Pitt Cue Co.

Barbecue as a concept means vastly different things depending on your background. It can be as simple as a sausage grilled outside to a complex multi-stage smoking of an entire carcass. Regardless of it’s definition it’s certainly delicious and a fantastic way of enjoying some of the more unusual cuts of meat.

Pitt Cue Co. has taken the blogging scene by storm – the queues outside are testatment to their ‘cue prowess. You can’t book, the menu is simple and unpretentious, and the restaurant tiny. Turning up on a weekend afternoon, I was very unsure we’d get in but after a short wait we were shown to our table.

The food is incredible. Generous portions of tender flaky meat slathered in rich smokey sauces. The sides are magnificent too – I went for bone marrow mash and brussel tops but the grilled leeks are stunning too.

My pulled pork was just perfect – piggy, soft and with just the right amount of seasoning. It was served with a lovely sour slaw, which helped cut through the richness and a very nice home made pickle. I also plumped for some rib tips – the odds and ends left over from tidying the racks slow cooked and slathered in hot sauce – magic.

If you can get a table, and you’re longing for something meaty, uncomplicated and fun – I can’t think of a better place to go!

The Black Swan
Situated just outside Ockham in Surrey, The Black Swan is everything you could want in a country gastro-pub. I went for their starter platter which is incredible for two to share. Welsh rarebit, rabbit sausage rolls, potted venison, potted trout, scotch quails eggs, devils on horseback, pickled walnuts, onion chutney, piccalilli, Norbury blue (a delightful soft blue local cheese) and salad. It’s quite a meal.

Chinese Cooking
Making some more recipes from ‘Every Grain of Rice’ I whipped up some slow cooked beef with bamboo tofu, stir-fried cabbage and dried shrimp and a tiger salad. Exotic, yummy and dangerously good.