard Turner to ramp things up as their new Chef Director.
So who is Richard Turner?
Turner himself is a legend in the London restaurant scene. He was there at the beginning of Hawksmoor and is now part of excellent Islington butcher Turner & George. About a decade ago, he was also involved in the launch of Pitt Cue in London, a restaurant that kicked off a barbecue/smoking revolution in the London dining scene. During that time, BBQ restaurants came and went but Bodean's kept going, and now Turner has brought his extensive BBQ know-how to revamp the menu there.
Bodean's has been on this corner for 23 years
Where is it?
We were trying it at the Soho branch at the top of Poland Street (about five minutes from Oxford Circus). That's also had a light glow-up. The new menu is also available at their Tower Hill and Covent Garden locations.
So what's on this new menu then?
The menu has been pared back to focus on classic barbecue and smoked meats, with a few American-influenced snacks thrown in for good measure.
Starting with the snacks and starters, the big new addition is the shrimp cocktail. We'd highly recommend you make this your first port of call on the menu, which will give you time to work out a plan of action for the main event.
Shrimp Cocktail with American cocktail sauce and chilli crunch (£8 for three shrimp, £12 for five, £16 for seven)
If you want to start things a little lighter (not a terrible idea given what's coming later) there are salads, but we'd point you to the following too:
Potted smoked meats with grilled sourdough (£8) - despite the rather nondescript "meats" in the title here, this is a really excellent potted concoction and not too much to fill you up before the VERY big mains.
Then you come to the main event, which is where most of the changes come from Turner's input. Options here include smoked Jacob's Ladder beef ribs, smoked and grilled chicken, baby back pork ribs, pulled pork and even a rump steak.
However, you really want to go straight to the sharing platters. There are two absolute behemoths on offer here and given just how much food is piled up in front of you, it all represents pretty good value. There's a platter of 1kg of smoked prime rib (£95 between 2-3) but we'd point you to the main BBQ platter.
On this monster of a plate, you'll find smoked baby back pork ribs, Carolina pulled pork, smoked beef rib, Texas link sausage, smoked brisket, slaw, pickles and Texas toast. We went for the £60 version which was touted as being for 2-3 people, and turned out to be easily more than enough for three (a larger £85 version is also available).
On a booth table, we couldn't quite zoom back enough to get the real sense of just how big this platter is.
The other side of the platter - showcasing the Jacob's ladder ribs.
We're barbecue fans at the best of times, and this was an excellent platter with Turner's involvement shining through in both the meat and the "bone sucking sauce" that he's also created for the restaurant (which we would 100% buy if it was available).
Do we need anything with that?
You can add on extra helpings of most of the BBQ meat (e.g. extra brisket, sausage, etc), but you won't really need that. Instead, just opt for a few of the sides. We definitely recommend the following.
Carolina Poutine with dripping fries, Carolina pulled pork, cheese curds, Madeira gravy (£10)
Mac & Five Cheeses (£6) - an extremely good mac & cheese
BBQ beans (£5) - fabulous BBQ beans with a hint of sweetness to them
How is this for vegetarians?
Honestly, it's really not catered for vegetarians at all - if you're a vegetarian finding yourself in here, you've taken a drastic wrong turn somewhere. There are a few options if you've tagged along with a group of meat-eaters (a veg burger and the aforementioned salads) but really this isn't the place for a vegetarian to expect a full meal.
Is there room for dessert after all that?
You'll need a little break for sure. Desserts are restricted to sundaes (you'll find them at the back of the drinks menu) and are pretty easy to share if you fancy something sweet to finish
The Cornflake Sundae (£7.50) - Cornflake ice cream, cereal milk sauce, Crunchy Nut Cornflakes, whipped cream (and that's the sticky toffee sundae lurking in the background)
What about drinks?
Bourbon is a big focus, both with a section all to itself in the drinks list and a set of Bourbon cocktails (see one of those below). Otherwise, wines start at a reasonable £24 for their house South African wine from Prime Cuts, and you will find a select few American wines on the list, of course. Beers include the likes of Pabst Blue Ribbon and Beavertown on draught and a mix of USA and UK bottles.
There's a decent low/no alcohol section too featuring Guinness, pale ale and cider as well as a few cocktails and even a 0.5% Bourbon. .
The KC Sour - Maker’s Mark, lemon, sugar, Cab Sav float (£10.50). Yes, that is a red wine float, highly recommended.
Overall thoughts
It's been a long time since we've last been into Bodean's, maybe the best part of a decade. This visit reminded us why it's been such a Soho institution and why we always enjoy coming here. It's always been a decent place for barbecue in London and the menu by Richard Turner has really kicked that up a notch. Here you'll find great barbecue backed up by excellent sauces, which is pretty well priced and very generous as far as the portions go. It's all very well worth a look, whether you're making a return visit or if you're discovering it for the first time.
More about Bodean's
Where is it? Soho - 10 Poland St, London W1F 8PZ
How to book: Book online or call 020 7287 7575.
Find out more: Visit their website or follow them on Instagram @bodeansbbq
Hot Dinners ate as guests of Bodean's. Prices are correct at the time of writing.
Subscribe to be the first to get the news from Hot Dinners
