Hong Kong is a city that is full of great, award-winning restaurants and chefs. While most are familiar with these restaurants as guests, few get to witness the type of food being served to staff. What’s on the menu for those that work there? For the next installment of our Staff Meals series, we visit the Texas-style BBQ restaurant Smoke & Barrel.
With two decades of experience as a chef, Arron Rhodes set up Hong Kong-based restaurant company Showmen Group in 2019. One year later, the group debuted Smoke & Barrel. Equipped with two Texas-style smokers shipped from the U.S., it’s the first and only restaurant of its kind in Hong Kong.
Upon opening, the restaurant was fully booked for the first three months, offering an instant proof of concept. Its signature dish is beef brisket, which is smoked for up to 18 hours over lychee wood.
“When the restaurant finished construction, we locked the doors and smoked every single day for 30 days,” says Rhodes. “Eventually we came through with a product that was ready for customers.”
Subtly combining the DNA of Hong Kong with that of a Texas smokehouse, the red neon signage decorating the restaurant was hand-made by one of the few remaining artists who still make the nostalgic signs that once defined the look of the city. To mimic the smoked effect of bourbon barrels, dark burnt woods are used for the interior furnishing.
With many of the staff from Nepal and India, the team often likes to prepare various biryanis and curries for Staff Meals. So much so that one day of the week is dedicated to one of the two. The rest of the week is balanced with Western and Chinese food to make sure that everybody is enjoying the food. On the day of our visit, Chef de partie, Rina was preparing a fragrant chicken biryani. Originally from Kolkata, India, Rina learned the recipe from her mother.
The Indian spices used for the dish were sourced specifically from the same supplier that produces all of Smoke & Barrel’s spice mixes. We’re told the restaurant goes through a shocking 15 to 20 kilos of spices each week.
Outside of running the restaurant business, Arron Rhodes is also a professional strongman who’s competed all over the world. Thus, nutrition is not lost on him with each meal integrating healthy portions of carbohydrates, vegetables, and protein.
“I think it’s very important to have a good meal before dinner service so you’ve got the energy to work at the restaurant,” says Rhodes. “Some restaurants don’t put too much effort into it. We would like to make sure it’s well-balanced and enough to fuel your body through the whole day.”
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When asked if Staff Meals ever influences the main menu, Rhodes tells us that it’s rare, as they mainly look to stay true to Texas-style cooking, but it has happened in the past. A beef tongue curry and char siu pork made by some of the Chinese chefs ended up being best-sellers and have secured permanent spots on the main menu.
“If it’s good enough, we’ll put it on the menu as a special and if the customers really love it, then we’ll incorporate it in the a-la-carte menu,” says Rhodes. “We like to empower the team to create something new and it’s not just about us creating the menu. We want them to feel part of the restaurant too.”
Other must-tries beyond the classic brisket and pork belly char siu is the pulled pork. Traditionally taken off the pork shoulder, Smoke & Barrel makes it with a 50-50 mix of pork shoulder and belly finished with Carolina-style sauce consisting of vinegar, peppercorns, and chili.
Check out our latest Staff Meals video above. Reservations to Smoke & Barrel can be made here for lunch and dinner.
Smoke & Barrel
2/F, Wyndham Mansion,
32 Wyndham St, Central,
Hong Kong
Video: Ryan Putranto
Producer: Aaron Chow
Special thanks to Joyce To, LOTUS
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Written by
Aaron Chow
Editor
Aaron is an editor currently based in Hong Kong focused on music, fashion, F&B, tech, art, and culture.
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