Smoke Ashburton — Restaurant in Canterbury

First walked in and WOW, what a room The place looks great We were greeted warmly and professionally by the front house (who were great and nothing but professional) I asked our waiter where the smokers were and was very kindly offered a tour of the smokers outside Unfortunately that's where the good stopped We ordered the platter for 2 that consisted of 2 wings, 4 tiny slices of brisket, 3, yes 3, even tinier slices of pork belly 1/4 cup of pulled pork, a bowl of coleslaw (I'll get into that later) and 1, maybe 2 sausage's (that were the highlight) and a large bowl of chips for $82, When the meal arrived I.....honestly expected there to be another plate but...... Another small plate of meat was brought when I raised my.... disappointment The wait staff did their job very professionally and politely all the way through and we are very grateful

A bit about me, iv been cooking BBQ for 10 years, as a hobby, so I know a thing or 2 about cooking BBQ The meat was flavorless apart from the sausage that, to be fair, its not hard to make a good sausage much better in a smoker. The meat was cold, and for BBQ, that means dry and tougher then it would be when it a is at temperature The coleslaw was verging on inedible, it tasted like it had been watered down and was just all round unpleasant What it comes down to I think is, it taists like BBQ that is cooked by someone that doesn't love BBQ It's a soul food, meaning that, in order to cook great BBQ, you have to put part of your soul into it, and, if you don't love it....

All in all, very...

Fresh and flavourful dishes here, specialising in grilled and smoked meats, paired with well-balanced sides (chips, veg, slaws) and sauces (loved the gravy)! American BBQ style without leaning too far into the fats/oils and a good range of locally sourced meats. A highlight was the bbq beef rib which has limited numbers each night, so be quick to try this, as it fell off the bone perfectly without compromising on texture and taste. Paired well with wines and beers, noting that the cocktail and liqueur selection looked great too.

Staff were friendly and were attentive during the night. Lovely chefs cooking in an open layout along the side which was great to see as well (looked like they were enjoying themselves! And a clean environment), and a manned bar.

Cosy interiors which was great for our chilly June night, and definitely an American BBQ feel with wood and hides to loosely decorate. Comfortable and appropriate for the price as well. Good location in the town centre to visit other establishments, and easy street parking.

Ordered: The Big Simon (double smash patty) burger, Beef rib...

I'll start with the good. The fitout, very lovely inside, for a restaurant that markets smoked meats as its specialty. This is just a clever facade for what I would kindly refer to as dog food. Our table ordered a smoked platter for one, for two and a salmon meal. The smoked platters are advertised coming with three meats, which you might assume would include brisket, pulled pork and a sausage. At Smoke you receive a smoked beef rib, ham and a chicken leg. The smoked beef was solid. Literally unchewable and dry as the owners apparent palate. Ham? HAM? What's this even doing on a BBQ menu. This tasted like the leftover Christmas ham from the residents of Ashburton. Last and not least, the chicken. Awful seasoning and dry. How do you even make a dry chicken thigh? Lastly for the salmon, while this was edible we were served something completely wrong initially which had to be sent back.

Avoid...