Smoque

When I discovered there was a BBQ joint in Canberra I quickly dismissed my homemade dinner and headed out to Civic. Tucked off the main streets is Smoque and after the typical 9 to 5, you'll find it's the only thing open in that strip. Walking off a quiet street to a packed restaurant... it had all the indications of a fantastic restaurant.

I started off with their Buffalo Hot-Wings (Suicidal) with Blue Cheese Aioli, Carrot & Celery Sticks. The suicidal rating was pretty spot on. By my 3rd piece I was struggling so hard to overcome the sauce. It wasn't just overbearingly hot, it was also very saucy, quite salty, not crunchy and not a whole lot of flavour besides the heat. The blue cheese sauce was very mild and did little to help extinguish the burn.

I also wanted to sample their Smoque Signature -  Brisket, Cream Cheese, Jalapenos & Smoqued Capsicum. After watching so many references of brisket in American culture, I've yet to find one that is mind blowing. The brisket here was dry but drenched in an overly salty sauce that didn't add any real value. The burger had no balance and became rather unappealing after a few bites. I too struggled to finish this as well.

I appreciated the friendly service at the counter which you need to go up to and order... and they were more than helpful in guiding me through their menu. If you choose to sit at the benches by the window, I notice there's no tissues of any sort which became quite messy rather quicky unless you bombard onto another table and asked to grab some like a BBQ covered zombie.

Despite them persisting the use of hands over cutlery, I still found the cutlery trays to be empty and not replenished enough. The food for me was a definite miss... enough so that I probably wouldn't return. Though with friends and colleagues that continually praise this place.. it makes me wonder if my one time experience was just one of those rare bad ones.