Smokehouse, Highbury & Islington -UK
Venturing into a new part of London (for me, anyway), I headed to Islington to see what the highly recommended Smokehouse had to offer.
Atmosphere
A family-owned, cozy and relaxed venue offering global cuisine ranging from Argentina to Korea, it is easily accessible from the Highbury and Islington tube via trendy Upper Street, which is wall to wall with independent stores and cafes. I’d booked a table, but there was no need as it was very quiet on this particular Saturday morning.
Their mantra Is simple: use the best produce from friendly, family-owned suppliers who are as passionate about what they do as the guys at Smokehouse are. If you’re interested in the provenance of your food, you’ll appreciate their philosophy with meat, fruit, and vegetables arriving fresh from British farms and local greengrocers, and meats being roasted and smoked over sustainably sourced English oak. All very impressive and tastes wonderful.
Service
The service was a little off the mark considering how quiet the place was, we needed to ask to have our water refreshed and struggled to get the correct milk for our coffee.
Presentation, Quality, and Taste
The menu is diverse and whilst not offering your traditional brunch fare, it does offer some unique flavours with starters such as hake and watermelon ceviche and burnt leek with hen’s egg and portobello mushroom. With so much on offer, we chose to share a selection of starters in order to create an assortment of cuisines and flavours.
The food was well presented, tasty and enjoyable, with the exception of the brisket roll, which was a tad dry. We were tempted by the dessert menu and chose to share the white chocolate peanut cup, which the server enthusiastically sold us on. A little ball of salty and sweet delight, heaven on a plate.
Definitely worth a visit to this or their Chiswick location, and I don’t think that you’ll be disappointed by the food.
The Bottom Line: 3.5/5 Brookie Stars
The Smokehouse principles to food are right up my street and with the exception of one item the food was delicious. However, it dropped points on my visit due to the slow and disappointing service. Get them on a ‘good day’ and you could be on to a winner!
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With 30 years of general management experience in the global insurance industry and having lived in 4 countries, Jacqui now spends her time between London and New York where she continues to pursue her passion for writing, food, books and travel.
A Reiki practitioner, yogi and huge animal advocate, her home isn’t complete without a furbaby or three. In addition to being a BooknBrunch contributor, she writes for industry publications.
Favourite book: To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee.
Favourite brunch dish: avocado toast with tomato and chilli
