Blacklock - Shoreditch
Blacklock’s Menu
Having recently just moved to London, and being a keen foodie, I have been trying my best to get to know the local food scene here as quickly as I possibly can. On the recommendation of a friend, I checked out Blacklock’s Instagram page and immediately knew that this was a place that both I and my meat-obsessed husband had to try.
Once seated at our table, we were instantly made to feel very welcome by our lovely waiter who went over the different meats on offer, in particular the steak options that were posted on the wall on a blackboard. We had already discussed beforehand what we were going to order as we can never resist looking at the menu online, but my husband took it upon himself to do the ordering once we were actually physically at Blacklock – he is the meat expert after all. With a concerned look on his face, the waiter did say that we may have ordered too much, but then, he wasn’t to know just how much we are able to eat.
First out was my absolute favourite dish of the night, and I wish that a) I’d gotten a whole one to myself, and b) it had been served last so that I could have left with the taste of it still in my mouth. This was the Pig’s Head on Toast with gravy. I have loved anything to do with pig’s head ever since having my first banh mi in Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam, which was filled with all things pork, including pig’s head cheese. It may not sound all that appetising, but my god is it good. Our amazing Blacklock waiter even added sliced fresh red chilli on top, which added a fantastic spicy kick.
Pig’s Head on Toast with Gravy
We then moved on to the skinny chops, of which we had three - the lamb cutlet, pork loin and pork belly. All three were the perfect example of plain meaty goodness. Nothing was needed to go with them as the simplicity of the cooked meat held up all on its own.
Skinny Chops - Lamb Cutlet, Pork Loin and Pork Belly
The beef dripping chips were nothing to write home about in my opinion, but I can be pretty fussy when it comes to the topic of potato. The chilli hollandaise sauce added some much needed flavour, but they just weren't quite crispy enough on the outside, or soft enough on the inside. I would probably choose the 10 hour ash roasted sweet potato next time - the guy next to us ordered it and it looked absolutely outstanding.
Beef Dripping Chips with a side of Steak
Finally, we shared the porterhouse steak. I always like mine medium rare, whereas the husband prefers his more on the rarer side. However, the waiter advised that the cut of steak would be a little tough if only cooked rare, so we went with my preference. On one side of the bone was the fillet which was a perfect medium rare and it was also very juicy and tender. On the other side of the bone was the sirloin, and it was a little too rare for me and felt quite tough. It probably could have done with a little more salt during cooking too.
Porterhouse
I had really wanted to try the white chocolate cheesecake, but after so much meat, I felt like I would have to roll out of the restaurant if I attempted to fit anything else in my mouth. This glorious meat feast was all washed down with two lovely Blacklock Lagers that were very light and refreshing.
Overall, I really enjoyed my experience here and I think I will have to come back for Blacklock's famed Sunday roast very soon.
