This is Hawkmsoor’s 6th restaurant in London (plus one in Manchester) and it’s by far their prettiest. Based right by Borough Market, next to Le Pain Quotidien, in a former hops warehouse, it’s full of character. It’s all parquet flooring and dark gloss walls. Service is the usual relaxed, wear your own clothes, “how’re you getting on buddy?”, style. We’re seated in the corner of … Continue reading Hawksmoor, Borough
Sagardi is a Basque steakhouse on Curtain Road in Shoreditch, a few doors down from Flat Iron. Unlike Flat Iron, which sells the eponymous cuts of steak for just £10, Sagardi’s finest meat, the Buey Gallician matured beef, is sold at £12 per 100g and I’m not sure there’s ever less than a kilo per serving. But hands down it’s the best meat I’ve come … Continue reading Sagardi, Shoreditch
The Guinea Grill is one of those pubs I’ve often enjoyed standing outside with a pint of Young’s Bitter listening to the suits of Mayfair talk shop. I had no idea however there was a restaurant, more importantly a steak restaurant, hidden out the back. It’s as old fashioned as it gets and it feels very London; patterned carpets, wood panel walls, framed pictures galore … Continue reading The Guinea Grill, Mayfair
I loved the original Pitt Cue Co in Soho. The only problem was the wait for a table – it was epic. And even if you got there bang on opening time they still didn’t serve food until half an hour later so you had to wait in the mosh pit of a bar. So the news that it was moving to a far bigger … Continue reading Pitt Cue, Devonshire Square
This is the groups fourth London restaurant which specialises in steak and their ‘secret’ special sauce (£24). There’s something about their one in Marylebone; the constant queue, the paper tablecloths, the tightly packed tables, the kebab shop lighting – I just love it. This one in Soho on the corner of Dean Street feels a bit more chainy for some reason. For starters, the sign … Continue reading Le Relais de Venise, Soho
It was a sad day when I heard Rex & Mariano was closing; I loved the oysters, the Sicilian red prawns and the iPads from which you ordered them. But it never quite worked out for some reason; it’s a big old site and maybe not enough people wanted solely seafood. Meat however is another ball game and thus we have Zelman Meats. It’s from … Continue reading Zelman Meats, Soho
A trip to Goodman Mayfair last year provided me with the best steak I’ve ever eaten; our 900g USDA bone-in Porterhouse was simply exceptional. My only problem with London steakhouses however is the price – if they weren’t so expensive I’d probably eat in one every day. I was pleased then to see that Goodman in the City offered a set lunch menu; two courses … Continue reading Goodman City
Hawksmoor is arguably one of London’s leading steakhouses (of course not forgetting Goodman) and since opening in Manchester, only with Gaucho as real competition, I don’t doubt they’re the best up North too. As steakhouses often are, it was all very manly; the fact we were in their Guildhall outpost added to the suity feel. The long basement dining room reminded me of a public … Continue reading Hawksmoor, Guildhall
Dinner at Beast is never going to be a particularly cheap outing; after all, this restaurant from the chap behind Burger&Lobster and Goodman specialises in Norwegian king crab. Having fallen in love with the place on my first visit I was pleased to see it was just as good when I returned – if not better. The basement dining room is like a cross between … Continue reading Beast, Chapel Place
Rowley’s is somewhat of a St. James’s institution; it’s been serving its signature steak swimming in Roquefort butter sauce and unlimited fries for over thirty six years. The dining room had a touch of the old school about it in a glamorous kind of way. It was packed and the atmosphere was noisy and echoey yet not intrusively so. The menu was fairly short and … Continue reading Rowley’s, St James’s
Beast is the latest venture from those clever chaps who created Goodman steakhouses and Burger & Lobster. The premise is simple; there’s only one menu with no choice and it’s £75 a head, which sounds like a lot of dollar but that gets you more food than you’re physically able to shove in your gob – trust me. The basement dining room felt raucous in … Continue reading Beast, 3 Chapel Place
I loved my visit to the original Hixter in the City (a variation of Mark Hix’s other restaurant Tramshed which serves only chicken or steak), so I was really excited to hear they were opening a second one in Bankside. And even better, there’s a Mark’s Bar in the basement. The restaurant’s as pretty from the outside, with its bright red neon sign above … Continue reading Hixter Bankside
I’ve heard from many a trusted source that Goodman is arguably London’s finest steakhouse, yet I’d never actually been. Seeing as my parents were down in London for the weekend, I decided to rectify that and booked us in for a bit of beef at their Mayfair restaurant (there’s also a Goodman in Canary Wharf and The City). The restaurant had the perfect atmosphere; loud … Continue reading Goodman, Mayfair
Whenever I’ve tried to book a table for dinner at Hawksmoor Air Street, and believe me I’ve tried, it’s always been totally booked up. When walking past on a drizzly Saturday lunch time me and a friend popped in to try our luck and got a table no problemo – hoorah! It was a long old walk to the restaurant from the entrance; up the … Continue reading Hawksmoor Air Street
STK is based in the ground floor of the awfully swanky Me hotel in Aldwych. “Not your Daddy’s steakhouse” is their rather interesting slogan and although this place seems to be appealing to the ladies, on our Monday night visit it was mainly filled with middle-aged blokes in suits. The dining room however was beautiful – a purple glow filled the air and the clubby … Continue reading STK
