Food & drinks
Tuesday-Saturday
Bar: 12pm-11/12am
Kitchen: 12pm-4pm & 5pm-8pm
Bar menu 8pm-10pm
Sunday
Bar: 12pm-10.30pm
Kitchen: 12pm-10pm
Bar menu 9pm-10pm
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Tuesday to Saturday | 12 – 4 Order @ bar, inform staff of allergens/table number. Dishes come as prepared
Marinated olives (ve) Sumac, chilli 4
House hot honey spiced nuts (v), House-spiced mixed nuts, hot honey glaze 5
Smokehouse pickles (ve) 5
House hummus, sumac and feta dip, chilli chutney, naan, sharing platter (v) 12
Smoked pimento garlic chilli cheese flatbread (vg) 8
Black lime chicken bites, house aioli 14
Brisket croquettes x3, mustard cumin mayo, jalapeño jam 14
Burnt tuna ceviche with sumac & lime tortilla chips 16
NACOS Naco Naan flatbreads, with smoked meats/veg, house sauces and pickles.
Smoked pumpkin (v) Labneh, pumpkin, chutney, (can be made vegan) 12
Barbacoa Naco flatbread, ask the team for today’s special barbacoa 16
SMOKEHOUSE PLATES All plates come w/ Afghan salad, white rice, saffron butter and house sauces
Borani Kadoo plate (v) smoked live fire pumpkin Afghan stew, garlic yoghurt (can be made vegan) 18
Oak smoked chicken plate, Afghan chutney, house aioli, crispy onions 22
Wagyu brisket barbacoa plate, pulled Wagyu brisket in a rich tomato and vegetable sauce 24
Mixed smokehouse plate, chicken & barbacoa 28
THE PIT | BUNS
Dirty hash brown burger with cheese, Madras tajin seasoning, fries & aioli 18
Smash fatty beef burger, Afghan chutney, fries & house aioli 20
Texas roadhouse salad with smoked Madras chicken 22
Chicken Madras house ciabatta, Afghan chutney, fries & house aioli 22
Wagyu brisket steak, Texas naan, cowboy butter, pickles 32
SALADS & SMOKED MEATS
Chunky Afghan salad (v) 10
Texas Roadhouse 12
Oak smoked chicken 200g 14
Wagyu sliced brisket 200g 22
SIDES
Fries with house aioli (v) 5
Chalow (v), White saffron and butter rice 5
Triple cooked potato roasties (v), house seasoning, aioli 6
HOUSE SAUCES AND FINISHES Jalapeño jam (ve) 1 Afghan chutney (ve) 1
DESSERTS
Saffron & cardamom firni (v), Afghan saffron and cardamom custard, brûléed sugar crust 7
Pistachio cream rolls (v), Whipped marshmallow fluff 8
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Tuesday to Saturday | 6 – 10 Cue Point Garden Bar Grill & Smokehouse
Order at the bar, inform staff of allergens and table number. Dishes arrive as they’re prepared
BAR SNACKS & SMALLS
Marinated olives (ve) Sumac, chilli 4
House hot honey spiced nuts (v), House-spiced mixed nuts, hot honey glaze 5
Smokehouse pickles (ve) 5
Wagyu brisket Gildas, x2 oak smoked Wagyu brisket, brined olive, pickled chilli, anchovy skewers 10
House hummus, sumac and feta dip, chilli chutney, naan, sharing platter (v) 12
Smoked pimento garlic chilli cheese flatbread (v) 8
Black lime chicken bites, house aioli 14
Brisket croquettes x3, mustard cumin mayo, jalapeño jam 14
Burnt tuna ceviche with sumac & lime tortilla chips 16
Smoked Mantu (Afghan beef dumplings) with lentil sauce, yoghurt 16
Live-fire prawns with lemon garlic butter and house focaccia 18
MAINS
Dirty hash brown burger with cheese, Madras tajin seasoning, fries & aioli 18
Smash fatty beef burger, chutney, fries & house aioli 22
Borani Kadoo (v) smoked live fire pumpkin Afghan stew, saffron rice 22
Texas roadhouse salad with oak smoked Madras chicken 22
Oak smoked Wagyu brisket steak with Texas naan (limited portions) 32
Oak smoked whole lamb shank with Kabuli pilau, spiced rice, carrot, raisin, herbed yoghurt 34
Chilli citrus charcoal grilled sea bass, saffron butter rice, marinated tomato salad 34
SALADS
Marinated heritage winter blistered tomato salad (v) 12
Texas Roadhouse 14
SIDES
Fries with house aioli (v) 6
Chalow (v), white rice with saffron butter 5
Triple cooked potato roasties (v) house seasoning, aioli 6
HOUSE SAUCES AND FINISHES
Jalapeño jam (ve) 1 Afghan chutney (ve) 1
DESSERTS
Saffron & cardamom firni (v), Afghan saffron and cardamom custard, brûléed sugar crust 7
Pistachio cream rolls (v), Whipped marshmallow fluff 8
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12 - 9pm
Order at the bar, let staff know any allergens and your table number. Dishes come to the table as they’re prepared
BAR SNACKS
Marinated olives (ve) Sumac, chilli 4
House hot honey spiced nuts (v), House-spiced mixed nuts, hot honey glaze 5
Smokehouse pickles (ve) 5
House hummus, sumac and feta dip, chilli chutney, naan, sharing platter (v) 12
SMALLS
Black lime chicken bites with aioli 14
Brisket croquettes with mustard cumin sauce x3 14
MAINS
All are served with Yorkshire puddings, cumin honey carrots, smoked cabbage, roasted onions, gravy, choice of saffron potatoes or white rice. The lamb Kabuli comes with either Kabuli pilau or potatoes.
Aubergine borani banjan Smoked live fire aubergine curry, whipped yoghurt 28
Live fire saffron yoghurt brined half chicken 30
Oak smoked sliced Wagyu brisket 32
Twice oak smoked Wagyu rump Steak 32
Lamb Kabuli, Oak smoked whole lamb shank, Kabuli pilau 34
SIDES
Saffron triple-cooked potatoes (v) 6
Kabuli pilau cooked in lamb juice 6
Deep fried brussels sprouts sharer 9
Cheesy leek sharer (v) 10
Smoked cauliflower with sumac cheese sharer (v) 10
HOUSE SAUCES AND FINISHES Jalapeño jam (ve) 1 Afghan chutney (ve) 1
DESSERT
Saffron & cardamom firni (v), Afghan saffron and cardamom custard, brûléed sugar crust 7
Pistachio cream rolls (v) 8
SUNDAY EVENING BAR MENU, 8PM TO 10PM
Marinated olives (ve) Sumac, chilli 4
House hot honey spiced nuts (v), House-spiced mixed nuts, hot honey glaze 5
Smokehouse pickles (ve) 5
House hummus, sumac and feta dip, chilli chutney, naan, sharing platter (v) 12
MAIN Roast gravy bowls, smoked meats or veg, crispy bits, roasties, house gravy, cabbage, roasted garlic & onions (ask the team for meat/veg of the day) 20
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CUEPOINT CHILDRENS MENU
Please order at the bar, inform staff of any allergens and table number. Dishes come to the table as they’re prepared.
Smoked chicken plate
Oak smoked chicken, afghan salad and white rice 11
Smash burger
Beef patty, cheese and fries 11
Root hash brown burger
Cheese and fires 10
SUNDAY
Root hash brown burger with cheese,
served with roasties, carrots and gravy 12
Aubergine curry
Served with roasties, carrots, cabbage and gravy 15
Roast chicken
Quarter chicken served with roasties, carrots, cabbage and gravy 20
Wagyu brisket
Sliced brisket served with roasties, carrots, cabbage and gravy 20
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Oak smoked 14hr Texas brisket bun 18
Root hash veggie bun 14
Black lime and pepper chicken bites 14
French masala fries 5
Oak smoked lamb shank poutine with masala fries, cheese, gravy, pickles 24
Oak Smoked 14hr Texas brined brisket poutine with masala fries, cheese, gravy, pickles 24
Root hash brown, deep fried sweet potato hash brown patty, with masala fries, cheese, gravy, pickle 20
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Christmas menu
Sit-Down Festive Plated: from £50pp Minimum 40 guests.
Cue Point style. Your guests choose from our festive menu below, plated and served to the table.
• 2 courses (starter and main): £50pp
• 3 courses (starter, main and dessert): £60pp
Starters
• Cow in rugs: smoked beef sausage wrapped in turkey bacon, sticky mustard glaze, house pickles. Allergens: Mustard, Sulphites†
• Oak smoked brisket croquettes: mustard mayo, toasted chestnut crumb. Allergens: Gluten, Eggs, Mustard, Nuts
• Live fire black lime chicken bites: house aioli. Allergens: Eggs
• Ashak (v): leek-filled Afghan dumplings, split pea and mint sauce, pomegranate drizzle (can be made vegan). Allergens: Gluten, Milk
• Live fire prawns: lemon garlic butter, house focaccia. Allergens: Crustaceans, Milk, Gluten
Mains
Served with Yorkshire pudding, crispy roast potatoes, charred winter vegetables and gravy. Trimmings allergens: Gluten, Eggs, Milk (Yorkshire pudding)†, Eggs (roast potatoes), Sulphites (gravy)
• Oak smoked turkey: lamb stuffing, cranberry and jalapeño relish, smoked turkey gravy. Allergen sulphite
• Oak smoked brisket: beef gravy, house horseradish. Allergens: Sulphites, Milk, Mustard†
• Oak smoked lamb shoulder: lamb gravy, rosemary saffron butter, house pickles. Allergens: Milk, Sulphites
• Chilli citrus charcoal grilled sea bass: saffron butter rice, marinated tomato salad, charred winter vegetables (served in place of the roast trimmings). Allergens: Fish, Milk
• Fire roasted pumpkin, squash and aubergine (v): aromatic Afghan sauce, house pickles. Allergens: Sulphites
Sides to Share (priced for two)
• Deep fried sprouts: £10. Allergens: Sulphites
• Oak smoked cauliflower cheese (v): £10. Allergens: Milk
• Lamb stuffing, herbs, aromatics, lamb jus: £10. Allergens: Sulphites
Desserts
• Saffron crème brûlée firni: saffron Afghan custard, burnt sugar (can be made vegan). Allergens: Eggs, Milk
• Pistachio cream rolls: whipped marshmallow fluff (can be made vegan). Allergens: Gluten, Eggs, Milk, Nuts
• Smoked cheese board: seasonal fruit, house pickles, jalapeño jam, bread (can be made vegan): +£10. Allergens: Gluten, Milk, Sulphites
Kids Menu (under 12s)
2 courses: £25pp
3 courses: £30pp
Smoked turkey with roasties, gravy and charred vegetables. Allergens: Eggs, Sulphites
Fire roasted vegetables with roasties and chilli gravy (v). Allergens: Eggs, Sulphites
All our meat is halal and we can adapt all vegetarian dishes to vegan, we can provide gluten free dishes but we have traces of gluten across our kitchens due to baking fresh bread daily. Every dish is prepared in a kitchen handling all 14 major allergens; cross-contamination cannot be fully excluded. We have one kitchen and we will not guarantee a total cross contaminant free atmosphere. Anybody with a severe allergy should be mindful of this and make their own informed decision before visiting.
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Cue Point events menus 2026
Award-winning live-fire cooking for your festive celebration. Oak smoked meats, Afghan-spiced dishes and all the trimmings. Minimum 40 guests. Parties under 40 are welcome to book from the regular menu. All meats are halal. Vegetarian dishes can be made vegan on request. All prices include VAT. A discretionary 12.5% service charge is added to the final invoice. Bookings are confirmed within 48 hours. Enquiries: support@cue-point.co.uk
Festive Packages
Classic Feast Buffet (£50pp)
• Oak smoked brisket carving station
• Jalapeño and herb whole smoked salmon
• Fire-roasted winter vegetables (VE)
• Choice of chalow saffron rice or roasties and gravy (V)
• Oak smoked cauliflower cheese (V)
• Chunky Afghan Greek salad (V)
• Pistachio cream rolls (V)
Allergens: gluten, eggs, milk, nuts, sulphites, fish. Bespoke packages available on request.
Festive Feast Buffet (£65pp)
• Brisket mantu, oak smoke twist
• Live-fire prawns, lemon garlic butter, house focaccia
• Oak smoked turkey carving station
• Oak smoked brisket carving station
• Jalapeño and herb whole smoked salmon
• Fire-roasted winter vegetables (VE)
• Choice of chalow saffron rice or roasties and gravy (V)
• Oak smoked cauliflower cheese (V)
• Chunky Afghan Greek salad (V)
• Pistachio cream rolls (V)
Allergens: gluten, eggs, milk, nuts, sulphites, fish, crustaceans. Bespoke packages available on request.
Canapé Reception (from £25pp)
• Pre-dinner or short reception, 4–6 canapés per guest: from £25pp
• Longer drinks event, 6–8 canapés per guest: from £35pp
• Replacing a light meal, 8–10+ canapés per guest: from £45pp
Passed round or set out to share. All meats halal, with vegan and gluten-free options available.
Canapé selection
• Wagyu brisket slices with cucumber pickles: oak smoked Wagyu brisket, cucumber pickles
• Brisket croquettes: mustard mayo, toasted chestnut crumb
• Black lime chicken bites: house aioli
• Live-fire prawns on toast: lemon garlic butter, focaccia
• Ashak dumplings (V): leek-filled Afghan dumplings, split pea sauce, pomegranate
• Smoked pimento cheese flatbread bites: garlic chilli, crispy onion
• Pistachio cream rolls (V): whipped marshmallow fluff
Bowl Food (from £34pp)
• 3 bowls per guest: £34pp
• 5 bowls per guest: £44pp
• Oak smoked brisket bowl: sliced Wagyu brisket, beef gravy, roasties, pickles
• Fire-roasted winter vegetable bowl (VE): smoked squash, winter roots, charred greens, chilli
gravy, roasties
• Oak smoked chicken bowl: oak smoked chicken, roasties, yoghurt
• Pistachio cream rolls (V): whipped marshmallow fluff
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Garden Bar grill and smokehouse event menu
CANAPÉS
Choose 3 / £18 per person
Choose 5 / £27 per person
Choose 8 / £35 per person
Beef brisket skewer, smokehouse glaze
Chicken thigh skewers, green chutney mayo
Black lime pepper chicken bites
Hot link sausage on Naan tarragon glaze
Gordal olive and smoked cheese canape (VE)
Smoked Cheddar & house pickle skewer (VE)
Madras Halloumi Skewer (VE) with pickled chillies
Burnt Carrot on Naan (VG) Kurut, chickpeas
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FEASTING BOWLS
Choose 2 bowls / £32 per person
Choose 3 bowls / £40 per person
Brisket bowl Kabuli pilau, pickles, herbs
Chicken Korma bowl Light korma, naan crumb, yoghurt
Sea Bass Bowl Chilli citrus, aubergine tomato, greens
Lamb shank bowl Kabuli pilau, jus
Borani Banjan bowl (VE / VG option) Smoked aubergine, tomato, yoghurt or vegan alternative, herbs
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SET MENU A £38 Per person
To Share
Pimento cheese flatbread (VE)
Burnt carrot dip (VG)
Smokehouse pickles (VG)Mains
Live fire chicken korma
or
Live fire cauliflower (VE / VG)
or
Borani banjan. (VE / VG option) (Aubergine Curry)Sides
Kabuli pilau (VG)
Charred greens (VG)Dessert
Kulfi sticky toffee pudding (VE)-
SET MENU B £48 per person
To Share
Tuna & burnt salsa ceviche
Pimento cheese flatbread (VE)
Burnt carrot (VG)Mains
Brisket steak
or
Sea bass
or
Borani banjan (VE / VG option)Sides
Kabuli pilau (VG)
Triple cooked chips (VE)
Greens (VG)Dessert
Sticky toffee pudding (VE)-
SET MENU C CUE POINT FEAST £58 per person
Brisket
Lamb
Chicken
Hot link sausageChoice of
Kabuli pilau or potatoesTexas naan
Pickles
SaucesUpgrade Feast £68 per person
Adds
Sea bass
Additional sides
Dessert-
BBQ ROAST EVENT MENU £48 per person, Family-style sharing
(Group bookings / Sundays / Christmas)
Meats
Oak smoked brisket
Lamb shank
Smoked chickenVegetarian / Vegan
Sabzi pumpkin pie (VG)
or
Borani banjan (VE / VG option)Served with
Saffron roast potatoes or Kabuli pilau
Cumin honey glazed carrots
Smoked cabbage
Yorkshire pudding
House gravyDessert
Sticky toffee pudding with kulfi (VE)
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Whole Westholme wagyu grade brisket
(pre order only) £220 – £280
BELUGA CAVIAR SERVICE
All served with
Black lime pepper chicken bites
Crispy hash browns
Crème fraîche
Chives
House chutney
House mayo20g - Imperial Beluga
Serves 3 - 4 guests
£18530g - Imperial Beluga
Serves 5 - 6 guests
£27550g - Royal Beluga
Serves 8 - 10 guests
£389All food is halal / permissible.
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WINE LIST
SPARKLING WINE (125ml / Bottle)
1. NV Prosecco Extra Dry, Fiol | Italy
Light, bubbly and always up for it. (11% abv)
£9.50 | £39.002. NV Brut Reserve, Pol Roger | France
Proper Champagne, Winston would agree. (12.5% abv)
£89.00WHITE WINE (175ml / 250ml / Bottle)
3. 2025 La Cadence Blanc, Vin de France | France
Fresh, easy and disappears suspiciously fast. (11.5% abv)
£7.50 | £10.00 | £30.004. 2025 Pinot Grigio delle Venezie IGT, Sartori | Italy
Crisp, clean and quietly addictive, sunshine in a glass. (12% abv)
£8.00 | £10.50 | £31.005. 2025 Varietal Sauvignon Blanc, Tarapaca | Chile
Notes of citrus and “just one more glass.” (12% abv)
£8.00 | £11.00 | £32.006. 2025 Tooma River Chardonnay | Australia
Soft, round and easygoing. No hard thinking required. (12.5% abv)
£8.00 | £11.00 | £32.007. 2024 Picpoul de Pinet, Réserve de la Roquemolière | France
Sharp citrus and a salty wink — mildly delusional. (13% abv)
£8.00 | £11.00 | £32.008. 2024 Côtes du Rhône Blanc L’Enfant Terrible, Maison Sinnae | France
Aromatic, textured and knows its way around a dinner table. (12.5% abv)
£36.009. 2024 Catena Appellation Tupungato Chardonnay | Argentina
Fresh, elegant and just a little irresponsible. (13% abv)
£40.0010. 2024 Gavi di Gavi, Ascheri | Italy
Crisp, mineral and effortlessly put-together. (12.5% abv)
£44.0011. 2024 Sancerre Blanc, Domaine des Vieux Pruniers | France
Flinty, citrusy, bottled confidence. (13% abv)
£48.00ROSÉ WINE (175ml / 250ml / Bottle)
12. 2024 Pinot Grigio Blush, Sartori | Italy
Light, crisp and goes down far too easily, where’s my sunbed? (12% abv)
£7.50 | £10.00 | £32.0013. 2025 Côtes de Provence Rosé, Domaine de l’Amour, La Vidaubanaise | France
Pale, dry and made for long, lazy afternoons. (13% abv)
£10.00 | £14.00 | £39.0014. 2024 Love by Leoube Rosé Organic, Chateau Leoube | France
Crisp, summery and effortlessly charming. (12.5% abv)
£45.00RED WINE (175ml / 250ml / Bottle)
15. 2025 La Cadence Rouge, Vin de France | France
Juicy cherry and zero long-term planning. (12.5% abv)
£7.50 | £10.00 | £30.0016. 2023 Merlot, Lanya | Chile
Soft, plummy and dangerously easy to top up. (13.5% abv)
£8.00 | £10.50 | £31.0017. 2025 Primitivo Salento, Boheme | Italy
Big, bold and makes questionable ideas seem excellent. (13% abv)
£8.00 | £11.00 | £32.0018. 2024 Cabernet-Sauvignon IGP Pays d’Oc, Les Mougeottes | France
Dark fruit, firm grip, and definitely has opinions. (13.5% abv)
£8.00 | £11.00 | £32.0019. 2024 Barbera Amonte, Volpi | Italy
Bright, juicy and made for food (and more food). (13% abv)
£34.0020. 2024 Côtes du Rhône L’Enfant Terrible, Maison Sinnae | France
Smooth, spicy and a little bit of trouble. (13.5% abv)
£35.0021. 2025 Tilia Malbec | Argentina
Rich, velvety, a grown-up grape juice with opinions. (14% abv)
£36.0022. 2021 Carmenere Reserva, Viña Falernia | Chile
If you have not tried a Carmenere, this rock star will not disappoint—love it! (14% abv)
£36.0023. 2021 Mountain Red Blend, Thelema | South Africa
What a bloody delicious wine – tastes like I deserve it. (14.5% abv)
£38.0024. 2024 Coastal Vineyards Las Brisas Pinot Noir, Vina Leyda | Chile
Light, silky, a smooth operator in a bottle. (13% abv)
£48.00All wines by the glass are available as 125ml measures
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Whilst we make every effort to accommodate dietary requirements, our kitchens handle gluten, sesame, nuts and other allergens daily. Some ingredients supplied by third-party manufacturers may also carry trace warnings for nuts, sesame and gluten. Due to shared preparation areas, equipment and manufacturer supply chains, we cannot guarantee any dish is completely free from traces of allergens. Guests with severe allergies should make themselves known in advance so we can advise accordingly.
Our food is finger-licking good, check out the reviews!
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The back of an overgrown beer garden in West London, lined with rickety wooden picnic tables and flickering fairy lights, is not an obvious place to find London’s best Afghan food. But after ten years of pop-ups and restaurant residencies around the city, Afghan-born chef Mursal Saiq and British-Guyanese pitmaster Joshua Moroney have finally made a permanent home for their Texan-Afghan barbecue joint CuePoint. The entrance doesn’t give much away, but walk through the pub – otherwise known as The Garden Bar W10, a favourite of Ian Wright – and claim a spot at one of the sprawling tables out back. The air is fresh, but expect some smokey aromas drifting from the drum smoker in the corner, a heavenly preview of what’s to come: juicy brisket skewers and oak-smoked lamb shanks with Kabuli pilau rice, sides of pickles, spices and chutneys, and veggie options like the gooey aubergine curry, dishes that are equal parts mouth watering and belly-filling, and almost always accompanied with buttery Naan bread and heaps of a zesty dill yogurt sauce.
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The 12 best new London restaurants opening 2026
The big beautiful BBQ Garden Bar Grill and Smokehouse by Cue Point London, W10 6SZ
Cue Point has been a Time Out favourite for years now, and after various residencies, the British Afghan BBQ kitchen from Mursal Saiq and Joshua Moroney is finally opening its first ever permanent restaurant. Come for smoked Sunday roasts, Wagyu cheeseburgers, black lime and pepper chicken bites with caviar, oak smoked lamb shank and Kabuli pilau, and a vast 200 seater garden.
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The 9 best new London restaurants to try in June 2026
"Wagyu brisket steak with Texas naan and cowboy butter" is the first thing that jumps out at you, but the entire menu at Latimer Road's new "Afghan Texan" barbecue joint, Cue Point, is mouthwatering. The mad geniuses behind the project, Mursal Saiq and Joshua Moroney, have been creating spectacular fusion food across a host of pop-ups and residencies for the past decade but finally, with a permanent site, they're flying: an unpretentious setting, warm hospitality, great food. A very welcome addition.
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AMERICAN EATS DONE WELL
With these London eating experiences, Yankophiles don't have to cross the pond to get their culinary fix. Texan-Afghan BBQ specialist Cue Point brings southern grilling to The Garden Bar Grill and Smokehouse in W10. Expect Wagyu brisket steak with Texas naan and saffron butter and a Texan-Afghan roast on Sundays.
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Five Top London Restaurants and Counters to Maximize Summer
A dynamic Afghan-Texas barbecue joint in a pub and a viral sandwich spot top the list of London's must-try restaurants.
In an unexpected development, pubs have become some of London's most compelling places to eat. At the top of the list is Cue Point, the Afghan-Texas barbecue in the Garden Bar & Grill in W10. Chef Mursal Saiq and pitmaster Joshua Moroney launched it a decade ago, doing pop-ups and grill competitions. This spring, they moved into a permanent West London location. Between the long tables in the front room and the meandering backyard, there's room for around 250 people. It's a rowdy space that matches the food. Starters include a refreshing little plate of coriander- and turmeric-spiked smokehouse pickles for £6 ($8). They're worth having on the table when the big cuts of meat come into play. You don't see a lot of rice with barbecue, but the lamb shank that's been slowly cooked over oak is happily accompanied by Kabuli pilau and doused with Afghan fresh coriander and mint chutney (£28, or £48 for a bigger serving to share). The Wagyu brisket steak has a sweet-smoky crust and comes with a hunk of grilled Texas naan (£24, or £45 to share). But the biggest surprise is the borani banjan, a flame-cooked version of the classic Afghan aubergine and tomato dish with yogurt sauce, pilau and naan (£22). It sells as well as the brisket, Saiq says. There's plenty of beer and a page of wines that play well with grilled food, including the southern French Domaine de Belle Mare Picpoul de Pinet that goes for £35 for a bottle. If you don't want to miss anything, go on the early side: The meats tend to sell out, starting with the brisket. "That's the nature of low and slow. Once it's gone, it's gone," Saiq quips. 41 Bramley Rd.; cue-point.co.uk/
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Cue Point, Notting Hill by JAY RAYNER
Meet Betty. Perhaps you'll like her. She's two metres wide of sleek black metal cylinder on legs. At one end there's a log burner that supplies the smoke needed for the low and slow style of BBQ with which Cue Point made their name. The beef briskets and lamb shanks go under the curved hood next to it, surrendering to the heat for hour after hour. Once upon a time, Betty was connected to an asado grill called Fatima, and the whole thing was on wheels. They would travel the UK from one food festival to another, where crowds would fall in love with Cue Point's Afghan-Texan BBQ mash-up. "But [Betty's] travelling days are over," says Mursal Saiq, Cue Point's co-founder, who first came to the UK as a refugee from conflict ruptured Afghanistan in the late 1990s. The grill section is now central to the outside kitchen at the back of this old pub in a less manicured corner of London's Notting Hill, Cue Point's first permanent home. The smoker is just outside the door to a twinkling, fairy-lit beer garden. The whole space smells warmly of wood smoke and meaty, rendering things. I first came across Cue Point during the pandemic, when we were all hungry for distraction, and sometimes just plain hungry. Back then, robbed of travelling opportunities, they did deliveries of vac-packed, long-smoked short ribs, returned
to a collapsing tenderness courtesy of a quick ride inn a pan of boiling water. There was a kind of smoked ratatouille and an Afghan stew of smoked pumpkin in a spiced tomato sauce, the recipe for which Saiq inherited from her mother. With this came pots of pickled chillies and red onion, a coriander-rich Afghan chutney and small, soft flatbreads that they call nacos, because they are a cross between naans and tacos. There is a lot of good BBQ in the UK these days, run by people fluent in the liturgy of hot links, Kansas City ribs and heavily sauced burnt ends. Much of it tends, quite reasonably, to ape what the practitioners visited on scouting trips across the US. CUE POINT GOES ANOTHER WAY. SAIQ who runs the company with her BritishGuyanese chef business partner Josh Moroney, once told me that she was fed up with self-consciously hip restaurants indulging in a certain "culture porn and exclusivity". They portray the food of immigrant communities as "exotic", she said, and cling to bogus versions of authenticity. Shewasn't interested in any of that. Her family had survived both the Soviets and the bloody mujahideen. She could cook what the hell she liked, how she liked, she added, with an endearing stroppiness. When the lockdowns lifted, they returned to travelling, eventually competing in global BBQ competitions including the World Food Championships held in Texas in 2023, where they came second out of hundreds of teams. "We were beaten by the US Air Force veterans," she says now. "There was no way this Afghan refugee was going to be allowed to beat a bunch of ex-US forces in Texas." She's not bitter; she's still amazed they did so well. Now they are here, in a broad, lowslung pub that offers Timothy Taylor's, Moretti and Brixton pale ale on draught. Once it was struggling a little for custom, but it's struggling no more. The star dish is a lamb shank that goes through an eight-hour process of brining and smoking, until the meat is not so much falling off the bone as waving it goodbye. There is a sweet smokiness to the lamb and any fatty skin is dark and crisped. There's also a red tinge to the outer layers, much prized by many in Texas BBQ and dismissed by others. It's the result of the interplay between the nitric oxide in the wood and the myoglobin in the meat and, if nothing else, is proof of how long it has been smoked. The shank perches prettily, like a trophy, on a buttery and vegetablerich Kabuli pilau, another of the recipes passed on by Saiq's mother. Each grain of rice is distinct and separate. A lamb shank like this is one of Afghanistan's national dishes, Saiq says, albeit this version is by way of the Lone Star State. She was only eight when she arrived in the UK, but something of where she began still travels with her. The use of British Wagyu briskets is not, they insist, the meaty equivalent of a bauble from Tiffany or Chanel that allows them to put a bold-type brand on the menu. Wagyujust has the fat content they require for a cut that is going to be spending more than a working day inside Betty. The result is tender, but not in that weird, denatured way, seemingly prized in Instagram reels by bearded men who dangle cuts ofcrumbling meat over their yawning maw. It is properly beefy and has texture and comes with heaps of crunchy pickles and a puffy flatbread with which to sweep it up. If all this is too much of things that once had a pulse, they also serve borani banjan, a ripe Afghan stew of long-roasted aubergines in yoghurt and tomatoes. There are grapefruit-pink cubes of a quality tuna ceviche turned in lime and sumac to be scooped up on to still-warm tortilla chips, and baby salad potatoes, first boiled then burst open and deep fried. They offer two desserts: a sticky toffee puddingand an ice cream-topped crumble made with peaches roasted on the grill. Both should be housed in bigger bowls to stop them cascading out on to the wooden slatted tables out back when your spoon goes in. Then again there is something rather fitting about the generosity of an overflowing dessert. Cue Point are here to feed, as they always have been. Only now they've found a permanent space from which to do so. FT
Cue Point has landed at Garden Bar, bringing its bold, signature blend of low-and-slow barbecue and Afghan flavour to West London. Founded by Mursal Saiq and Joshua Moroney, the concept fuses Texas-style smoking with vibrant Afghan spices, pickles and sauces—think oak-smoked wagyu brisket, live-fire korma, and charcoal-grilled seafood alongside inventive vegan dishes and standout sides.
At its core, Cue Point is more than a smokehouse—it’s a community-led platform built on inclusivity. With a menu designed for all (halal, vegan and gluten-free options) and a strong social mission through Cue Point Kitchen, the team actively supports refugees and immigrants into hospitality. Now at Garden Bar, Cue Point continues its mission of bringing people together around great food, fire, and culture.