Bodean's Smoked BBQ
169 Clapham High Street SW4
3 minute walk to the north west of 100 pub
Bodean's is a restaurant that perfectly evokes the atmosphere of a middle-of-the-road American diner. Muted colours, fixed seats and plasma screens showing baseball, NFL and basketball transport you to the minor suburbs of a medium-sized mid-Western town. The menu mostly consists of big lumps of meat - racks of ribs, half chickens, burgers and steaks form the bulk of what's on offer. This might sound depressing, but that's only because it's a cuisine that is normally done very badly in the UK. Fortunately, Bodeans is the genuine article, owned, run and frequented by Americans, and gets it just right. Everything is cooked on a smoky barbecue, and if the meat comes out a little dry, it also comes out with a flavour like a punch to the mouth. When meat tastes this strong, there's no shame in drowning it in rich, simple sauces, and a selection of numbered bottles are a ketchup-lover's heaven, offering loads of variations on the familiar theme. Normally, when a UK restaurant does its own version of baked beans, you find yourself wishing for Heinz, but here, they form a spicy mash of soft textures that perfectly complements the unsubtle, delicious meats. And as with all the best American diners, you'll come out a good few pounds heavier than you went in. I only ate two courses, and that was enough to see me through the evening and most of the next day. It's not sophisticated, it's not attractive and it's certainly not healthy, but it is an unadulterated pleasure. more
