I went intending to not have a starter as I wanted to dedicate all my hunger to the steak, but obviously ended up giving in - they all just sounded so nice! We shared potted smoked mackerel and roasted scallops with white port and garlic.
The scallops were presented absolutely beautifully and tasted even better - the sauce was rich and flavoursome yet light, the scallops were cooked perfectly and the breadcrumbs added a nice texture. The potted mackerel was meaty and smokey; there was lots of it to pile onto the toast, but it was so good I also just ate it straight out of the jar on its own!
The waitress was very knowledgeable and helpful with the steaks; they have their usual ones on the menu, but then on a blackboard they have other cuts and sizes, which they cross off as they're sold!
She asked us how we usually liked our steaks cooked (medium rare/rare for both of us) and advised us accordingly; we both eventually went for the rib eye medium rare - I love rib eyes because I like the fat in them! Also it's a rib eye steak that I used to get at my favourite place in Toulouse (Café à la Une) so it brings back good memories! I went for béarnaise sauce and James for stilton hollandaise.
We also completely over ordered on sides but it had to be done - I wanted to try it all! We had mash and gravy
Triple cooked chips
Macaroni cheese
And bread and butter which I didn't bother taking a picture of! As you can see, the steak was amazingly cooked - nice and pink in the middle, it basically melted in the mouth and was still so juicy. The béarnaise was delicious too - very rich and buttery and not only tasted great with the steak, but was better than mayo and ketchup with the chips! The chips were crunchy and fluffy and the bread was a nice soft sourdough with a chewy crust. The macaroni cheese had a crispy top but sadly was a bit disappointing underneath as the sauce should have been much more abundant and more creamy, but never mind - I guess their macaroni cheese isn't what they boast about! And saving the best side til last....the mash was absolutely amazing! So smooth and velvety with a rich meaty gravy on top - I could have eaten about 10 dishes of the stuff.
My new favourite phrase seems to be "in for a penny, in for a pound" and it was definitely that I was thinking of as I ordered pudding - a sticky toffee sundae!
Lovely sticky pieces of toffee sponge mixed with ice cream and caramel sauce - how can you go wrong?!
This was a pretty expensive meal (only about £25 less than I spent at Dinner by Heston) but overall we thought it was worth it - the steak really was delicious, and that's what you come for. If you just came for mains and didn't order too many sides (avoid the mac n cheese but get the mash!!) then it wouldn't be nearly so expensive, and you'd still be getting the best bits of the meal - the others are just fun extra frills. James thought the steak was better than his one at Dinner by Heston too - quite a compliment! I'd have to broaden my London steak eating horizons before I could say it's the best in London, but it's definitely the best I have had in the UK - so save up and go and gorge yourself on steak!
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