Blacklock City — Restaurant in London

SHORT VERSION: Super friendly, amazing steak, fantastic sides, expertly crafted mixed drinks, and great vibe overall! This place was so wonderful, we ate there a second night even though we only had 4 nights in London and endless options of other restaurants from which to choose! P.S. If they have white chocolate cheesecake...GET IT!

LONG VERSION: During our first ever vacation to London, we stopped by Blacklock City on Friday, April 19th because of the great reviews on Google Maps. When we first walked in, it didn't look like much but then we realized there were stairs leading to a cozy, lively, dimly lit underground bar and restaurant with a sort of retro-industrial vibe with the exposed subterranean bricks. That's because the restaurant is in a basement that used to be an electrical substation a long time ago...which is pretty cool.

All of the people working there were very friendly and they sort of played a "zone-defense" taking care of our beverage and food needs. They were very informative when we had questions about certain cuts of meats we had never tried before. We felt welcomed to be there and that was something we hadn't felt in many other restaurants during our 2-week Ireland/Scotland/England vacation. The way they treated us made us feel we were old friends they hadn't seen in a while. We absolutely loved that.

For our main dish, we tried to order Blacklock Fillet but they had just run out of that cut of meat...understandable since we got there late at night. The waiter happily recommended the Rump Cap instead. Wow, we were happy with that selection! There was a cap of fat on top of the meat but it was soft and edible! In fact, it really gave the steak an extra dimension of texture and flavor, sort of the way fat enhances pork belly. Our fellow steak eaters will understand when I say each bite was a euphoric episode of fat, salt, savory, and meaty taste!

For our sides the first night, we had the 10-hour Ash Roasted Sweet Potato and the Beef Dripping Chips ("fries" for our fellow Americans). The chips/fries were expertly crispy and full of flavor all by themselves. However, we ordered the Blacklock Gravy and dipped the chips in that which was a very good combination. But let's get to the sweet potatoes! Wowy, oh wow, wow, WOW! The skin had a great char and contained within it the most amazingly cooked sweet potato ever! The mix of sweetness from the sweet potato with the savory seasonings made a wonderful melody of taste! There was a herbaceous rosemary and salt seasoning that had me wanting to lick the plate so none went to waste! 😂

Finally, for dessert, they offered us a white chocolate cheesecake and said it wasn't like a typical cheesecake. Oh God were they right! They brought out a casserole dish which contained a sort of white chocolate cheesecake concoction that one could assume was produced directly in Heaven. To its testament, my wife cannot stand the taste and consistency of normal cheesecake, but she loved this dessert to the point we were basically racing each other to get as much for ourselves as possible! Please just trust me on this and get the white chocolate cheesecake if they have it available when you go!

Along with our gastronomical experience, we tried a few of their signature cocktails. Each one was delightful. However, we both agreed the Gingerbread Beachcomber was our absolute favorite cocktail! It's difficult to describe but to those who fear the ginger flavor would be too powerful, don't fear. There was just a subtle, if noticeable ginger flavor that was perfectly blended into a creamy, bubbly, delectable cocktail.

As I alluded to before, we were on the last leg of a two-week Ireland/UK vacation spree and only budgeted 4 nights in London. Knowing we were in one of the epicurean capitals of the entire world, we loved this food and the people here so much, we just couldn't stand the thought of trying another restaurant the next night and having an inferior experience compared to Blacklock so we booked the next night on Open Table before we even left...

What a FANTASTIC Sunday roast! My goodness! What a lucky accident that we were suggested this venue for a Sunday roast when the first place we tried let us down, and even luckier that they had a table as the greeter told us they are usually booked up weeks in advance. Our waiter, Arcadius, was so helpful and conscientious! As soon as we were seated he brought water and when I asked for ice (it was a super hot day) he also brought lemon slices - such a nice touch!

They don't do kids' meals or portions, so so we were advised to order 4 meals for 5 of us (3 adults and 2 kids) and we were given extra veg to go with the meal that was being shared. They didn't charge extra for this. The roasts were fantastic quality, the meat was butter soft and delicious and with perfectly judged and seasoned veg. The Yorkshires were huge and perfect, not greasy or claggy.

The gravy. Oh my goodness the gravy. Even my gravy-suspicious teen had extra gravy. It was that good.

After the meal, on discussing the gravy, were given a complimentary bloody Mary as they use the beef jus in that and it's definitely the best I've ever had.

Oh try the rhubarb ice cream pale ale. Just do. You won't be sorry.

We were almost too full for any pudding, but we shared a scoop of chocolate sorbet and a scoop of raspberry sorbet and like everything else, they were the best I've tasted.

I'm a foodie, I love a roast, I've literally never had one as good as this, including my own.

I now cannot wait to go back to try a weekday meal, but I will also need to go back for a Sunday roast too.

Update 2024

I'd been very keen to return for a Blacklock Sunday roast having managed to get a table quite some time ago by chance. I've tried to book but it's always full on a Sunday, but I decided to book the Sunday nearest my February birthday back in December and I managed to get a table. It still wasn't easy! We were delighted with the welcome and the place was heaving. Our waiter was charm personified and the seating was lovely. We weirdly had the same table we had had before. The food was utterly sublime, however I would say the portions have definitely decreased and the prices have inevitably gone up. Cauliflower cheese comes in a ramekin and was somewhat under seasoned. The meats were all fantastic and all the veg and yorkies were amazing. Potatoes were a bit hit and miss, but nothing that couldn't be fixed by the bottomless gravy. We all cleaned our plates, which is unusual for my birdlike teen, and still had room for pudding. Last time I recall we didn't all empty our plates completely and we were a bit too stuffed for pudding... We were treated to a pudding on the house (with a candle for my birthday!) - the delicious white chocolate cheesecake - honestly it didn't need the white chocolate, it's great anyway. Bread and butter pudding is crunchy and just right. I will have to try a weekday for comparison, but this isn't somewhere I'd come for a...

To be honest, I came in with a really happy heart. I was celebrating my birthday, and this meal meant a lot to me. At first, the waiter was actually quite friendly and even wished me a happy birthday, which I appreciated.

The steak, to be honest, wasn’t medium rare—it was overcooked and quite salty, especially the gravy. But I didn’t say anything because the service up to that point had been polite.

Then things got a bit weird. I had to wait long ask if I could order a dessert myself, and the waiter seemed a bit impatient maybe too busy and just said, “Wait a moment.” Eventually, they did bring out a cake with a candle. It wasn’t big can tell it’s smaller than I ate before and didn’t come with any jam, but that didn’t really bother me.

At the end, when I was paying, I made a lighthearted joke and asked, “Since I’m celebrating my birthday alone today, is there any special treatment? Maybe move the service charge or the dessert?” That’s when the mood totally shifted.

The waiter’s face changed and he asked, “Was there anything wrong with the service?” I stayed polite and said no. I didn’t want to make a fuss to emphasise about my birthday, and I hadn’t even mentioned that the food was too salty or the steak overdone. I just smiled awkwardly and said everything was fine—maybe it’s because I’m a student? And then he replied with a cold face, “You’re a student? Well, our staff are students too and we still have to pay service charges.”

I didn’t know what to say. The good mood I had was totally ruined. He ended with, “But it’s optional,” and threw a new bill in front of me.

For context, when my friend had her birthday at Blacklock, she got a free cake. I came alone, and in the end, I was left feeling a bit mocked.

This birthday dinner was really special to me—I was treating myself with the first salary I earned from working part-time as a server also. I just wanted to enjoy my favorite steak as a reward. In the end, although he said goodbye when I left, the tone was totally different from the beginning. That’s why I’m...