Quirky, loud and un-apologetically brash food spots are very popular in London right now; MeatLiquor, Bone Daddies et al pride themselves on serving London’s cool crowd with delicious messy american dishes. Perhaps the last place you’d expect to find one of these haunts is in affluent Kensington – Dirty Bones, on Church Street is an experimental style restaurant and bar which is famous for it’s hot dogs. We paid them a visit to see what was going down!
We visited on a Friday evening and the first thing you notice is the entrance. There is no wide, flashy restaurant front; instead just a narrow door with an illuminated ‘The House Of Dirty Bones’ sign indicating we were in the right place! We walked downstairs to an underground space where the evening restaurant resides – we were greeted by smiling staff who led us to our seat. The food menu is short and simple offering the restaurants diners a range of dogs, fried chicken and ribs (practically everything that is good with with the culinary world!)
Excitedly glazing over the extensive drinks menu you soon realise that Dirty Bones boast quite the cocktail selection. I had a ‘Top Dog’ (£8.5) which is a vibrant mix of vodka, strawberry, chambord, lemon and prosecco whilst my guests tipple for the evening was to be the ‘Down Boy’ (£10) infusing cider brandy, ginseng spirit, limonata, ginger and brooklyn lager. What really impressed me about the cocktails here is that they have opted to shun the traditional boring cocktails which you will find all across London in favour of a more adventurous and creative approach. It’s always refreshing to be presented with a drinks list where each item is new… this also gives me a reason to keep returning until I try them all!
To start I had the amazing sticky pork ribs (£6), these were honestly some of the best I have tried. The thick rich sauce tasted amazing and the tender meat melted away from the bone. My guest had the chicken wings (£6) which were piping hot, fresh and tasty. For main I opted for the 1/2 pile of fried chicken (£8) whilst my guest had the famous Dirty Bones Mexican Hot Dog (£8).
The fried chicken was similar to the wings my guest had to start; the fresh lemon offered a different addition to the typical ‘southern’ flavours offering the chicken an interesting zesty edge. The Mexican Dog came with a pork sausage (beef and veggie are also available) and a mouth watering array of toppings including pulled pork, salsa, sour cream and guacamole. Running with the theme of the menu Dirty Bones range of dogs were creative yet certainly not over ambitious. The mixture of flavours complimented each other perfectly.
There are 5 sides on offer and we opted to share the mac & cheese (£4) and the dirty fries (£5.5). Dirty Bones Mac & Cheese was something that I had heard a lot about prior to my visit and it was delicious but hands-down the fries were the show-stopper for me! The fries come triple cooked bathing in chilli cheese sauce, BBQ sauce and salsa. The fries summed up our visit to Dirty Bones; a creative take on simple dishes packed full of flavour. Often you visit these quirky, loud restaurants and the food is bland, failing to live up to its facade. Dirty Bones follow up on what they promise and in some style.
For dessert you have the choice of two very quirky and fun dishes; Milk & Cookies and Coffee & Doughnut. With no description on the menu these dishes become some what of a mystery which adds to the fun. We had one of each and when they arrive at the table you realise you are not getting a glass of milk neither are you getting a cup of coffee. The warm gooey cookie is accompanied by a glass of milk flavoured ice-cream whilst the fresh doughnut is complimented with coffee flavoured ice-cream. This was a fun and delicious way of rounding off a great meal!
It’s worth pointing out that the staff were incredibly friendly and attentive. This type of food can get messy and our waitress ensured we were constantly topped up with napkins – anyone who has eaten out with me knows how important this is!
Needless to say we will be back…
www.Dirty-Bones.com – 20 Kensington Church Street, London, W8 4EP.
