What's the draw
Sister to Smokehouse, Little Smoke is the newest addition to the Noble Inns family – also behind The Pig & Butcher – so this City haunt boasts some seriously meaty credentials. As such, the menu revolves around whole animals butchered at Smokehouse, before being taken to Little Smoke to be roasted, smoked and grilled.
What to drink
Little Smoke aims to work with small companies whenever possible, an idea it applies to its wine list by using family-run growers, or co-operatives made up of growers so small they wouldn't be able to survive on their own. The meat-heavy menu led us to choose the 2014 Combelle la Serre malbec, from the Midi-Pyrénées region in southern France, which suited all tastes with its refined tannins and cherry and damson flavours.
What to eat
Meat fanatics can choose exactly what cut and weight they want from the board – or if that feels too much like hard work, there's also a slightly more approachable menu. We particularly liked the chopped brisket roll starter: an enormous croquette of pulled beef, lifted by a sharp and spicy gochugang (Korean red chilli) dipping sauce. As for mains, smoked lamb shoulder with polenta and raclette was a harmonious mix of texture and flavour – tender meat, richly melting cheese and soothing, creamy polenta – while pork belly was smoked and offset by an Asian-style ssam glaze and a tangy kimchi slaw. Want to test the limits of your waistband? Sample the dense and indulgent sticky toffee pudding to finish.
Mains from £17; wines from £3.75 by the glass. City Point, 1 Ropemaker Street, EC2Y 9AW; littlesmoke.london
