Blacklock City: Welcome to London’s most Bacchanalian basement
Blacklock was an instant success when it launched in Soho just over two years ago, transforming a one-time basement brothel into a very different kind of meat den.
In fact, there has only ever been one problem with it: how difficult it is to get a table without subjecting yourself to an almighty queue.
Here to the rescue is its new bigger little brother in the City.
Housed in a former electricity substation close to Monument, it seats almost double the number of people that the original does, offers reservations for both lunch and dinner, and thanks to enlarged kitchen and prep space is also able to offer a larger menu — including starters for the first time.
Among these new additions are gamey lamb belly ribs, pleasingly crisped at their extremities but soft and juicy within, and a soon-to-be-classic in the form of melting and meaty pig’s head on toast served with pickled chillies and a jug of gravy for dousing.
Of course, the chops you know and love remain the focal point. Try a smoked maple-glazed bacon chop, resplendent with glistening, flavour-filled fat, and beef sirloin chops. Add a side of delicious chilli hollandaise for dipping.
Also worth special mention are the beef dripping chips. Crisp, fluffy, rich with dripping flavour and suitably seasoned they are surely right up with the capital’s best.
Puds have also been pimped. The rhubarb cheesecake, served straight from the dish, that is so popular in Soho is still available, but so too is a boozy comfort blanket in the form of bourbon-laced bread and butter pudding.
As if all that wasn’t enough, there are another couple of elements which put this new spot firmly in the running for the title of most Bacchanalian basement in the business.
There’s a whole list of £5 cocktails — including some which circulate the room on a trolley, and are also available to buy by the bottle — and the playlist is made up of pure pop anthems. Oh, and don’t forget those reservations.
That leaves just one thing to say: chop chop.
Blacklock City: The lowdown
Final flavour: London’s most Bacchanalian basement proves Blacklock is still top of the chops.
At what cost? Cheap as chops. Starters £5 each, chops from £4 a pop, and many cocktails for a fiver.
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