Not quite as I’d hope… but I’ll give them another chance.
Having moved to Manchester a few years ago, I have never had the chance to visit Smoking Goat. Now that I am back in East London, I thought that today (Friday) would be the day to make my way over.
I arrived to meet a colleague for a late lunch at 2.15pm - I arrived early, and the place was busy but not full. Lunch service was winding down you could feel. As I waiting for a colleague and was early, I sat at the bar and was quickly served and expertly looked after by the bartender. It was Friday, so I enjoyed a nice glass of cider.
When my colleague arrived, after a little confusion, a table was set up for us by the front windows of Shoreditch High Street and we headed over.
We were given ample time to decide on food choices, though it took some time to get attention and my colleague had to go over to catch attention. We made our order promptly but it took some time for food to come out. I can be a bit uppity when service is slow and my colleague and I began looking around in that natural that can happen when you feel you’re waiting longer than you should.
We enjoyed a snack item to start, choosing the Fried Chicken Skin. The chicken skin was lovely and milder than a similar dish at Speedboat, making it easier to enjoy.
This was followed by Fried Chicken, and on this dish I have to agreed with my friend who was dining with me… the finest piece of fried chicken you have ever had!
We then rounded this up with the Moo Hong Braised Belly 450g, Crispy Pig Bits Citrus Salad, and some Jasmine Rice.
Let’s start with the easy bit. The rice was rice, cooked properly. Not much else to say. The Moo Hong Braised Belly was perfect cooked and the meat and fat balanced well to give a great sensation on the tongue.
The Crispy Pig Bits Citrus Salad. Have you ever been punched in the throat by a beautiful Thai woman? No? Try the Crispy Pig Bits Citrus Salad. It’s beautiful but takes no prisoners.
The food at Smoking Goat was good. The service was lacking. The team members were great. Polite and personable, but they were struggling with something, food took a little longer than I would expect, and we hardly saw the staff around us.
I had similar food the day before at Speedboat, for a similar price per person. The staff were amazing. I remember their names, we had a laugh, they recommended dishes to try on the next visit. Here, it was okay but it kind of felt taken for granted that we would think it was great and come back again on a return visit.
Now, believe me. It wasn’t bad, it just wasn’t as good as I would have hoped. It didn’t feel worth more than the, apparent slightly down market in comparison, Speedboat Bar.
Maybe this was because they were on a wind down after a lunch service, with the shift change happening ahead of the dinner service? I don’t know, but I will give it another go.