Porky's by name and porkies by nature, this joint's manifesto is pretty simple - To give pulled pork the attention it deserves. Slathering up those magical meaty strands and hunks with barbecue sauce and serving it up in almost obscene abundance to the oinking glee of its customers; this is greed personified. Not restricting its carnivorous habits to pig, Porky's Shoreditch dishes up a menu of Deep South style fodder - including hot dogs, burgers and the requisite mac n cheese style sides - in a lively and hip setting. If Henry VIII were alive and kicking in Shoreditch, this would be his fave hang out.
Venue
Twirling its piggy tail from Bankside and Camden venues, the Shoreditch space is a new set up in buzzing Boxpark. Lending itself to the rough and ready yet consummately cool setting, Porky's squeals out from prime real estate slap bang in the middle. The bench and table seating accommodates a corridor like space and the Americana touches reflect Deep South soul rather than Diner crassness. Elvis and Warhol posters punctuate the walls, and all effort has been made to create an authentic yet achingly contemporary environment. The success is admirable considering they'd only been there a week.
Fun light features and industrial details bring this meat shack bang up to date.
Atmosphere
Due to the newness of the venture, the ambience felt a little on the hop. However, this combined with the staff's infinite charm and the casual core of the food created an enjoyably informal intimacy. Never hassly and boasting exceptionally quick service, relaxation was easy. A couple of tables were filling up with munching and laughing folk; mainly groups of lads getting stuck into burgers. I'd say in a more established state, Porky's Shoreditch would be an adaptable venue for anyone looking for a bit of scoff.
This newborn delight shows great potential as a vibey regular haunt and for passing by feeds.
Food & Drink
Alas liquor licence issues were haranguing a few nerves, resulting in a bit of a dry experience. Whistle whetting was restricted to generous glugs of the excellent and homemade barbecue sauces; let's hope all is resolved soon! In the spirit of obscene gluttony, I ordered crab cakes with chipotle mayonnaise and bbq chicken wings to start, half a chicken and pulled pork with mac n cheese and iceberg lettuce for main and a banana sunday for pud. All was glorious; the sheer size never diminishing the quality and flavour. Classic stuff your face stuff at a reasonable price.
Well seasoned and voluminous; kind of food you have to tie your hair up to eat.
Summary
I left Porky's Shoreditch glowing with contentment and meat sweats in equal proportion. Although a little frayed around the edges on administrative issues, the food never suffered and the service more than made up for it. The effort and pride that is obviously going into the fledgling venue warms the cockles; resulting in a genuine experience that is lost at more slickly established joints.
