Noble Inns to open second Neil Rankin-inspired Smokehouse

The brainchild of Noble Inns executive chef Neil Rankin, Smokehouse Chiswick will soft launch on 26 March before officially opening on 6 April.

The venue, a converted former pub on Sutton Lane North, will offer Rankin’s modern and eclectic take on barbecue food, alongside a selection of craft beer and ales. 

Produce will be sourced from small farms, and rare-bread meat such as Highland and Dexter cattle will be butchered on site. 

Rankin will make use of a smoking shed complete with a smoker from Ole Hickory Pits, as well as a Robata grill. 

Barbecue cooking​ 

Recognised as a pioneer of high-end barbecue cooking, Rankin’s signature dishes will include: rock oysters with beef dripping; chopped brisket roll with gochujang; burnt leeks with slow cooked egg; and smoked lamb shoulder with polenta and raclette. 

Roasts such as pork rib-eye and smoked shoulder with all the trimmings, and crown-roasted chicken for two to share, will take precedence on Sundays.

Rankin said: “We are thrilled to be opening Smokehouse in Chiswick, bringing our robust and gutsy barbecue cooking to the neighbourhood.

“As soon as we saw the space, we fell in love with it, and were excited to breathe new life into this lovely old pub.” ​

Country lodge​ 

According to Noble Inns, the new Smokehouse has been designed in the style of a country lodge, and a central feature is a double-sided fireplace.

There is also said to be an oak-topped bar backed with an original leaded-glass window, a dining room that opens up onto a paved terrace and lawn, and a dedicated whisky room.

Tables are scrubbed pine, and seating consists of long church pews covered with reindeer hides, and wooden bentwood chairs.

Noble Inns said the oak-panelled whisky room is adorned with antler and roe deer heads, and comes with leather wingback chairs and an open fire. More than 100 varieties of whisky – from Scottish and Japanese whisky, to whiskey from the US and Ireland – will be available.

It added that an all-European wine list will consist of small, family-owned growers and there will be 50 bins, beginning at £3.75 for a glass and £17.95 for a bottle. 

Company history​ 

Noble Inns was founded in 2008 by Scott and Maria Hunter, who were later joined by Rankin and Simon Holroyd.

Smokehouse Chiswick will be the company’s fifth site. Last December, it opened Moorgate venue Bad Egg, an all-day diner that offers a menu of dishes dominated by the humble egg.

Prior to joining Noble Inns, London-based Rankin learnt his trade at Jamie Oliver’s Barbecoa before making his name as head chef at Pitt Cue Co and then John Salt.