Lunch at The Joint in Brixton

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I think my favourite London food market is Brixton.

Borough Market is obviously excellent. Maltby Street is also fantastic. And I’ve had some great grub at the smaller markets too.

But when it comes to seriously killer food options, Brixton Village Market is the one to beat.

Poached eggs, champagne and cheese, fried plantain, dim sum, seafood, pad Thai, sourdough pizza, Spanish tapas, Portuguese custard tarts… there’s something for everyone.

And if your something is proper smokey BBQ meat and gooey cheese, then I think it’s time I introduced you to The Joint.

We started with cocktails and carbs.

I forgot to snap the Drinks menu, so can’t remember the names, but I tried a plum and prosecco concotion, which was fruity and sharp and delicious. And then I ordered a gin and limoncello cocktail, which was SO strong, but so refreshing and sour (which is exactly how I like my cocktails!)

The crispy onion rings were absolute perfection. Real onion, soft and tender, encased in a crunchy deep-fried coating, and dipped in a creamy mayo sauce.

I’m not usually one to order onion rings, but I’d make an exception for these ones!

Then came the first round of barbecued meat: chicken wings, served two ways. The BBQ sauce was sweet and rich and sticky. Everything you could ever want from a proper BBQ sauce.

The chilli sauce was spicier, but didn’t quite have the same depth of flavour as the BBQ. (Plus I’m a wimp and I like my wings non-spicy!)

The pork ribs were my meaty highlight of the day. They were smokey and tender and SO full of flavour. I could have happily eaten them on their own, without the BBQ glaze to be honest. The meat itself is the star of this one!

Deep fried mac’n’cheese balls.

Yep. You heard me. DEEP FRIED MAC’N’CHEESE BALLS. It’s all my Deep Fried Masters dreams come to life. (If you’ve not watched this yet, it’s on Netflix and I can’t recommend it enough. It’s the best kind of trashy TV and I’m absolutely hooked!)

These were a bit like arancini but creamier, carb-ier (is that a word?), and cheesier. The insides are beautifully soft, and the crispy coating is absolute perfection.

Throw in a thin, sour dipping sauce, which helps cut through the richness, and yep, this was my absolute faaavourite thing on the menu. (With the ribs coming in at a close second!)

And then, of course, we had the cheese fries.

But not just any cheese fries. The Joint’s usual serving is a yummy mix of cheese/bechamel sauce, poured of crispy fries, and topped with a mountain of grated cheese. They’re deeeeelicious, but I didn’t manage to get a photo. (Mainly because I was too busy stuffing them in my face…)

But from the 24th of July, Raclette Brothers are setting up shop in The Joint kitchen (Joint kitchen. Geddit? Cos they’re sharing!)(There’s a joke in there somewhere, I promise.)

The Raclette boys are creating a load of extra cheeeesy dishes to add to the menu, including these amazing Raclette Fries.

They’re worth ordering, if only for the visuals! They grill the straight edge of half a wheel of cheese, then slowwwwwly scrape the gooey mixture over the crispy fries…

Magic.

For mains, the options are limited: baby back ribs, a veggie burger (made with chargrilled veg and guacamole), and a selection of meaty sandwiches, including slow-cooked shredded chicken and pulled pork.

I ordered the beef brisket, which came served in a bun with: burnt (on purpose) tomato relish, smoked aioli, lettuce, and beautifully pink, pickled red onion.

JUST LOOK AT THIS BEAST.

Reader, I couldn’t finish it. The portions at this place are INSANE.

The brisket is slow-cooked, and was sooo tender and full of flavour (it was featured on Tom Kerridge’s BBC show: Best Ever Dishes. The clue’s in the name guys!). The tomato relish was amazing, but I would have liked a bit more aioli, as it sort of melted into the bun so I couldn’t really taste it.

Overall though, this was excellent.

And if you think MY sandwich (bun? roll? I don’t even know what to call it) was big, you should see the pulled pork…

It’s literally the size of a baseball.

That is a baseball made of barbecued pork. Tender, juicy, smoked, flavourful, barbecued pork.

And if that’s not enough, and you reaaaaally want to push the boat out… Well then: just add raclette. (Which I feel is actually a good philosophy to live by.)

Check out the cheese on that!

This is not one for the faint-hearted.

The Joint x Raclette Brothers collaboration launches on the 24th of July. So skip breakfast, gather a group of friends, and get to The Joint for an early weekend lunch.

Brixton Village Market is busy on a weekend, and tables are limited. There are no reservations, and it’s first-come first-served, so the earlier you can get there the better. (Plus, that way you’ve got all afternoon to snooze away the carb coma…)