Continuing to dominate the London nightlife scene, Blues Kitchen has finally taken up digs south of the river for some meat-heavy entertainment and deep South boozing. Blues Brixton came a callin’...
The Venue
Although not as big as its older Shoreditch sister, this Blues still packs a punch taking on an industrial style outfit of old fashioned aesthetics and classic Deep Southern style. With a stage set at the end of the room for live musicians to honk away on, the majority of the restaurant space is made up of leather bound booths. Original features sound throughout like parquet flooring and reclaimed stained glass light fixtures hang from the ceilings. With no windows throughout, this Blues is a cavern of dark drinking, dining and dancing to some big blues tunes.
Understated and cool fits this Blues bill.
The Food & Drink
These guys don’t mess about when it comes to Texan BBQ foods. Saucy, meaty and a little bit naughty, the menu at Blues Kitchen is the stuff of legend. One of everything please.
We started with the Seafood Platter (£14.95 per person) which was basically a funfare of fish including a Canadian lobster, jumbo shrimp & Cornish crabclaws. Don’t be intimidated by this chunky offering - this was our starter and all in all, a pretty bangin’ one. No complaints on the seafood front or the chipotle mayo dip. Eyeing up the meats for our main, we hit up the Barbeque side of the menu and went for a Two Meat Combo (£14.50) of the Pulled Pork and Beef Brisket. Self-professed as juicy and slow smoked for 8 hours, the Pulled Pork was really something special satisfying all Texan cravings. The Beef Brisket didn’t really hold a candle to the pile of pork, but still gets a thumbs up for its 16 hour slow smoke and Blues Kitchen seasoning. Opting for their sweet potato fries and onion rings to go with this meaty mess, we found Nirvana. ‘Nuff said.
Yes we went for dessert. Duh. Deep fried Oreo Cookie Donuts (£6.50) with a salted caramel dip? I think so. And a big ol’ sour cherry and butterscotch Chocolate Brownie (£6.50) too? That’ll do Donkey, that’ll do. The Oreo Donuts are a must just to try, even in their overly sweet nature. But, the Brownie was really something special - gooey, chocolatey and the word that everyone loves but never says, MOIST (couldn’t not really).
For drinks we had a pretty good spread of cocktails, beer and wine (it was Friday after all). Mixology wise, their bar is big on bourbons, whiskey and all manner of dark rums giving you a true hit of the American South, sour ‘n’ all. I went for the authentic Whiskey Sour (£8) experience, swilling Four Roses Bourbon, Fresh Lemon, Angostura Bitters and Egg White from a manly tumbler. Whilst my gent opted for the Clover Club (£8), which came sitting pretty and pink in a petite little martini glass. Don’t judge, what’s not to love out of Beefeater Gin, Fresh Lemon, Grenadine and Egg White? He’s partial to a simple stunna. The Hurricane (£9) is also worth a mention. This heady blend of Morgan Spiced, Gosling’s, Fresh Lime, Orange Juice, Pineapple Juice, Fresh Passion Fruit, Angostura Bitters and Grenadine was a whirlwind of summer fun with an umbrella on top. Trying a different take on your standard Old Fashioned (£9.50) and recommended by our attentive waiter, we tried it with a Dark Rum base (Orange Peel and Angostura Bitters in tow). Whilst it was never going to carry the same kick as your Bourbon laced favourite, a custom cocktail never goes a miss. Ta lad.
Stacks on stacks on stacks of M.E.A.T
The Atmosphere
Buzzing. In a nutshell. I’ll go on cos I kind of have to, but if you’ve tried to head down to the Brixton Blues on a weekend you’ll have seen the stinking queue which only owes to this places raging atmosphere. And is it any wonder when you’ve got brass bands honking their way through the restaurant and incredible live music taking to the stage? No, it’s not. Don’t be fooled either, Blues still works if you’re keen on a date night feast or a meal out with mates. It’s bound to get messy, but that’s what we’re here for at Blues.
Live music of the Blues, Soul and Jazz persuasion rocks up here.
Summary
Proving that Blues Kitchen is always a good idea, the Brixton digs keep this collection of deep southern food, drink and utter tomfoolery rampant across London. We salute you Blues.
