Red Dog Saloon, 37 Hoxton Square, N1 6NN
Meal for two (with 50% off food): £40
It doesn't take a genius to realise that North East London is changing. Where once there were only money lenders, Turkish supermarkets and secret warehouse raves, now the Kingsland Road sports those two well-known harbingers of gentrification: a Tesco and a Subway. The arch-hipsters, who remember when the area was the cutting edge of cool, have either moved to Clapton or are consoling themselves by producing ironic t-shirts and moaning about the changes in the Sunday Times Style magazine. Even Passing Clouds, once the sole preserve of the trendsetting elite who knew where to find its unadorned doorway, has started to advertise its presence with a sign. The restaurant business in this part of town is also changing to reflect its new market. The Turkish and Vietnamese places remain virtually unchanged but, in Hoxton and Shoreditch in particular, more and more recognisably mainstream places are opening, such as Busaba and Byron.
Even so, when I heard about a barbecue joint opening in Hoxton Square, my first thoughts were of the marvellous Fette Sau in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. Those familiar with both New York and London will know that Williamsburg is the transatlantic ideal to which Shoreditch aspires. As such, I hoped that Red Dog Saloon would bring the same on-trend approach to BBQ that Fette Sau has successfully pioneered in New York. I expected rough wooden tables, artisan beer by the gallon and a selection of rare whiskies in mismatched glassware. Most of all, I had high hopes for the meat: I wanted meltingly tender slices of brisket, unctuous pulled pork and smoky slabs of ribs. Unfortunately, whilst Red Dog Saloon makes an admirable attempt at recreating these things in London, it doesn't quite hit the mark.
Like many of the places opening on Hoxton Square, Red Dog Saloon has the polish and studied neutrality of an aspiring chain restaurant. The service, though friendly and moderately efficient, reinforced that impression. Having worked in a TGI-esque establishment in my youth, where the art of waiting table was condensed into a set of rules and techniques that even the most inept person could follow, the scripted pleasantries and up-selling skills at Red Dog Saloon brought back memories of my own brief career in the restaurant business. The interior is pleasantly spacious with big wooden tables and assorted Americana on the walls; perhaps it's the newness of it all, but it gives the impression being a paint by numbers BBQ joint. However, that isn't a bad thing and is probably more authentically American than the super-trendiness I had enjoyed in New York.
Although it wasn't available during the soft opening (curse my impatience), there is a local draft beer on offer, as well as a decent selection of American bottled beers. Even more excitingly, the menu was full of the sort of food I had hoped for: smoked short ribs, burgers and a pulled pork sandwich. We started with steamed shrimp with old bay seasoning and remoulade dip. The portion was fantastically generous; we shared six large prawns which came coated in a punchy spice mix along with a little tub of dip. The dip was unremarkable, tasting a bit like tartare sauce, but the prawns were fat, juicy and wonderfully messy to eat. Hands covered in prawn and spice mix, we reflected that this was the sort of thing we had hoped for.
However, the main event was less successful. The Red Dog Signature Burger offers decent value at £7.50 for a burger with the works and a side of fries. It's styled like good budget burger would be in the US, with a thin but tasty patty and, most impressive of all, a proper soft American bun. The meat wasn't amazing and I suspect, therefore, they will struggle to compete with Byron when it opens over the road. However, we weren't there for the burger, we wanted proper BBQ and, unfortunately, this is where the meal failed to impress. Smoked beef short ribs were sticky and tender but lacked any discernible smokiness.
Similarly, a pulled pork sandwich lacked flavour and failed to excite us with its under-seasoned pig and disappointing coleslaw. The richness of pulled pork demands a sour counterpoint to cut through the sweet oozing fattiness of the meat. In this case, the pork exhibited none of this delightful unctuousness and, even if it had, the bland and slightly creamy coleslaw would not have been a good match for it. None of it was bad, it just failed to live up to the full potential of slow-cooked smoky barbecued meat. They were also a bit stingy with the sauce, an unforgivable sin in the canon of great BBQ.
It's such a shame because Red Dog Saloon could be absolutely brilliant. Their smoker, which delayed their opening by breaking down in May, was imported from the US and is the kind used by championship winning pit masters. This suggests that they know what they are doing, they just haven't quite perfected it yet. I am hoping that this is the case: the kitchen staff just need to settle in, learn to use the new equipment and familiarise themselves with the menu. If all that happens, Red Dog Saloon will be a fine addition to the London restaurant scene. Until then, my ironic t-shirt and I will keen dreaming of the Southern States and, to a lesser extent, Brooklyn and working to master of the art of barbecuing on a balcony.
Meal for two (with 50% off food): £40
Even so, when I heard about a barbecue joint opening in Hoxton Square, my first thoughts were of the marvellous Fette Sau in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. Those familiar with both New York and London will know that Williamsburg is the transatlantic ideal to which Shoreditch aspires. As such, I hoped that Red Dog Saloon would bring the same on-trend approach to BBQ that Fette Sau has successfully pioneered in New York. I expected rough wooden tables, artisan beer by the gallon and a selection of rare whiskies in mismatched glassware. Most of all, I had high hopes for the meat: I wanted meltingly tender slices of brisket, unctuous pulled pork and smoky slabs of ribs. Unfortunately, whilst Red Dog Saloon makes an admirable attempt at recreating these things in London, it doesn't quite hit the mark.
Like many of the places opening on Hoxton Square, Red Dog Saloon has the polish and studied neutrality of an aspiring chain restaurant. The service, though friendly and moderately efficient, reinforced that impression. Having worked in a TGI-esque establishment in my youth, where the art of waiting table was condensed into a set of rules and techniques that even the most inept person could follow, the scripted pleasantries and up-selling skills at Red Dog Saloon brought back memories of my own brief career in the restaurant business. The interior is pleasantly spacious with big wooden tables and assorted Americana on the walls; perhaps it's the newness of it all, but it gives the impression being a paint by numbers BBQ joint. However, that isn't a bad thing and is probably more authentically American than the super-trendiness I had enjoyed in New York.
Although it wasn't available during the soft opening (curse my impatience), there is a local draft beer on offer, as well as a decent selection of American bottled beers. Even more excitingly, the menu was full of the sort of food I had hoped for: smoked short ribs, burgers and a pulled pork sandwich. We started with steamed shrimp with old bay seasoning and remoulade dip. The portion was fantastically generous; we shared six large prawns which came coated in a punchy spice mix along with a little tub of dip. The dip was unremarkable, tasting a bit like tartare sauce, but the prawns were fat, juicy and wonderfully messy to eat. Hands covered in prawn and spice mix, we reflected that this was the sort of thing we had hoped for.
However, the main event was less successful. The Red Dog Signature Burger offers decent value at £7.50 for a burger with the works and a side of fries. It's styled like good budget burger would be in the US, with a thin but tasty patty and, most impressive of all, a proper soft American bun. The meat wasn't amazing and I suspect, therefore, they will struggle to compete with Byron when it opens over the road. However, we weren't there for the burger, we wanted proper BBQ and, unfortunately, this is where the meal failed to impress. Smoked beef short ribs were sticky and tender but lacked any discernible smokiness.
Similarly, a pulled pork sandwich lacked flavour and failed to excite us with its under-seasoned pig and disappointing coleslaw. The richness of pulled pork demands a sour counterpoint to cut through the sweet oozing fattiness of the meat. In this case, the pork exhibited none of this delightful unctuousness and, even if it had, the bland and slightly creamy coleslaw would not have been a good match for it. None of it was bad, it just failed to live up to the full potential of slow-cooked smoky barbecued meat. They were also a bit stingy with the sauce, an unforgivable sin in the canon of great BBQ.
It's such a shame because Red Dog Saloon could be absolutely brilliant. Their smoker, which delayed their opening by breaking down in May, was imported from the US and is the kind used by championship winning pit masters. This suggests that they know what they are doing, they just haven't quite perfected it yet. I am hoping that this is the case: the kitchen staff just need to settle in, learn to use the new equipment and familiarise themselves with the menu. If all that happens, Red Dog Saloon will be a fine addition to the London restaurant scene. Until then, my ironic t-shirt and I will keen dreaming of the Southern States and, to a lesser extent, Brooklyn and working to master of the art of barbecuing on a balcony.
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