Chinese/Texan smokehouse Hon’s BBQ opens in Hackney Wick today, bringing founder Man Hon Luk’s slow-cooked meat with East Asian flavours to a permanent home with the help of a crowdfunding campaign that raised £36,000.
Hong Kong-born Hon road-tested his barbecue skills with a two-year residency at nearby hangout All My Friends under the name Uncle Hon’s BBQ. For his first full-time restaurant he has taken over the former site of Silo, above the Crate brewery in the White Building overlooking the River Lee.
Hon ran the Vinyl Pimp record shop in east London for 20 years, switching to a career as a chef after visiting the legendary InterStellar BBQ while on a poker-playing trip to Austin, Texas.
“It was a spur-of-the-moment thing, a split-second decision,” Hon says. He got talking to pitmaster John Bates and asked if he could train with him. “I just felt I wanted to do something different after 20 years running a record shop.”
The popularity of roast meats in Cantonese cooking helps explain Hon’s fascination for Texan barbecue, and he finds it quite natural to mix and match his culinary influences. “Growing up in Hong Kong, I was exposed to so many cuisines – everything is available,” he says. “Most people there are just getting by financially, but they eat very well. Even the cheap eats are very high quality.”
Hon has designed the interior of the new restaurant himself, with the auspicious Chinese red as the primary colour. The custom furniture, including tables and bar stools, has been commissioned from his designer friend Mo Tong.
A sound system built in the south of France by Noise Control Audio, whose systems power stages at Glastonbury, Notting Hill Carnival and the Roundhouse, will enable the venue to host DJs and live performances at weekends, with the space transitioning from restaurant into a music-led bar later in the evening.
The Hon’s BBQ menu includes residency cult-favourite dishes such as 8-Hour Ox Cheeks and Sichuan Beef Short Ribs. They are joined by Ox Tongue with Asian chimichurri; Pork and Cuttlefish Meatballs; Smoked Duck Breast with pancake and Spring Onion pancake. Oliver Dibben, the sommelier at Brat, has put together the drinks list.