License To Grill And Thrill - Burnt Enz, London E8

When you think of English BBQ, the idea of sitting in the warm summer sun, cold beer at hand and burnt burger patties or undercooked sausages immediately sprung to mind (and probably a dasd of sunburn). Well, hopefully with Burnt Enz, this will soon not be the case again. Tucked away under on of a railway arch (seems to be the craze these days) by London fields is this recent summer pop up. Burnt Enz is named after the delicious smoky trimmings of a brisket , known as burnt ends, which are often considered as the delicacy of barbecue.

Residing at the Climpson and Son's Roastery is this rather exciting outdoor grilling station, with wood fire oven blasting away and professional BBQ pit filled with crackling burning coals, this is what real barbecue dreams are made of. The impressive outdoor kitchen is located at the front of the courtyard and there is a decent bar in the arches serving a wide range of beer, wine and cocktails. On a sunny day, the outdoor sitting area are a must. If there's a sudden downpour (which happened to us), there are always the sheltering gazebo that prevent you from getting soaked while enjoying your meal.

Along with my dining buddies, we sauntered  into this fantastic joint but being slightly overly enthusiastic, we arrived an hour too early. They start serving at 2pm but we were there by one o'clock. So it was a round of cold beer while we pondered for an hour before deciding on what we were going to order.

The steak tatare (£5) arrived first, looking ruby-icious and rare. It was delicate and sweet, yet possessed clear resonant of beef. The Srirachi chilli gave a good kick and these were swiftly mopped up with the accompanying ciabatta toast.

The Scallops (£4.50 each) were grilled to perfection. Each bite into this big, juicy shellfish revealed startling white flesh with taste of the ocean. The addition of the XO sauce, typical were a surprising touch, added a robust and gutsiness to the delectable sweet sea creature. They were so good that I was rather glad we've ordered a couple each.

The cherry tomatoes, sardine and brown butter (£8) too were incredibly tasty. The fish were fresh, beautifully charred and the tangy capers and the sweet tomatoes were a nice compliment. Being one of my favourite oily fish, the other being mackerel, this was a sheer joy to eat.

And then finally, after an hour of waiting (these bad boys were cook to order) since we've ordered, three ginormous plates of Dexter beef Sirloin on-the-bone (£45 per Kg), chargrilled to perfection, with still a luscious pink in the middle were placed before our very eyes. It was immediately met with gasps and elation. Accompanying sides to this glorious sight were some grilled little gem lettuce, onions and slices of ciabatta. The beef were sensational! It was hung for 4 weeks we were told and it had developed a wonderfully deep, rich, beefy awesomeness that were just breathtakingly good (if you think I have used too many adjectives here, that is because it was simply that good!) The sides, although were interesting, played second fiddle to the real star. Who needs the extra carbs or rabbit food when you can have the real thing. And so we consumed the entire 2 kilo of sirloin between the four of us, cleaning the bones and leaving only the under-appreciated sides.

Taleggio, broad beans and patty pans (£7) was not one of our orders but the beautiful concoction lures the blogger spirits within me into not-so-secretly taking a picture of this beautiful looking dish.

The service in Burnt Enz is decidedly chill and relax and on a beautiful summer day, it will be a great place to gather and enjoyed excellent food in the company of friends. Cold Beer on one hand and barbecue delights in the other, the good life!

The menu changes regularly so for up-to-date info, click on the link for their Facebook site or follow them on twitter @BurntEnz


Burnt Enz
Arch 374,
Helmsley Place,
E8 3SB
(Weekends 2pm - Midnight)