Eat, drink, sleep, repeat: The best steak in London
When I joined Gaucho as CEO in 2019, I embarked on a five year programme to re-imagine the brand; making it accessible and attractive to a more diverse demographic. We already sold the best steak in London so I achieved much of this through design, an innovative international wine list, and our catering at a program of exceptional events from the Monaco Grand Prix, to the VIP enclosure at British Summertime concerts and everywhere in between. This introduced the brand to a new audience, but the most effective tool I used was to create a menu with chef Mike Reid to focus on our kitchens’ Latin American strengths and offering an evolved offering ‘beyond beef’.
This is all quite a departure from the noughties, a time when masculinity ruled in the traditional steakhouses; Hawksmoor was famous for its Moscow mule and macaroni cheese, engraved knives were gifted at Goodman’s and Gaucho paraded a bovine autopsy to guests as they sat on scratchy hide chairs.
As a result of the Gaucho menu no longer being purely focused on steak, the restaurants became over 25 per cent busier, the company doubled its profits and we found that 40 per cent of our diners were under 40 years of age and 40 per cent were female. Since leaving the company last year, I too have found myself craving steak, yet seeking out bovine pleasures in less obvious restaurants where you can get some of the best steak in London, but where it’s not the be all and end all…
LUCKY CAT BISHOPSGATE
Looking down on aeroplanes as they descend into Heathrow and City Airport is rather surreal! The views of London are unprecedented in Gordon Ramsay’s new Bishopsgate opening.
Cocktails are innovative and both the wine list and service fully benefit from the quality, shared knowledge and experience of some GRH veterans. In particular Mario Ilir Neziri leading the show and Stefano the som; both enhanced our experience with their perfect visitation and guidance from sake and sashimi through to Louis Martini Cabernet and steak.
I visited with Bloomberg legend Richard Vines; our sushi was excellent quality but the starters lacked imagination and feel like they are designed to deliver volume. However, the surprise star is the ‘World of Wagyu’ menu section, which rivals my own magnificent Wagyu curation, which I delivered for a decade at M Threadneedle Street. Knew Lucky Cat would have some of the best steak in London?
ROE
By far the best restaurant in Canary Wharf. Roe elevates the dining scene of the peninsula massively and warrants all the critical and public acclaim which both it and its sister restaurant Fallow have enjoyed. A delightful menu that showcases the best of British produce with skillful, elevated cooking, I recommend kicking off with a glass of Pommery and a selection of starters, including the sumptuous mushroom parfait, the Devon crab flatbread and a venison tartar with cods roe, and nori.
Roe is also home of the best steak I’ve eaten on the Wharf (and I’ve tried them all): the rare breed British sirloin on the bone was my favourite, dry aged for 40 to 50 days, cooked on coal and served with tallow butter. Delightful, particularly in the company of my friend James Robson (a restaurateur who embodies the word entrepreneur) and a bottle of the epic Yves Cuilleron Cote Rotie (£115)
IBAI
A hotspot of the city (beloved of our restaurant critic), this Basque restaurant is headed up by former Chilton Firehouse chef Richard Foster, who brings the magic of a Basque grill to Bartholomew close. The Grill is the centrepiece of the restaurant and I recommend indulging in the octopus and king crab, both of which are cooked directly on the embers.
When it comes to steak I’d avoid the Galician Blond anywhere; they are tough old dairy cows, with a sickeningly rich flavour. Equally, as a rule, I would avoid British and US Wagyu (as it is often more Angus than Tajima GU).
However, on this occasion the full-blood Norfolk Wagyu fillet was outstanding, as was the bill after a bottle of Tignanello 2004 (£550). Thankfully I was a guest of a PE titan, known as Huxley, who felt sorry for his restaurateur, food writing friend.
BEAST
Dinner with a cast that includes Jamie Rednapp or Alex Brooker never disappoints. Last week was no exception for a boys night out in Marylebone. Sandwiching a steak between cocktails at the Beaumont, we feasted at Beast. This year celebrating their ten year anniversary, the restaurant used to consist of a prohibitively expensive set menu of king crabs and porterhouse steaks, certainly among the best steak in London.
The venue and menu have both evolved for the better in the past decade and is now a diverse showcase of the world’s finest produce from both land and sea. The bluefin tuna tartar and red prawn tempura are divine.
Steaks are all served by the 100g, which makes the experience both bespoke and reasonable on the wallet, which left us able to double down on our wine budget and devour a bottle or two of Quinta do Crasto 2017 (£140).