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2-3 West Smithfield
London
EC1A 9JX
Tried a new place before the Chick Corea / Christian McBride / Brian Blade concert at the Barbican. Music was way better than the food, though I guess if only one could be excellent, that is the order I would go in. I prefer disappointing food to disappointing music. Is that a weird thing to say for someone who writes about food instead of music? Hmm. Anyway, The Grill on the Market isn't bad, it just isn't that good either. I will confess I was attracted by the 50% off deal on Toptable, so at least it wasn't an expensive steak meal. But now that I'm learning how to get a good sear on my steaks at home, eating out at steakhouses is becoming less exciting. The ribeyes we had here were fine, and cooked to medium rather than the requested medium rare, but what really let down the meal were the undercooked chips and a cauliflower cheese side that was basically some giant florets of steamed cauliflower with some grated cheddar sauce on top. I expect my cauliflower cheese to 1) have bite sized chunks of cauliflower and 2) to have cheese sauce everywhere, completely coating the cauliflower so every bite is equal amounts cheese and veg. So even though the steak was fine (and cheap), I can't get excited about going back, which means I probably won't be.
11 Langley Street
London
WC2H 9JG
As soon as I found out Hawksmoor was opening their second branch in Covent Garden, I knew I had to visit. This was my favorite steakhouse, back when I worked in the City, and now it's a quick walk from my new job! The announcement of 50% off food during their soft opening clinched the deal - I used all my powers on Facebook and Twitter to guarantee that A and I had a reservation for a steak-fest.
We went on a Tuesday night and entered a restaurant that looks like a temple to meat - dark woods and leathers and soft, dim lighting gave it a very masculine atmosphere that suited the fact that everyone was there to eat giant slabs of cow. I had one minor gripe about the meal, and that is the table at which we were sat - they've put all these dinky tables for two people against one wall, so one person gets to sit on the leather banquette seat facing the room, and the other person gets a view of their dining partner and a brick wall. They're really packed in tight, so it felt uncomfortably close to the couple next to us, and when the dishes all arrived, there wasn't really enough room for everything.
Aside from being a bit cramped, though, the dinner was fantastic. Six briny fresh oysters to start, followed by a 950g porterhouse, triple cooked chips, steamed spinach and grilled portobello mushrooms. I think perhaps the steak was too large to eat quickly enough before it cooled off, but that is my own greedy fault for ordering that much steak for two people. Not to worry, we finished it anyway, with a nice Rioja to wash it down. After staggering away from our table, we stopped in the bar for what was supposed to be a single after dinner drink, which turned into two and a chat with Shaky Pete, Hawksmoor's bartender extraordinaire.
Next time, I shall ask for a large table to accommodate all the food I plan on ordering, and then it will be perfect.
5 Throgmorton Street
London
EC2N 2AD
So our first visit to this chain of steakhouses was in Manhattan, and we were hooked by the simple concept - everyone gets the same food - a salad with mustardy dressing, and then two plates of steak and chips with a buttery, rich sauce. You can choose your steak rare, medium or well done. And that's the only decision you have to make. Well, aside from what you would like to drink. A and I tried out the branch in the City of London and it was even better than I remembered - the steak was perfectly cooked and tender and beefy, and the chips were outstanding - crispy and plentiful. I even liked the mustardy salad, which is funny because I don't usually like mustard. We had a half bottle of the house red, which went very well with the meal. I'm sure we'll be back - our receipt came with a 20% off voucher for our next meal...
29-31 Wellington St
London
WC2E 7DB
Sophie's is another revisit. W took me to the one in Chelsea back when she used to live out there, and when she found out they opened one in Covent Garden, she invited me to try that one with her and W one night. It was delicious both times. When classmates suggested going there for our pre-Christmas dinner, I was definitely in.
Unfortunately, while the atmosphere was great and the seven of us had a great time celebrating the end of classes, my food was disappointing. I forgot how big the Sophie's in Covent Garden is, and I think they were just too packed and waiters were overwhelmed. It took ages to get our orders in and the food took a long time to arrive. When it finally showed up, all of it tasted of nothing. After liberally dousing the steak, chips and creamed spinach in salt, there was a bit of an improvement, but when I'm at a pretty expensive restaurant, I expect the food to taste good without a lot of doctoring. Sorbets (mango, pineapple and raspberry) were nice, but I think the next time I want a steak, I'll give Sophie's a pass.
