Restaurateur Holborn Dining Room – which we LOVED – comes Q Grill, an American-influenced BBQ restaurant up in Camden.
Des McDonald is on a bit of a role at the moment. Hot on the heals ofInside, Q Grill has the look and feel of a wooden shack, albeit a very classy one. Roughed up wooden boards cover the floor, ceilings, the bar and even some of the walls, all offset by more expensive furnishings such as huge leather booths and industrial light fittings. It feels a bit like Holborn Dining Room’s cooler, runaway sibling.
The menu here is undoubtedly geared towards meat, although there are quite a few lighter options such as ceviche and whole baked sea bass. We went all out on the meat, however, with the exception of a starter of ‘Moonshine Shrimps’, crisp deep fried shrimps. We also shared a bag (yes, actually served in a bag) of barbecued chicken wings which were bang on.
From the mains we ordered pork collar and beef short rib. Oh, and half a rack of ribs (hey, we were really hungry). The ribs were good, if a little on the dry side, but that was soon fixed with lashings of BBQ sauce. Pork collar, from the piggy’s neck, was served medium rare which may not be to everyone’s taste but it tasted damn good to us. Star of the show though was the short rib: smokey chunks of beef falling off the bone – YUM.
Des is on to another winner with Q Grill. Just make sure you come hungry.
29-33 Chalk Farm Road, London, NW1 8AJ
www.q-grill.co.uk