Open daily; brunch available Sat–Sun
Honky Tonk is situated in a lovely area, away from the bustling King’s Road, but I expected the place itself to be a little more bustling. Wondering this aloud to the waitress, she assured me it would fill up once the band had started. It didn’t, and they didn’t start for a good hour or so. This wouldn’t have mattered if it weren’t for the terrible choice of tracks blaring out of the speakers, all of which had us mentally calling out for the band to get on and start. When they did finally come on, our ears became a little happier but not overly; the band members were middle-aged, middle-class and daddyish and the music reflected this – more mediocre blues than the jumping jazz I was lead to expect.
However, when the starters arrived, we were deaf to all else but our stomachs’ cries of joy. We ordered the meatballs (lean beef and lamb smothered in tomato and herb sauce topped with Monterey Jack cheese and finished in a wood-fired oven, £7.45) which was delicious. The meat was a little chewy but the sauce was really good and the melted cheese a nice touch. We also ordered the chicken quesadilla – flour tortilla stuffed with home smoked chicken, Applewood cheese, peppers, onions and served with fresh guacamole (£6.75). The guacamole was so fresh, full of avocado and non-acidic, I wanted a whole bowl just to eat on its own. The caesar salad with anchovies (£3.45) was also a good side dish, with its giant croutons and fresh anchovies.
For the main, I ordered the classic American burger, which consisted of 7oz of rare breed ‘longhorn’ beef served in a toasted seeded burger bun, lettuce, tomato, red onion, gherkin and burger sauce, served with a side of rosemary fries (£11.95). Again, the beef was too chewy (although this was possibly my fault for ordering it well done) and the burger bun was dry and crumbly. Overall, I was quite disappointed with my choice. The bf, however, was delighted with his – tender glazed pork ribs, oak smoked and slow roasted, brushed in BBQ sauce and marinated in Brooklyn beer, served with apple slaw and hand cut rosemary chips (£16.45). So much so that the usually fairly restrained rake of a boy proceeded to eat the whole lot, inducing in himself a food-coma and hallucinations, at which point I decided to carry him home.
Okay meal. Good service. Not sure how I felt trying to gobble a big fat greasy burger and keep my lipstick and dignity intact in the process: not sexy. I’m not sure I would go again – if I did it wouldn’t be a week night as there wasn’t exactly the ‘edgy atmosphere’ they had promised.
