There are many choices for steakhouses in London - the classic recurring names are Hawksmoor and Goodman, with Cut on 45 being a recent addition to the list. Given that decent quality meat is quite expensive here, a night out to celebrate an occasion with a hearty carnivorous meal is always something to look forward to.
This evening started off by testing the newly opened Spitalfields bar with a simple Pina Colada (Bermudan and spiced St. Lucian rums blended with coconut sorbet & fresh pineapple) which was delicious and the so-potent-it's-maximum-one-per-person Zombie (three rums churned with grapefruit & lime, falernum, absinthe, bitters & homemade grenadine, with a Navy Rum float) that would satisfy any alcoholics thirst. Worth sharing I'd suggest...
We skipped starters in favour of sides, supplementing the meal with Triple Cooked Chips (similar texture to Heston, but just not as flavoursome), Mac & Cheese (quite average, although the beef shin version at another store is meant to be superb), Roasted Field Mushrooms (slightly overpowered by an acidic vinegar) and steamed Sprouting Broccoli (only really added to help keep us regular).
Desserts for the occasion were Peanut Butter Shortbread with Salted Caramel Icecream (as delicious & rich as it sounds), Sticky Toffee Pudding with Clotted Cream (tasted like it had rum added to heighten the experience) and a very disappointing Cornflake Icecream (literally vanilla icecream with cornflakes on top - please guys, put in some effort if it's on the menu...)
Beef options are a series of large cuts that can be shared between several people (generally 700g-1kg) or smaller ones for the individual. On these evening we shared a 700g Bone-in Prime Rib, 300g Fillet and 400g Rib Eye served with optional extras of anchovy butter and delicious grilled bone marrow.
The highlights of the meal were (as expected) the beef. There is no doubt that the meat is of exceptional quality and flavour, but here's the rub - you can buy fantastic meat if you seek out the right butcher; what you pay for is for them to cook/grill/bake it to a perfect level that you can't achieve at all and this is where Hawksmoor let us down. I like my beef rare and will accept medium rare if on the rarer side or if recommended from a fat melting point of view. With regards to our 3 cuts - the Bone-in Prime Rib ordered medium-rare (as they advised against rare) came out more medium and was quite tough; the Fillet ordered medium came out rare (which had fantastic texture); the Rib Eye ordered medium-rare came out rare (which was the tastiest meat of the three). All had a great tasting crust and the anchovy butter really wasn't required.
I certainly savoured the (rare) meats and similarly my group enjoyed eating their own desired level of cookedness, but the fact is Hawksmoor simply did not cook any of the meats as ordered. A steakhouse cannot be excused for being unable to find the correct doneness. I emailed them about it the next day and never received a reply.
Next time I would order my usual preference of Prime Rib or Rib Eye and insist on being cooked rare. An overcooked piece would warrant sending it back to the kitchen. Get the Grilled Bone Marrow and Triple Cooked Chips and a sauce only if you want variety of taste. Everything else is optional. Alternatively try a different branch or even Goodman (my group did think Hawksmoor meat was better quality and flavour)
