The Smokehouse deserves five stars, and Cooper deserves his own separate rating because the bloke is an absolute legend! Had such a good time here, and I couldn’t leave without giving a proper shout-out to both Cooper and the mac and cheese. Both deserve recognition, although only one of them should probably be served in a bowl.
First of all, Cooper is a champion. The kind of person who makes a visit memorable and gives you another reason to come back. You can have all the good food in the world, but having a legend like Cooper involved makes the experience that much better. Someone please make sure he sees this review, because I want him to know his efforts are appreciated. Give the man a pat on the back, a pay rise, his own parking space—whatever is available. At the very least, let him know he’s got a very happy customer singing his praises.
Now, we need to talk about the mac and cheese, because saying it was “good” would seriously undersell how happy it made me. That mac and cheese brought me actual joy. Not a polite little “yeah, that’s nice” moment, but the kind of happiness where you stop thinking about everything else and give your full attention to what’s in front of you. For a brief moment, my only concern in life was how much mac and cheese I had left.
I went in wanting something to eat and came out emotionally attached to a side dish. I didn’t expect that sort of relationship to develop, but here we are. If happiness can be put on a menu, this is it. Whoever is responsible for the mac and cheese needs to know they’ve done something wonderful. You made a grown man very happy with pasta and cheese, and that deserves some respect.
The hardest part was getting towards the end and realising it wasn’t going to last forever. Every bite brought me closer to an empty bowl and an important decision: do I accept that it’s over, or do I start planning my next visit immediately? I’m choosing the second option. I can already see myself coming back with every intention of trying something different and then ordering the mac and cheese again anyway.
Between Cooper being an absolute legend and the mac and cheese doing wonders for my mood, The Smokehouse has given me plenty of reasons to recommend it. There’s something pretty great about leaving a place feeling happy enough that you actually want to sit down and write a ridiculously long Google review. This is one of those occasions.
If you’re considering a visit, take this as your encouragement. Go to The Smokehouse, show Cooper some appreciation, and please do yourself a favour and get the mac and cheese. I can’t promise it will solve all your problems, but it certainly made me happy, and sometimes a really good meal is exactly what you need.
Five stars from me. Massive thanks to Cooper, massive appreciation for the mac and cheese, and I’ll happily be back for another round!
