Saturday Lunch in London - A review of Pitt Cue Co

I’ve been wanting to head to Pitt Cue Co for a long time now as I’d heard many good things (and I know it’s an inspiration for my favourite Manchester restaurant Southern Eleven). With a long bank holiday weekend in London and a love of ribs, that’s where we decided to have our lunch on Saturday!

Now the place is tiny…seriously tiny…they only seat 30! So you have to get there early or be prepared to wait. Luckily we were aware of this so were lurking outside like foody weirdos at 11.45am! I’m glad as we’d avoided breakfast and psyched ourselves up for some American ribby goodness, so were among the first bunch in and sat downstairs in their cosy, dimly lit dining area.

We’d had a peak at the menu whilst waiting outside and already discussed what me might have (ribs anyone?), but when the cool carnaby-street-esque waiter described the specials and sides ,our mouths were seriously watering and we wanted to try everything! So we did…nearly! Having ordered a London Pale Ale for hubby and a Bourbon Cocktail for me, we put in our food order as follows:

Starters/Extras: Jowl Scrumpet, Smoked Chipotle Thighs, Loaded Skins

Mains: Dry-crusted beef ribs – I had mine with Grilled Broccoli, almonds and shallots. Hubby had his ribs with Grilled Baby Gem, basil and anchovy. Both came with slaw and pickles. Mmmm…

Everything was seriously tasty! I mean yummy and more than we expected. There’s definitely some fine-dining touches to what comes out of the kitchen, it’s not your run-of-the-mill american diner and without fries or onion rings in site, it’s a welcome change from the average american menu (and you don’t leave feeling uncomfortably full and oozing chip-fat). Washing it all down with a good selection of Bourbon cocktails, we were in our element! The jowl scrumpet was light shredded pigs cheek, deep-fried and served with apple sauce – you only get one per portion, so be prepared to share! (I’d quite happily devour one to myself). The Smoked Chipotle Thighs were tender chicken in a sweet and sticky BBQ sauce with a nice kick of chilli to it. You get two of those in a portion. The Loaded Skins were a surprise for us and not what we expected at all (not the scooped out potato skins that you get on most menus) – instead they were creamy mash with a crisp potato skin, layered with pulled pork and coleslaw. Seriously delicious. There were 3 in a portion. We happily got through all of these which warmed us up for the mains.

Onto the ribs…served in a large tin with the chosen sides, they were seriously good. Dry-rubbed with a crunchy smokey coating, these were beefy and succulent with lots of meat for all you fellow carnivores out there. The coleslaw and pickles had a nice crisp finish and added a refreshing crunch against the beef. The broccoli was quite possibly the best broccoli I’ve ever had – crunchy (just how I like it), grilled and flavoursome, with toasted almonds and shallots. I also tried the grilled baby gem lettuce, which is always a winner in my books. The only regret I have was not also ordering the bone-marrow mash! I had serious food envy when I saw a bowl of it delivered to the couple next to us! Sadly, with 4 drinks between us, we couldn’t quite manage a dessert (I know! I regretted it immediately), but it gives us an excuse to go back again!

So the food at Pitt Cue Co is a definite winner and you won’t be disappointed. There was a real mixed-bag of people dining at the same time as us and there was groans of delight all round – the quality and technique really is there. There is a cool, urban-chic atmosphere in Pitt Cue Co too, with dim lighting, wooden furniture and 90s hip-hop playing out of the sound-system in the back, you really do sit shoulder to shoulder with your fellow diners, but this is totally part of the experience! Located on Newburgh Street, just behind Carnaby Street the entrance-way is unpretentious and you could blink and miss it easily with the net curtains and small top-floor landing. This is part of its charm.

Remember they don’t take bookings though, so make sure you get there at opening or are prepared to wait. The snug bar on the first floor offer a place to perch and enjoy some cocktails and bar snacks, so that’s always an option.

Have you been? Where else should I be eating?