Mixed Feelings at Mighty Quinns
Anytime there’s talk of smoke and meat, I’m all over it.
So it was with great anticipation that I watched and waited and waited for the black and white hoarding of the Mighty Quinn to be brought down and the NYC based smokehouse to open on JBR.
Three visits in and I think that I have a pretty decent representation of what this place is all about. Essentially MQ's promises a BBQ revolution by slow cooking various cuts of meat infused with their custom built wood smoker.
Welcome to flavor country.
The minute you walk in the place the wonderful aroma of smoked meats fills the air, it’s exciting and immediately let’s you know that some serious smokin' is going on.
As you would expect the interiors take on a dark, semi industrial look that mirrors their US outlets, so no surprises there.
The first visit was probably the second night the place was open so the staff were eager to impress and possibly a little nervous but they explained the concept well and went through the 15 hour smoking process and everything else which was a great introduction. Getting caught up in all the excitement, in typical fashion I ordered waaaay too much but hey what to do?
So within short order the Burnt Ends (56 AED), Lamb Shoulder (56 AED) and Beef Brisket (56 AED) were all on the table along with their specialty BBQ sauce. The burnt ends were ok but actually a little over done, while the lamb was good but not quite as good as the brisket which was amazing. All that smokeyness and charring worked perfectly to produce a soft and succulent plate of goodness that was an absolute delight to eat with a sprinkle of salt and not much else. It was mightily good and the sides were pretty good too.
Sweet Potato Casserole (25 AED), Beetroot Salad (21 AED) and the Corn Fritters (22 AED). The casserole was an interesting and enjoyable concoction, the beets more than competent and the corn balls were average but far from being a disaster. The lamb was kind of fatty and that taste came through a little in every bite and needed a decent whack of their in house BBQ sauce to get over it.
Despite these very small quibbles, all in all it was an excellent debut for MQ that left me absolutely looking forward to more.
Breakfast Disaster
So fast forward to a few weeks on and a random breakfast choice resulted in the Bacon and Avocado Benedict (42 AED) being what could only be described as the single worst breakfast experience in years. Clearly breakfast isn't Mighty Quinn’s forte. Think poached eggs that are hard boiled and beef bacon like an old piece of leather. The less said about this the better but it was simply woeful. Maybe it was just a case of the team having a bad morning but it was basically inedible.
Sorry gang.
Redemption?
So with a hit and a now a miss - I’m confronted with having to make a re-evaluation of the once Mighty Quinn. The only way to resolve this is with another visit. Now rolling the dice again on dinner probably isn’t really comparing apples to apples but would you risk going through another breakfast like that again? Didn’t think so.
So dinner it was, this time a much more responsible serving of the classic brisket as well the chicken wings. What was immediately noticeable was the smaller portion sizes and the lack of succulentness (that’s a word right?) of the former all star brisket of just a month earlier. Also the chicken wings were so small, with next to no meat on them, they had to be out of frozen packet. They were super fiddly and uninspiring.
So what happened, how can the once mighty be suddenly so un-mighty? Did the pit master go back to New York without leaving instructions? The team had yet another bad service? Have I jinxed them? I don’t know, all I know is that sadly the difference was well and truly noticeable. It wasn't bad. It just wasn't as good as the first time round and when you're wanting more of a good thing and it falls short it's just a little disappointing.
Reflecting on the various visits leads one to ask was it a case of too good to be true at the outset? Or has there been a deviation from standard operating procedure? Whatever the reason, once bitten thrice shy is the perfect analogy of where I’m at.
The staff are always super friendly and that smoke that wafts around the venue is intoxicating. Clearly the ingredients for greatness are there and I desperately want Might Quinn's to be great because I love the concept and I love smoked meats and BBQ but the complete lack of consistency has been a big let down, which makes this pretty hard to score. If it weren't for the stellar first round, the score would be closer to a 2.5 (that breakfast was unforgivable) but for now I almost think this review is a work in progress at an even 3.0.
Maybe there's room for redemption, let's see.
So what's your take? Have you been to see Mighty Quinn's?
