Bodean's or Bopoulter's?

So, March is here and with it an end to the incessant rain - at least for now. And that has seen us move a little further afield than in February's drizzle-filled days. 

A couple of weekends ago, prompted by local reviews  we tried to book lunch at new launch, Bodeans's Balham. Sadly, it has proved so popular that there were no tables that Sunday until 5pm. But undaunted we walked over Clapham Common to Bodean's Clapham. As a BBQ lover Bodeans' and Pitt Cue are top of my list of places to check out.

So what was Bodean's like? First up, it has a great diner feel. From the ubiquitous TV screens showing sport (football and rugby union) to the red leather booths and porcine posters, we could have been in Clapham Avenue, Manhasset rather than Clapham High Road, London. A special shout out should be given to the staff; universally friendly and efficient, they were truly in the American model of service.

Ubiquitous nachos

Well-cooked chips

Large plate of ribs

But what about the food? Well, it was good.....but not great. As you'd expect it was long on carbs and protein. The nachos were tasty, but hardly mould breaking. And the main courses were accompanied by well-cooked chips (lots) and coleslaw (not so much). We tried the mixed plate (ribs, pulled pork and chicken) the girls had burgers and ribs.

Even larger plate of ribs, pork and chicken

 And they weren't bad, but they weren't great. It's a bit hard to put my finger on it, but I think the issue is the range of flavours. Nachos and chips are pretty bland, aren't they? They rely on other things to make them tasty. And all the meats were just meaty. Meaty in a good way (and that includes the portions), but I would be hard pushed to really differentiate. And a particular bug bear - the hot chilli sauce didn't really deliver. Even the red wine was on the innocuous side.

Fast forward to this weekend and the forecast of 18 degrees C made a barbecue almost inevitable. Notwithstanding recent events, the girls demanded ribs. Courtesy of the weekly veg box, our groaning fridge demanded veg. And because our eyes are bigger than our bellies, we also demanded sausages, scallops wrapped in bacon and sweetcorn. So under the watchful (or do I mean fearful) gaze of the rabbits I dusted off the Weber, got the coals red-hot and set to it.   

Of course, one thing you can't hurry is ribs; not if you want them juicy and tender. I imagine that the kitchen in Bodeans starts pretty early - because it took a couple of hours to get the ribs to the right state of floppiness. But while they sat under the lid of the Weber slowly roasting that allowed me plenty of time to sort out everything else: make coleslaw; par-boil the infamous cauliflower and rustle up a couple of bbq sauces: She Devil and a more child-friendly one. 

The She Devil one is pretty good, so here's the recipe

1 onion, coarsely grated 
3 to 5 garlic cloves, finely chopped 
1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce 
1 cup ketchup 
1/4 cup dark brown sugar 
2 to 3 dried chipotle chilies 
1 cup beer, plus extra if needed 
1 cup water, plus extra if needed 
1 tsp. dry mustard 
1 tsp. mild red chili powder 
1 tsp. ground cumin 
salt and pepper to taste 
1/4 cup cider vinegar

Mix together the onion, garlic, Worcestershire sauce, ketchup, dark brown sugar, chipotle chilies, beer, water, mustard, chili powder, cumin, salt and pepper, and half the vinegar.

Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 30 to 45 minutes, or until a thick sauce forms.If the mixture sticks or threatens to burn, add more water or beer.

When the sauce is thick and flavorful, add the remaining vinegar and taste for seasoning.Remove from the heat. 

It's the chipotles that make this work - I'm slowly working my way through a bag of them that my old man sent over from an outfit called The Spice House in Chicago. But I bet most UK supermarkets have them these days. Anyway, try it - it knocks most of the shop bought ones (and Bodeans) into a cocked hat.

And then suddenly it was time to bring the grill back up to maximum warp speed and get all the other stuff cooked. And what we got with this grill inspired meal was a few more flavours than the Bodean version and quite a lot more vegetables - corn, cauliflower and asparagus in addition to the slaw.

And that's where barbecuing at home has an edge. Bodean's has to stick to a pretty narrow range of things because it's easier to control and its what the punters are coming for - huge mountains of ribs, sticky sauce and big bowls of chips. But at home, you can put together what you want and make it how you like it. The Ottolenghi cauliflower recipe is hardly a natural partner to BBQ ribs with She Devil sauce, but do you know what? They really work together.

I'll probably go back to Bodean's (if I can ever book a table at the Balham branch) - the staff and atmosphere are great and the food is reliable. But it would be good if they could try a few things to add a bit of variety maybe?

But I certainly won't be putting up big screens showing sport in our kitchen...