The Devonshire, Soho, London pub review

 

Is there a more hyped pub in the UK at the moment than the Devonshire?

Co-owned by landlord extraordinaire Oisin Rogers, Flat Iron founder Charlie Carroll, and the former head chef of The Fat Duck, Ashley Palmer-Watts, it’s received rave reviews from national critics and food bloggers alike since opening in 2023. 

Pop stars galore like Ed Sheeran and Lewis Capaldi have all played intimate gigs in their invitation only Green Room.

And judging by the perennial crowds of people drinking on the street, I can see why they’re widely touted as serving the best (and most) Guinness in London.  

If all these plaudits weren’t enough to get you frothing at the mouth, then just the other week they were handed the top spot in the well regarded Top 50 Gastropubs list. 

When I rocked up for my solo Friday lunch, I spotted Oisin Rogers checking in with the team at the front desk. Whilst he didn’t pull me a pint of Guinness, it was good to see one of top dogs putting in an appearance. 

With dining rooms spread across multiple floors, private rooms in an adjacent building and a roof terrace, The Devonshire must turn over a ton of covers a day. I was sat in a gorgeous claret coloured upstairs dining room with contemporary art bedecked walls. With its relaxed yet stylish vibe and friendly yet slick front of house team, it’s the kind of place where billionaire bankers and penny-pinching solo diners would feel equally at home. 

Whilst the Devonshire’s a la carte reads remarkably well with dishes like iberico pork ribs (£15), brawn toast (£12) and beef cheek suet pudding (£26), I couldn’t look past their no choice set menu, which offers three courses for £29. 

To drink, it could only have been a pint of Guinness (£7.20). Don’t get me wrong, it was very good but ultimately, it was still just a pint of Guinness and I didn't clock the higher nitrogen-to-carbon dioxide ratio they use that's supposed to make it a smoother pint. 

But now, the superlatives are going to start and won't let up.

A golden capped, salt dusted, soft and sweet crumbed warm white roll was carbohydrate royalty. I regretted having to say no to offer of a second as I had a busy day of eating ahead.

I’d expect a prawn cocktail on a bargain‑basement set menu to mean a mountain of lettuce and a token amount of crustacean. However, this was all thriller and no filler and in fact, there was only a scant sprinkling of crisp greenery. A partially shelled langoustine crowned the pile of small sweet-fleshed prawns coated in a tangy Marie Rose sauce. 

My skirt steak arrived quick smart from its brush with the Devonshire’s custom oak ember grill. 

Crimson fleshed with a wisp of smoke on its exterior and with a light chew and excellent beefiness, this was as good if not better than many more expensive cuts that I’ve eaten at lesser restaurants. 

Sides were bob on too. A thick and rich bearnaise had a compelling anise twang.

And duck fat chips were every bit as good as you’d expect from a chef who spent 20 years at the restaurant which invented the triple cooked chip. Compellingly ragged, golden and crisp with fluffy centres and a meaty twang, they were everything I want from a spud.

We’re long past the point of this blog post sounding a bit effusive, but a slab of sticky toffee pudding was an absolute bobby dazzler too.

Light, soft and squidgy with a lift of lemon zest, it was drenched in toasty toffee sauce. A dense scoop of vanilla ice cream was the ideal accompaniment... I’m sure the cream or custard that I was offered would have been too.

I had a brilliant lunch at the Devonshire and it fully deserves the hype. Their set menu is one of the best deals I’ve ever come across in the UK let alone London. It's just as well they're not based in Cardiff as you’d be rather bored of me reviewing the same three courses every week.

The Details:

Address - The Devonshire, 17 Denman Street, Soho, London W1D 7HW
Web - https://www.devonshiresoho.co.uk/

Hickory's Smokehouse, St Mellons, Cardiff restaurant review

Having mostly enjoyed the smoked meats at Cardiff City Centre’s Spitfire, next on the agenda was the other new addition to the city, Hickory’s Smokehouse in St Mellon’s.

With over 30 branches across the UK and hospitality giants Green King for owners, I had to admit that I was more than a little bit sceptical.

Located just off the A48, Hickory’s whopping building gives off major Texas Toby Carvery vibes. To be fair, they’ve done a good job with the refurb of the old Melrose Inn, with its assorted Americana, a cinema for the kids, and non-stop soundtrack of country classics. 

And, despite the colossal venue having what must be around 200 covers, it appeared to be a full house on the Friday night we visited. So much for January being a quiet month for hospitality.

This time around, two people who know far more about smoked meat than me were my wingmen - Alex the Smoked Meat Strumpet and Jon Bovi, the Wolf of Whitchurch Road.

As our 7pm table wasn’t quite ready when we arrived, we perched at the bar for 10 minutes and knocked back pints of Sierra Nevada Pale Ale (£6.45) – this bitter and piney West Coast beer is a classic for a reason and I’m always glad to see it on tap.

A bag of complimentary sweet and salty popcorn kept us going whilst we we waited for our food too. 

Hickory’s Menu is a bit of a monster with options like steaks, burgers, fajitas and gumbo, all featuring. However, we were there for their barbecue, which is smoked in house daily. For a chain of this scale, it’s impressive that they’re not just bringing in vac-packed stuff on the back of a lorry.

Before the BBQ, we ordered a few appetisers and sides to share - these turned out to be my highlight of the meal.

I’d heard good things about Hickory’s giant pretzel bites (£8.75) and they certainly delivered. Warm, super soft and lightly chewy pretzel pieces were well soaked in garlic butter and served with a bowl of thick, beer-twanged cheese sauce.

 

Bourbon bacon bites (£9) were billed as an essential order by two members of the friendly front of house team – I can see why. Crisp and raggedy edged 8 hour smoked bacon pieces were coated in a compelling sticky bourbon glaze. A pot of pokey blue cheese dip on the side was decent but unnecessary.

 

The final starter was a textbook blooming onion (£7) with soft sweet flesh and a beautifully crisp yet grease free coating. A spice-twanged ranch dip hit the mark too.

Onto the headline act and we ordered the Smokehouse platter for two (£70) and a Smokehouse platter for one (£39.50) so that we could put all the classics through their paces. By the time all the gargantuan trays of food had been put down there was some serious table Tetris required.

Firstly, the biggest praise I can give Hickory’s is to say that all their smoked meats tasted fresh and properly smoked rather than simply wafted over a packet of wood chips. 

The Smokehouse platter for one

Highlights were the pulled pork topped with BBQ beans – the big crusty-barked nuggets of meat were excellent. Smoked chicken wings had lovely sticky and crispy edges whilst remaining tender.

Ribs retained just the right amount of bite rather than falling off the bone. But I thought their sweet barbecue sauce coating was one note. A jalapeno cheese sausage had good pops of melted cheese and pieces of poky pepper. However, I think Spitfire’s excellent version has the edge.

Brisket, the hardest cut to smoke well, hovered just on the right side of dryness. My smoked chicken breast had similar shortcomings, though my colleagues fared better with their thigh pieces. Pork belly had a lovely smoke and crusty edges, but one end was noticeably tough. In contrast, a fattier slice across the table was much juicier.

Crisp hot and salty fries were on the money. But coleslaw, which was drenched in a heavy creamy dressing, tasted exactly like the kind of thing you find at the supermarket. Thankfully, jalapeno flecked pickled onions provided some much-needed palate cleansing.

After all that meat, I was stuffed and had to doggy back some to take home for lunch the next day. Alex the Smoked Meat Strumpet, however, insisted on dessert and I’m very easily led when it comes to sugar.

The cookie creation (£8.25) comprised of a trio of freshly baked warm, crisp and soft chocolate chip cookies served with a toasty toffee sauce and assorted sweet bits. Whilst the biscuits were very tasty, they were no better than the ones you find in the supermarket bakery aisle (top tip – shove one in the air fryer for a few minutes and thank me later). The star of the show was a pot of frozen custard which had similar vibes to Shake Shack’s frozen custard with its super dense and creamy Mr Whippy like texture.

 

I’m surprised to say how much I enjoyed Hickory’s despite its flaws. Whilst it didn’t hit the highs of the best smokehouses I’ve visited (Hang Fire, Smokestak and Bab Haus), it mostly certainly scratched a BBQ itch. It’s not normally my style to recommend a chain but if you’re looking for a BBQ fix in Cardiff then it’s worth checking out.

The Details:

Address - Hickory's Smokehouse Cardiff, Pascal Close, St. Mellons, Cardiff CF3 2UZ

Web - https://hickorys.co.uk/venue/hickorys-smokehouse-cardiff/

Telephone - 029 2130 2074