It takes a particularly dedicated customer base to help a chef raise £36,000 to open his own restaurant. But that’s what fans of Man Hon Luk, chef and founder of Hon’s BBQ, which spent the past two years in residency at All My Friends in Hackney Wick, have achieved through a recent crowdfunder. Last week he opened the result: his first permanent restaurant, an 80-seater in the former Silo space above Crate Brewery, just a moment away from All My Friends.
Here, he’s cooking the classic Texas barbecue he learnt in Austin, Texas under legendary pitmaster John Bates at Michelin-starred Interstellar BBQ. But this isn’t straight-up southern barbecue: Luk’s signature is pulling in Chinese flavours and cooking methods. He begins smoking meats low and slow at 5am each morning in an outdoor smoker, then around 12 hours later the meat arrives in the kitchen, where flavour is added before dishes hit the tables. “It will be as close to the real Texas barbecue experience you could expect in London, but with added fusion elements,” Luk tells Broadsheet. “I’m from Hong Kong, and I bring in a lot of influence from different parts of Asia.”
Returning classics from All My Friends and other pop-ups include the Sichuan-glazed beef ribs, which are smoked for five hours, baked, then cut off the bone and finished with a Sichuan pepper glaze that Luk cooks in beef fat. “It was probably the most popular dish of our pop-up … at All My Friends,” he says. “It’s full of umami flavours, the meat is very smoky and we’ve got a really nice texture as well, super tender.”
Then there’s the Taiwanese pork belly, which is brined and smoked before it’s steamed, cooled down, then steamed again. “It’s got a double steam going on there to get it really tender and soft and smoky and flavourful at the same time,” Luk says. It’s a Chinese-style technique he’s introduced to barbecue cooking to counter the dryness that can be imparted during the smoking process.
New dishes include snacks like braised tofu with lotus root, and a larger veggie dish of cauliflower that’s been grilled then finished in a smoky sweetcorn glaze.
Brat sommelier Oliver Dibben heads up the wine list, which focuses on “characterful and unpretentious” drops, and there are Crate beers, with a cocktail and mocktail menu to come. The restaurant doubles as a late-night music venue, and until August 17 guests will get a free snack with the first alcoholic drink they buy from 10pm to midnight. As the restaurant settles in, the music programme will largely comprise DJs – this Sunday, July 26, it’ll host its first party, with sets from DJs Sophie McAlister and Ani Phoebe, as well Luk, who founded Hackney record shop Vinyl Pimp. Later, it will expand to incorporate what Luk calls more “high profile” live music acts.
Luk designed the space, which has an open kitchen is run through with red features, including a rouge bar and crimson bar stools. “We want it to be quite vibrant and fun,” he says; the red also nods to his Chinese heritage. Furniture has been designed by Chinese designer, Mo Tong, and tunes are pumped through a sound system by Noise Control Audio.
Ultimately, though, everything comes down to the barbecue. “Our cooking is very close, if not exactly the same as Texas barbecue, which is quite unique in London,” Luk says. “There are only few places doing it the way that we do – smoking outdoors and looking after the fire the way we do. There’s no shortcut with our cooking.”
Hon’s BBQ
Unit 7 Queen’s Yard, E9 5EN
Hours:
Wed to Thu 5pm–11pm
Fri & Sat midday–2am
Sun midday–6pm
