The scene:
The big space has been decked out in Porky’s style, with exposed brick walls lined with framed American posters, hanging light bulbs and shiny industrial pipes running a maze across the ceiling. The best bit? The Johnny Cash and co soundtrack. Awesome.
The grub:
All hail the mighty pig. From the name, to the bulb-lit outline of a hog, to, of course, the menu, Porky’s is like a shrine to this humble animal, giving it a glorious send off before it finds its resting place in our bellies. The pork ribs and slow-cooked (for more than 16 hours in fact) pulled pork are ‘the main act’ of the menu, which is inspired by the founders’ travels around the US, in particular the Memphis barbecue. So it was here we got stuck in, naturally. The pulled pork is soft and smoky, accompanied by a toasted burger bun and pickles. It’s great paired with coleslaw and sweet potato fries and drizzled with chilli sauce. The ribs are tomatoey and sticky: be prepared to make a mess. Other items worth busting your belt for are the mac and cheese side and the cheese corn hush puppies starter. Probably delirious from our delicious pile of food, we ordered a dessert too. We got about halfway through our shared pecan pie and admitted defeat. Thankfully, though, the friendly staff let us take our leftovers home in a doggy bag and it was even better for breakfast.
Behind the bar:
It is very tempting to wash your pork down with a light and fizzy American beer, and indeed you should, but you should have at least one cocktail as, here, they are delicious. The Southern Sour is a melange of sweet and sour flavours softened by a light and fluffy egg white foam, while the iced tea is a boozy concoction topped off with Earl Grey and ginger beer.
Bill please:
Starters from £3.95, mains around £9, desserts from £4.50. Lager from £4, wine from £4.50, cocktails from £7.50.
Verdict:
Porky’s serves up stick-to-your ribs grub, great cocktails and a warmatmosphere. That’s all (you need) folks.
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