Smoky Boys – Hounslow, London

The last time we reviewed Smoky Boys was way back in 2015 in London’s Watford.

With a sorry rating of just 2/5 ROARS, and the suggestion that “they need to pull their tights up in a hurry”, particularly after a requested medium burger was presented well done, we haven’t been back since… until now!

The reason? They’ve recently introduced Angus beef across all branches, revamped their menu, and introduced some breakfast items too.

What’s more, the Hounslow branch we visited this time round, is not only their most recent opening, having launched last year, but also the smallest, culminating in a limited menu, minus said breakfast, in comparison to its larger counterparts.

What it lacks in size, however, it makes up for with style, with rustic decor and comfy seating for 15.

And earlier this month, the venue celebrated its 1-year anniversary by giving away 200 burgers as a thank you.

Char-Grilled Shrimps (GF), £7.00

Wonderfully seasoned and cooked bang on, these Char-Grilled Shrimps were outstandingly good. Super start!

Strips (x4) – Smoky BBQ, £5.00

Lemon & Thyme, Smoky BBQ, Peri, and Jerk or Dynamite – these are the sauces available to base your strips or wings in. As for the former, then these were beautifully tender, charred and really well marinated.

Let’s talk about the sauces though. The best was the thick, sticky and nicely balanced Smoky BBQ.

The fiercest was the Dynamite. Seriously though people, be warned, as this was ferocious, with a delayed fuse that’ll burn the hairs off your taste buds.

Otherwise, the remaining trio were all very good.

Wings (x4) – Lemon & Thyme, Peri (S), Jerk or Dynamite (SS), £5.00

For review purposes only, the above was an assortment of flavours.

Absolutely delicious wings with no skimping when it came to basing them in those impressive sauces.

Smoky Bacon (GF without Brioche Bun) – beef patty, maple glazed oak smoked turkey bacon, grilled onions, mature cheddar & American cheese, Smoky Boys sauce, brioche bun, £10.00

When you order a Smoky Bacon anything, it stands to reason that you won’t do for anything less than the distinct taste of smoky bacon.

Well, in this case, the flavour of the turkey bacon was wondrously heady and prominent, but not in a way that detracted from the taste of the juicy medium beef patty.

Add to that the touch of sweetness imparted by the wet, lightly caramelised white onions, as well as the gentle heat of the mayo, and this was a great start to the burgers menu.

Our only complaint would be with the bun; it wasn’t as soft as we’d have expected of a fresh brioche bun.

Smoky BBQ & Cheese (GF without Brioche Bun) – beef patty, mature cheddar & American cheese, coleslaw, caramelised onions, dill pickles, BBQ sauce, brioche bun, £10.00

A multi-layered burger that succeeds in delivering a multi-sensory experience will always have us cooing; and this Smoky BBQ & Cheese burger had us doing exactly that!

To be sure, it was all about that dark-bodied BBQ sauce. In fact, the inhouse sauces made by Smoky Boys are something else. But more on that below.

The way in which the differing flavours in this burger – the honey sweet-cum-smokiness of the BBQ sauce; the crunchy, creaminess of the overflowing slaw; the tangy kick of the pickles; and the richness of the gorgeously melted mature cheese lurking in the background – all combined to provide that knock out blow, was quite something.

More impressively, that thick slab of perfectly cooked, medium beef patty, with its light crispy exterior, some how came through to showcase a remarkably impressive burger.

Smoky Chick – chicken breast marinated in peri sauce, mature cheddar cheese, baby gem lettuce, beef tomato, red onions, light mayo, brioche bun, £8.50

While this would have been a perfectly acceptable and above average burger under any other circumstances, it followed on the back of two quite exceptional beef rivals.

Having said that though, this Smoky Chick’s marinated chicken breast, despite being on the meagre thin side, did manage to remain relatively moist, and was nicely charred. Nonetheless, it was a tad chewy in parts.

And while there was lashings of what appeared to be a fluffy garlic mayo, along with the usual standard condiments, it was a little on the plain side.

Shroom Burger (V, GF without Brioche Bun) – grilled portobello mushroom, blue cheese, baby gem lettuce, beef tomato, caramelised onions, mayo & brioche bun, £7.50

This Shroom Burger was good in parts, but ultimately let down for a number of reasons.

What impressed us the most was the way in which the large dollop of mayo helped to counter the natural sharp piquancy of the blue cheese.

While the thickness of the portobello mushroom gave this burger good height, it was its breadth that spoiled the makings of a promising veggie alternative.

For one, the texture of the mushroom not only bordered on the spongy-squidgy side, but when bitten into, released enough water which, in combination with all that mayo, a layer of wet wilted onions, and a large slice of tomato, culminated in an extremely off-putting mouthful.

Taste-wise, it bordered on the one-dimensional side too.

Top Dog – choice of grated cheese, jalapenos or grilled onions with ketchup & mustard, £6.00

While there’s a chilli variation of this, we wanted to go for something closer to your standard version.

The first thing you might notice with the cross section is the ratio of the thickness of the bun, which mind you was fantastically crispy and fluffy in texture, in comparison to that of the sausage.

Had the latter been closer to twice its current diameter, and had the sausage had a more meatier taste, this truly would have been a Top Dog.

Otherwise, everything else was there: the mayo-ketchup mixture was well balanced; the jalapenos neath the beautifully melted herby cheese offered a touch of heat; and the onions nicely wilted, though one Lion would have preferred his more caramelised.

(Clockwise @1pm) Bad Boy Suicide Sauce, Garlic Mayo, Smoky BBQ, Chilli Mayo, Wild Mango, Smoky Boys Sauce

Wow; these inhouse sauces were exceptionally good, with each one having just the right consistency and body.

The Smoky Boys Sauce was distinctly peppery, and the Wild Mango (also a table sauce), a watery, tangy-sweet and spicy concoction, even better.

The Chilli Mayo was amazing, the honey-sweet Smoky BBQ sauce deep and smoky, the Bad Boy Suicide Sauce fruity in nature, and the Garlic Mayo nicely whipped and fluffy.

To be honest though, the two table sauces of Wild Mango and Sweet Spicy are probably as good as you’re ever going to get at any given burger joint.

Sweet Potato Fries (V, GF) £3.50; Skin on Fries (V, GF) £3.00

Thanks to the addition of the rosemary salt, the texture achieved on these Sweet Potato Fries was sublime, with delicate crispy bits coming through now and again.

The Skin on Fries were also well seasoned and nicely executed – crispy on the outside and fluffy on the in.

Smoky Boys Shakes – Salted Caramel (left); Peanut Butter & Banana (middle) – £5.00. Original Shakes – Mango (right), £4.00

This is how shakes ought to be: thick and luscious, and full of flavour.

Hence, the Mango had depth, while bits of peanut in the Peanut Butter & Banana shake provided solid texture, with the fruit coming through well enough.

We did feel, however, that the Salted Caramel could have done with a touch more of the salt.

Original Shakes – Mango + Malt (£0.50) – £4.50

The malt didn’t come through as strongly as we’d have all liked. Having said that though, who cares when it’s as thick and wholesome as this?