• Privacy policy
  • T&C’s
  • FAQ
  • Meet the Team
  • About The London Economic
  • Advertise
TLE ONLINE SHOP!
NEWSLETTER
SUPPORT THE LONDON ECONOMIC
  • TLE
  • News
  • Politics
  • Opinion
  • Business
  • Sport
  • Entertainment
  • Film
  • Food
  • Lifestyle
  • Property
  • Travel
  • Tech/Auto
No Result
View All Result
The London Economic
  • TLE
  • News
  • Politics
  • Opinion
  • Business
  • Sport
  • Entertainment
  • Film
  • Food
  • Lifestyle
  • Property
  • Travel
  • Tech/Auto
No Result
View All Result
The London Economic
No Result
View All Result
Home Food and Drink

Restaurant Review: Blacklock, Shoreditch

At the beginning of each week, renowned chop restaurant Blacklock hosts Butcher Price Mondays: an incentive to lure customers with outstandingly reasonable large cuts, ultimately filling seats on the quietest night of the week. Large cuts are priced at £5 per 100 grams, rather than between £5-7. A porterhouse steak, for instance, costs £5 per […]

Jon Hatchman by Jon Hatchman
November 16, 2018
in Food and Drink, Restaurants
Blacklock New Restaurant Openings @lateef.photography - best London restaurant openings

Photo: Lateef Okunnu @lateef.photography

At the beginning of each week, renowned chop restaurant Blacklock hosts Butcher Price Mondays: an incentive to lure customers with outstandingly reasonable large cuts, ultimately filling seats on the quietest night of the week. Large cuts are priced at £5 per 100 grams, rather than between £5-7. A porterhouse steak, for instance, costs £5 per 100 grams compared to £9.50 at Hawksmoor. This is just one of the strengths that has steadied Blacklock in the choppy waters of restaurateuring in 2018, with so many openings suffering the plight of aggressive gentrification and recurrent no-shows.

Besides, with the Soho and City restaurants having become so genuflected, a third site has recently opened, taking over a large space on Rivington Street in Shoreditch. “It’s busy tonight,” I remark as a particularly smiley fills our water glasses. “I’m sure it’ll pick up,” he replies, suggesting more than three quarters of the tables are usually filled by seven o’clock on cold Monday evenings when most would rather stay at home. Occupying a former furniture factory, the restaurant is low-lit, cavernous and fruitful with dark wood, exposed brick work and cast iron fixtures against sleek black leather seating. In the centre of the dining room, a column showcases chalkboards scrawled with large chops and available sizes. Music is loud (with a soundtrack rooted in 1980s smash hits during my dinner visit), yet contributes to the joyous, unpretentious atmosphere alongside genuinely warm – albeit unfussy – service.

Given the venue’s size, a dedicated bar area greets guests, with a cocktail list created in collaboration with New York bar, Slowly Shirley. A range of Blacklock beers are also served: the cherry sour beer is an absolute must-try for fans of the style, or those interested in veering from typical lagers or IPAs. As for the food, the menu is much the same as at the other two sites, adhering to a tested formula of robust, meat-focussed simplicity. All meat is sourced from Phillip Warren, Cornwall’s oldest third-generation farmers and butchers, established in 1880, with a prominent focus on chops cooked over charcoal, seared with antique Blacklock Foundry clothes irons. In addition to the a la carte menu, Butcher Price Mondays and the much adored Sunday roasts, the new Blacklock continues to offer the all-in option for £20 per person: proof that money really can buy happiness.

Blacklock Shoreditch | Photo:  Lateef Okunnu @lateef.photography
Photo: Lateef Okunnu 

‘All-in’ begins with a trio of pre-chop bites: dainty, circular crisp breads topped with ingredients harbouring contrastingly intense flavour. Scrambled egg is paired with salty, deeply umami anchovy; chicken with horseradish (unconventionally) and cheese with pickled vegetables. Next a platter of rump steak, lamb cutlets and T-bone, pork belly and loin are stacked on top of flatbread fingers which act as a sponge to absorb the meat’s cooking juices. All of the meat is superlatively cooked, particularly the pork belly with its well-rendered fat, while the lamb and beef are each cooked medium-rare with heavy char and outer caramelisation. Each demand to be taken in hand for necessary pre-civilisation scavenging.

On the side, chips are cooked in beef dripping which lends optimum depth of flavour, while baby gem lettuce is heavily charred and embellished with anchovy dripping so rousing we order another portion. Vegetables have never tasted so transcendently thrilling. An additional boat of the restaurant’s signature peppercorn gravy is remarkably decadent, toeing the line between Sunday roast gravy and ferocious peppercorn sauce. Just two desserts are available, including an unusually light white chocolate cheesecake that’s scooped from a roasting tin and served at the table. A fitting conclusion to dinner at east London’s most gloriously comforting opening of 2018.

Header photo: Lateef Okunnu

Blacklock Shoreditch can be found at 30 Rivington Street, London, EC2A 3DZ.

RelatedPosts

How To Make: Chicken à la King

Pink Marmalade Gin: a natural, colour changing gin

How To Make: Oblix’s Orzo, Wild Mushroom & Truffle

How To Make: Black Bean Chilli Mince

RELATED

London’s Best New Restaurant Openings – November 2018

Restaurant Review: Flank

Restaurant Review: Sophie’s Steakhouse, Soho

Support fearless, free, investigative journalism Support fearless, free, investigative journalism Support fearless, free, investigative journalism

Subscribe to our Newsletter

View our  Privacy Policy and Terms & Conditions

Trending fromTLE

  • All
  • trending

What If We Got Rid Of Prisons?

Stress, fear and homelessness: The threat looming over families confronted with eviction

File photo dated 07/11/03 of a prison cell.

The Other Prison Pandemic

Latest from TLE

1% NHS pay rise ‘an insult’, says son of nurse killed by Covid-19

Nigel Farage claims he is quitting politics ‘to fight Britain’s culture wars’

Anti-lockdown Laurence Fox joins London mayoral race, bashing ‘nationhating’ Sadiq

Food shortage fears spark plan to ease Brexit checks on EU imports

About Us

TheLondonEconomic.com – Open, accessible and accountable news, sport, culture and lifestyle.

Read more

Address

The London Economic Newspaper Limited t/a TLE
Company number 09221879
International House,
24 Holborn Viaduct,
London EC1A 2BN,
United Kingdom

Contact

Editorial enquiries, please contact: jack@thelondoneconomic.com

Commercial enquiries, please contact: advertise@thelondoneconomic.com

SUPPORT

We do not charge or put articles behind a paywall. If you can, please show your appreciation for our free content by donating whatever you think is fair to help keep TLE growing and support real, independent, investigative journalism.

DONATE & SUPPORT

© 2019 thelondoneconomic.com - TLE, International House, 24 Holborn Viaduct, London EC1A 2BN. All Rights Reserved.




No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • News
  • Politics
  • Opinion
  • Business
  • Sport
  • Entertainment
  • Film
  • Lifestyle
  • Food
  • Property
  • Travel
  • Tech & Auto
  • About The London Economic
  • Meet the Team
  • Privacy policy

© 2019 thelondoneconomic.com - TLE, International House, 24 Holborn Viaduct, London EC1A 2BN. All Rights Reserved.