Lockhart

Living in North Carolina meant that my wife and I had a chance to try out foods that were totally new experiences. Those 3 years meant I acquired a taste for sweet iced tea because you had to, Buffalo wings courtesy of a couple of New Yorkers in our apartment complex, shrimp & cheesy grits thanks to Bill Neal’s Crooks Corner in Chapel Hill and especially the gloriously vinegary pork barbecue from Eastern North Carolina. Cap that with a partiality to biscuits (American style), fried chicken and ribs and there’s no predicting when nostalgia for our acquired Southern tastes will kick in.

The Lockhart quietly opened looking to serve food from the American south-west. However, in that form it generated little buzz so the owners changed things around in early 2014 by bringing in a new chef. Their choice to lead the kitchen was Mississippi born Brad McDonald, a veteran of a number of Brooklyn restaurants who relocated the menu to Southeastern US. With that change there was a deluge of positive reviews that marked the Lockhart as a definite place to visit. I was very tempted even though limited trips to the UK mean I’m not usually in any sort of rush to sample restaurants that serve American based menus.

The Lockhart occupies the ground floor of two properties in Seymour Place close to Marble Arch station. Its yellow canopies capping high windows with muted green trim are way less brash than you’d possibly expect from a restaurant specialising in Southern food. Inside, the restaurant adopts the informal theme of farmhouse style tables and basic chairs. I end up at the rear of the room so am able to watch the goings on of the small crew in the open brightly-lit kitchen.

The supper menu lists 4 snacks, 5 starters and 7 mains. There are also 6 available sides including the made to order cornbread that has everyone raving. But more of that later.

I start with the pork rinds with pickled watermelon. They’re like huge mildly flavoured porky quavers. There’s a touch of clove on the watermelon that gives it a bit of character. Otherwise it doesn’t really register other than being a chewy accompaniment.

The starter of dirty rice with brown crabs and Mersea oysters is a wonderful comforting dish carrying a nice residual spicy heat. The pockets of focussed marine blast from the oysters are fantastic while the small cubes of peppery sausage are another highlight. The generous helping of Spring onion gives a slightly pungent crunch. The dish comes with a bottle of Tabasco and you’re advised to be liberal with it. As good as the dish already is, the Tabasco helps kick it up another notch.

The cast iron dish with freshly prepared corn bread turns up just as I finish my starter. The butter round the edge of the dish bubbles with the heat. This corn bread is what you’ll judge corn bread against ever after. It’s crispy edges and fluffy centre a nice contrast and the absorbed butter makes it decadently rich. Unfortunately there’s too much for me to finish but it’s a must order any time.

The main of fried chicken with friggetelli peppers and coleslaw is another superb example of the genre. The crispy skin is a delight before you bite through to the juicy chicken thigh or drumstick. I’m utterly content. The peppers are pleasant and there’s probably too many of them but the vinegary & herby red cabbage coleslaw lurking in the shadows is a real grower. It’s that combination of chicken and coleslaw that makes this dish a winner. 

I can’t eat any more and it would be wrong to think about dessert when I’m sending a chunk of cornbread back to the kitchen. However, add me to the list of people who would happily eat the Lockhart any time. If they served chicken as good at the Lockhart round here they’d rapidly declare it the “World’s Best Chicken” and neon signs declaring the “fact” would quickly follow. Good as the chicken was, the dirty rice was the absolute winner for me. I like the fact that the Lockhart is extremely understated and just lets the food do the talking.

It’s inevitable that I’ll go back. I still have to try their shrimp and grits.

Overall Rating – 4/5