Blacklock Soho
Blacklock presents an existential challenge to American barbecue fans who think they’re the world’s best meat masters: The extravagant "meat mountain” roast (as Food Insider puts it), pictured above, is piled precariously atop browned potatoes and Yorkshire pudding and walloped with gravy, a spectacle that made Blacklock a destination for unabashed carnivores. All the meat is raised sustainably in Britain, and the entire animal is used one way or another. Appetites won’t sustain themselves for long in the face of such fresh-seared profligacy. Although you do get a lot of protein for your pound, there’s not a lot for vegetarians other than a token dish, such as barbecued halloumi, and some rich sides like cauliflower with four cheeses (“arriving to the table bubbling like Mount Vesuvius,” the menu promises). Make advance bookings for the Sunday roast.
The formula works so well that further locations have been launched at 16a Bedford St., WC2 ([020/3034-1394; Tube: Covent Garden) and 28-30 Rivington St, EC2 (020/7739-2148; Tube: Old Street) and in the City (13 Philpot Lane, EC2; 020/7998-7676; Tube: Monument), but this is the location that’s stashed in a former basement brothel, which in terms of sensory indulgence seems fitting in a way I can’t safely articulate.
Blacklock presents an existential challenge to American barbecue fans who think they’re the world’s best meat masters: The extravagant "meat mountain” roast (as Food Insider puts it), pictured above, is piled precariously atop browned potatoes and Yorkshire pudding and walloped with gravy, a spectacle that made Blacklock a destination for unabashed carnivores. All the meat is raised sustainably in Britain, and the entire animal is used one way or another. Appetites won’t sustain themselves for long in the face of such fresh-seared profligacy. Although you do get a lot of protein for your pound, there’s not a lot for vegetarians other than a token dish, such as barbecued halloumi, and some rich sides like cauliflower with four cheeses (“arriving to the table bubbling like Mount Vesuvius,” the menu promises). Make advance bookings for the Sunday roast.
The formula works so well that further locations have been launched at 16a Bedford St., WC2 ([020/3034-1394; Tube: Covent Garden) and 28-30 Rivington St, EC2 (020/7739-2148; Tube: Old Street) and in the City (13 Philpot Lane, EC2; 020/7998-7676; Tube: Monument), but this is the location that’s stashed in a former basement brothel, which in terms of sensory indulgence seems fitting in a way I can’t safely articulate.
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