Your hot tips for the best steak in London?

[Biki]

hugog wrote:

I am quite a fan of the steakhouse in the casino in Leicester Square – it is a bit cheaper than ones like hawksmoor but very decent quality

Heliot – i went there a couple of times pre COVID and it was very good value. Not been for a while though

[The Savage Squirrel]

Ended up in Goodman Mayfair yesterday. Had modest expectations but was pleasantly surprised, as was everyone in the group who had Fillet. Those who had Ribeye all far less so. A tip that mat hopefully be of use to someone.

[JDB]

The Savage Squirrel wrote:

Ended up in Goodman Mayfair yesterday. Had modest expectations but was pleasantly surprised, as was everyone in the group who had Fillet. Those who had Ribeye all far less so. A tip that mat hopefully be of use to someone.

It’s really poor that a steakhouse can’t produce a decent ribeye but Hawksmoor also seems to manage to make a living out of serving second rate meat at first rate prices! Neither Hawksmoor nor Cut can even make/hold a proper béarnaise or pepper sauce either; also inexcusable at their prices. They all get away with it because people are seduced by the name above the door and can’t see the emperor is wearing no clothes.

Since great meat is so easy to buy and cook at home and the sauces are quite easy as well, we rarely eat steak in restaurants in the UK. Better to get restaurants to cook stuff that is harder to source and prepare.

[chrism20]

JDB wrote:

The Savage Squirrel wrote:

Ended up in Goodman Mayfair yesterday. Had modest expectations but was pleasantly surprised, as was everyone in the group who had Fillet. Those who had Ribeye all far less so. A tip that mat hopefully be of use to someone.

It’s really poor that a steakhouse can’t produce a decent ribeye but Hawksmoor also seems to manage to make a living out of serving second rate meat at first rate prices! Neither Hawksmoor nor Cut can even make/hold a proper béarnaise or pepper sauce either; also inexcusable at their prices. They all get away with it because people are seduced by the name above the door and can’t see the emperor is wearing no clothes.

Since great meat is so easy to buy and cook at home and the sauces are quite easy as well, we rarely eat steak in restaurants in the UK. Better to get restaurants to cook stuff that is harder to source and prepare.

Agree re the sauces. We had dinner at the Edinburgh restaurant about two weeks ago and the sauces were not great at all. In fact I’d go as far as say that I’ve had better out a pouch from M&S. The meat was very good so complaints there.

[StanTheMan]

The Savage Squirrel wrote:

Ended up in Goodman Mayfair yesterday. Had modest expectations but was pleasantly surprised, as was everyone in the group who had Fillet. Those who had Ribeye all far less so. A tip that mat hopefully be of use to someone.

As a Goodman knife holder, it is always worth telling them if your steak isnt up to scratch. They hate disappointed diners. And will always try and remedy…. I’m not talking about the people who ask for medium/medium rare, then moan it is 5% under/over cooked. OR even worse, the “well done fillet” gang – a chef dies somewhere every time one is ordered.

[The Savage Squirrel]

StanTheMan wrote:

As a Goodman knife holder, it is always worth telling them if your steak isnt up to scratch. They hate disappointed diners. And will always try and remedy…. I’m not talking about the people who ask for medium/medium rare, then moan it is 5% under/over cooked. OR even worse, the “well done fillet” gang – a chef dies somewhere every time one is ordered.

It took my friend and me having orders mixed up several years ago to finally convince him to order non-ruined steak. His medium-rare (my order) was “much nicer than any steak I’ve ever eaten before”. I ended up with a few mouthfuls of his well done bit (like shoe leather of course) but it was worth it..

[Roberto]

Cut 45 at the Dorchester , 45 Park Lane

Amazing
Expensive

[JDB]

Roberto wrote:

Cut 45 at the Dorchester , 45 Park Lane

Amazing
Expensive

Did you just mean to say amazingly expensive??

As above, Cut is terrible. I am glad that I was invited rather than paying. The cheapest fillet (only 10oz/285g, not enough for young adults) or rib-eye is £75/£80 and it comes with nothing whatsoever. Vegetables £12, chips £10 and really appalling sauce £2.50. That’s over £100 before service for an objectively really poor small steak, chips and veg. Also, as above, the béarnaise had curdled and the pepper sauce someone had was split and greasy; unacceptable at this price point and they don’t care. Glasses of wine are almost all over £20 for a midsize 175ml glass of bog standard red or white and by the bottle boring selection equally bad value, marked up over 5 times before service. Basically, to have an evening out you will have spent £200/head and had bad food and cheap wine; not my idea of fun. It’s amazing that so many of these ‘big name’ places continue to be able to lure people purely on a name rather than the actual quality of the offering.

I am a huge fan of Wolfgang Puck who was once at the cutting edge but Cut here and the one in the Beverly Wilshire to which we were also invited are truly dire and so appallingly overpriced for basic food not well prepared that they should get a prize for it. Be warned!

• This reply was modified 54 years, 4 months ago by .

[StanTheMan]

The Savage Squirrel wrote:

StanTheMan wrote:

As a Goodman knife holder, it is always worth telling them if your steak isnt up to scratch. They hate disappointed diners. And will always try and remedy…. I’m not talking about the people who ask for medium/medium rare, then moan it is 5% under/over cooked. OR even worse, the “well done fillet” gang – a chef dies somewhere every time one is ordered.

It took my friend and me having orders mixed up several years ago to finally convince him to order non-ruined steak. His medium-rare (my order) was “much nicer than any steak I’ve ever eaten before”. I ended up with a few mouthfuls of his well done bit (like shoe leather of course) but it was worth it..

They say you can tell a lot about a person by what steak they order and how they have it cooked. I really find it eye opening……… “ooooh I dont want to eat any blood” errr, you aren’t going to.

[SunGuy]

I have to admit, I have never found a good stable steakhouse in central London – there are a few that arrive then go…

The big brands – STK, Goodman et al, they never quite seem to get it right. Whether it be overcooked, or not-so-great quality of meat, or just ridiculously sloppy service, there is always something – everytime!

There was mention above about “Buenos Aires” steakhouse – the one in the city has never been as good as the original in Purley – which they closed down – however, it was bought out by the local management…..and is still as good as it ever was – now called 4 Locos:

4 Locos

So, its a bit outside the centre, but still one of the best out there….

[SunGuy]

StanTheMan wrote:

The Savage Squirrel wrote:

They say you can tell a lot about a person by what steak they order and how they have it cooked. I really find it eye opening……… “ooooh I dont want to eat any blood” errr, you aren’t going to.

As for blood – Im one of “them” – when there is red “juice” oozing out of a steak, its a bit underdone for me – dont get me wrong, I do not like it well done and dry – but “medium plus” – medium is too little generally – and medium well – way too much….so, basically I like medium without oozing the red stuff all over the place and making for soggy chips!

[modestpointscollector]

Well I finally made it to Blacklock Shoreditch and it was great, and went back again just over a fortnight later!

The steaks probably weren’t quite as good as my last one from Goodman City but it was a hell of a lot cheaper overall. Getting a couple of all ins plus a large steak or two between a group of people was a great option. The chop sauce and green sauce were also delicious. Thanks to those in the thread who suggested!

[modestpointscollector]

Updating my own thread again – We had lunch at Fazenda in the city last week. While probably not at the same level as some of the places mentioned in the thread I have no hesitation going back again at £50 a head.

There were some excellent cuts of meat going around and the “cold starter/salad bar” was pretty well stocked with all kinds of tasty treats. Staff friendly and efficient, not much else to report back on. Can’t comment on the wine list either, apologies.

I probably wouldn’t recommend going back to the office next time though, I don’t mind admitting that afternoon was a real struggle.

[The real Swiss Tony]

I didn’t realise there was a Fadenza in London. Am going to take my 13yr old who claims to never be full. He’s over 6ft so better go armed with his passport but the fact 8-14 yr olds eat for £15 is too good an opportunity to miss! Oh and he only drinks water. Will be their worst yielding customer, ever!

[Michael C]

The real Swiss Tony wrote:

I didn’t realise there was a Fadenza in London. Am going to take my 13yr old who claims to never be full. He’s over 6ft so better go armed with his passport but the fact 8-14 yr olds eat for £15 is too good an opportunity to miss! Oh and he only drinks water. Will be their worst yielding customer, ever!

Brand new, I believe – and will also be testing it out with our household gannet! (and Brazilian OH, so it had better be ok!).
The one in Liverpool is decent, as is Bem Brasil (also in L’pl, for clarity!): incredible value for money.

[The real Swiss Tony]

Oh, I ate in Bem Brasil in Liverpool at the end of 2019. Wasn’t that impressed to be honest – we got stung with the special Christmas pricing despite still being November and they seemed awfully keen to get you in and out. That was however on a Saturday evening. Presumably a 1.30pm booking at the City venue would put you (them?) under a little less pressure….

[Michael C]

The real Swiss Tony wrote:

Oh, I ate in Bem Brasil in Liverpool at the end of 2019. Wasn’t that impressed to be honest – we got stung with the special Christmas pricing despite still being November and they seemed awfully keen to get you in and out. That was however on a Saturday evening. Presumably a 1.30pm booking at the City venue would put you (them?) under a little less pressure….

Good point, Tony: ours was on an any-old-day lunchtime, only around half full.

[modestpointscollector]

Yes Fazenda Bishopsgate opened in August, having had some good experiences in the Leeds one we thought we’d go and try it out and it didn’t disappoint as mentioned above.

We didn’t feel rushed in any way by the staff and there were certainly tables in there that were mid munch when we got there, and showed no signs of stopping as we were leaving 1hr 45 later. I’m going to assume if you’re continuing to buy drinks there’s no incentive for them to turf you out!

[Micbacon]

Bringing this thread back to life, to say Bricco e Bacco on Charlotte street!

[redlilly]

Smokehouse on Canonbury Road, between Essex Road and Highbury and Islington Stations. Lovely converted pub, great in both the summer and winter. Fantastic sides and great beef. Even have picanha on the chalk board ! Top marks for service, short menu and good selection of cocktails and wines.

Re. Blacklock restaurants, on Monday’s they have butcher prices for the meat, so it is a pretty good deal for lunch or dinner.

[xefo]

Visited Hawksmoor Air Street last weekend, pretty disappointing overall. They’d run out of prime rib and the second choice Porterhouse was so tough and chewy we had to send it back. The ribeyes were average at best. Says a lot when the item we enjoyed most that evening was the vegan mushroom/cashew starter. In terms of quality/price ratio, Blacklock reigns undefeated.