Blackfoot: Heaven for Pork Lovers
As soon as we returned to London and settled into our flat, we were out the door and en route to meet our good friends J and M for dinner. We have known J and M for about five years, and they are a really lovely couple! I adore them and I also enjoy getting together with them when in London.
We met J and M back in the fall of 2009, when I was studying in London. M is a relation of an old family friend of ours. Earlier in 2009, we were out to dinner with our friend, Dr. K and his wife. We mentioned that we would be going to England and he told us to reach out to his niece, M. We did just that, and I am so happy that we did. M is Japanese and her husband, J, is English. (Sort of my like parents, but my dad is American, not English.) Anyway, we hit it off instantly with J and M...and the rest is history.
I am indebted to J and M, since they took very good care of me when I was studying at UCL in 2009 and then when I returned to do research in London in 2010. Thanks you, two! You guys are the best!
I always ask J and M to pick the restaurant when we get together. They know London far better than I, so I think it makes more sense. They have introduced me to a lot of delicious and delightful places, so I always know that dinner will be great!
On this occasion, J booked a table at "Blackfoot" in North East London. To quote the restaurant's website: Blackfoot is a relaxed, pig-loving neighborhood restaurant located in an old pie and mash shop on Exmouth Market. Opened by Tom War and Allegra McEvedy, the menu is a big round of applause for their favourite beast, bringing together ingredients and flavours that sit well in the face of such pornicity. Basically, this place is heaven for those who are pork lovers! Funny, as we were walking to the restaurant, J told us that after he made the booking, he remembered that my father is Jewish, and worried that he committed a major faux pas. Lucky for J, although my father is Jewish, he is not Kosher and pork is his favorite. Phew, dodged a bullet there!
I was excited to try Blackfoot for several reasons. A) I enjoy pork, B) Allegra McEvedy has appeared on a couple episodes of "The Supersizers" (which is a show that I adore and I have written a post about), and C) I got to spend time with two of my favorite people!
So many options!
We began the meal with some crackling and a platter of various cured bits of pork. I'd never had crackling until this trip to England, and though it is tasty, I have also learned that it is crazy hard! I can't fault the Brits on knowing how to make super crispy fried pig skin, but good god, I was terrified that as I bit down on a bit of crackling, my teeth would crack! (Haha, get the pun?) But seriously, I enjoyed the crackling, but I feared for my teeth.
My mother and M ordered the "Sticky and Romantic" ribs, which were amazing. I've never tasted anything like this. The ribs are rubbed with spicy Asian ingredients and deep fried. Brilliant, right?! I have to try doing this on my own! My father and J ordered the "Long Smoke", which was a pork belly that had been smoked with applewood chips, crusted with Sichuan peppers, and other Asian spices. This pork belly packed quite a punch! I ordered the clam & pork stew. I figured, "I like clams and I like pork, but I've never seen them together. Let's give it a go!" This dish was really interesting. I thought the pork was a little overcooked, but this interpretation of surf and turf was not terrible. The clams and the clam broth was delicious, and the country bread that lined the bottom of my dish was sopped with garlic sauce ---- yum!
Sticky and Romantic
Clam and Pork Stew
Long Smoke
Dinner is never complete without dessert. This is a truth that I firmly believe in. There were many options, but it seemed that selecting dessert was much easier than dinner. J, M, and my father all enjoyed the key lime pie, whilst my mother sipped her "lemon sorbet with pink fizz."
Key Lime Pie
Lemon Sorbet with Pink Fizz
I think I was the most daring with my dessert selection. I don't know why, but I'm always compelled to choose the most unique thing of the menu. Sometimes the risk pays off, but sometimes, it backfires. I ordered the "Peanut Butter and Bacon Semifreddo."
When I ordered my dessert, I wasn't 100% sure about what I had in fact ordered. I like peanut butter and I like bacon, but the two of them combined? Would this work? I was also unsure as to what a semifreddo was, but I figured, it had to be good. A giant hunk of what looked like peanut butter cheesecake was placed before me and it was topped with fairly big pieces of crumbled bacon. The semifreddo was incredibly rich and VERY peanut butter-y. I loved it! The bacon on top --- not so much. I think I will skip bacon for dessert from now on. It was too salty and the meaty taste was a little overpowering to me. Call me crazy, but when I have moved on to dessert, I want sweet, not savory. Still, I'm glad I ordered it.
Dinner was such a pleasure, as always, and we had so much fun. There was a lot of catching up and laughing at our table. J filled me in on the new British shows to watch (and some American) and I reported back to him about what I had been watching since I last saw him. We sat there for hours, just enjoying each other's company. Really, a truly lovely evening filled with yummy food, lots of merriment, and good friends! What could be better?!
For more information about Blackfoot, please click here.
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