For some reason I’ve never been to Pitt Cue Co. despite it having been on my bucket list since it opened a few years ago after a successful stint as a food truck. Buoyed by my coming trip, now current trip, to the US I thought it’d be a good time to compare the best Britain had to offer with the real deal in America.
My first impression was the size of Pitt Cue Co. I never imagined it to be so small hence, I guess, why I’ve heard stories of never ending queues, which actually wasn’t bad on our Thursday night visit. Split onto two levels the ground floor comprises of the bar and some informal seating for solo diners or smaller groups whilst the basement has some larger tables and cubby holes.
If there’s one thing on an American menu I can’t resist it’s ribs so I was disappointed that the caramel ribs had sold out, before 8! Having heard so much about them, it has always been the main draw for me and having seen people upstairs devouring them, further added salt to the wound. Alas, I had to make do with Pitt Cue Co’s other main attraction, the pulled pork.
In honesty the Pulled Pork didn’t do much for me. Flavours and texture were fine but not memorable, which I was hoping for since this is billed as the best in London. It needed more smokiness as flavours started to feel drab halfway through. It was also served with a minute piece of toast, some slaw and sauerkraut which were dwarfed by the amount of pulled pork.
The highlight of the meal was the creamy Bone Marrow Mash, full of flavour but not overly cloying. Pitt Cue Co. managed to get the essence of the unctuous flavours of bone marrow without it being smothered in oil. Over the night, it became apparent that I preferred the sides/starters over the main.
Green Chili slaw
We also tried the crumbed featherblade and the ox tongue. The featherblade was an interesting, though peculiar combination of beef wrapped in a light dusting of breadcrumbs. A nice dish but overshadowed by the others. I think it would have stood out more if it was crunchier.
On the other hand the ox tongue had a good texture to it and a subtle offal-like flavour. Normally when I’ve had ox tongue it’d be sliced thinly but as a whole cut you could appreciate the consistency of the meat.
Overall there are certain highlights to Pitt Cue Co that make it worth a try but the main attraction left me disappointed, maybe that could have been salvaged if I had the caramel ribs but for now I’d have to say the non-meat bone marrow mash trumped all the meats that Pitt Cue had on offer and that’s a problem for a BBQ.
Address: 1 Newburgh Street, London, W1F 7RB
Telephone: 0207 287 5578
Mind The Gap:
Mon-Sat: 12pm – 3pm . 5.30pm – 11pm
Sun & Bank Hol: 12pm – 4pm
/10
Panda ate, shot and left.
PANDA EATS LONDON 