This week I was kindly invited to the Press launch of Bodean’s newest restaurant in Covent Garden. For those of you that don’t know, Bodean’s is a BBQ restaurant that was one of the first to bring this American classic to the UK. It also happens to be one of my brother-in-law’s favourite restaurants, so you can imagine the jealousy when I told him!
For this event we were given a 5-course taster menu, all paired with different ales so we could try out a selection of Bodean’s favourites.
We started off with Mexican Chicken Salad and Big Wave Golden Ale. Now, trust me when I say I am not normally a salad person, but this was pretty good as far as salads go! It had a medley of different textures and the chicken was delicious and went well with the light, fruity ale.
Next up we had a Bodean’s Classic, pulled pork with homemade coleslaw and Tank 7 Farmhouse ale. Predictably the pulled pork was delicious, I believe they were one of the first to bring it over to the UK and their knowledge of this American classic shines through. The coleslaw proved it was nothing to be sniffed at either, and is easily some of the nicest I’ve ever tried. Even the non-coleslaw lovers on the table admitted they enjoyed this crunch variety. The ale wasn’t to everyone’s taste, I think the bitter aftertaste was a bit much for some, but I personally really enjoyed it and could see how it complemented the dish well.
Soon it was onto round 3, which was a plate full of new experiences for me. It consisted of Cajun swordfish, mango salsa and pan fried okra. I am not normally a fish eater, but the light, meaty flavour here surprised me, and along with the mango salsa it proved to be quite a refreshing dish! I’ve never even seen okra before but I enjoyed it, a tasty vegetable to add to my repertoire! This Sierra Nevada Tropical IPA was similar to the first ale of the evening in that it was light and tropical, a favourite around the table.
Next up was the famous baby back ribs with seasoned fried and Single Wide IPA. There’s a reason, of course, their ribs are famous. This dish was a feast, with the meat basically melting off the bones! The fries were more like chips but were delicious, and that’s coming from someone who isn’t really a potato person!
Lastly we finished off with a classic brownie and vanilla ice cream and Black Cab Stout. The brownie was soft and delicious and was lightened up perfectly by the ice cream. The stout wasn’t as heavy as I was worried it would be, and the caramel notes went really well with the chocolate flavours.
Have you been to Bodeans? What’s your favourite BBQ Joint?
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