Love steak - booked a table in Hawksmoor, London - anyone been there?

Will have to check this place out next time I am in 'that London'. We have a place near us here in Chester called 'Upstairs at the Grill' http://www.upstairsatthegrill.co.uk/ that was very very good for a steak.

However, no UK steakhouse I have visited compares with an American one. Not even close...

That is why you need to try Hawksmoor, its the best I have ever had and I have spent a long time in America.
 
I can verify it does not ;)

The Hawksmoor is an exceptionally good steak restaurant. It is critically acclaimed as potentially the best in the British Isles, and some say the best this side of the Atlantic.

Why did you have to say that, I now want to go there even more. Damn you!
 
I went to Hawksmoor in Spitalfields for a meal last night so I thought I'd write up a quick review. I'm a big meat eater, and I love steak so I was looking forward to it. I've been to many steak restaurants in the UK as well as abroad; places like Maze Grill, Gaucho, Kew Grill, and The Meat and Wine Company amongst many other smaller steak restaurants, and after reading about Hawksmoor here, I was quite excited. Of course I am no expert or food critic, just someone who loves eating good meat :).

The fact that I found the restaurant a little noisy and cramped is just my personal preference. The service was very good and attentive without getting in the way. The menu (which is slightly different to the one on their website) has a great selection of cuts, almost too many to choose from. The friend I was with wanted the Bone-in Prime Rib, so we went for 800g cooked medium. No Beef Dripping Chips on the menu :(, so just Triple Cooked Chips instead, and some Bone Marrow Gravy and Stilton Hollandaise sauces.

A short while later it arrived at our table. Firstly, I knew how much meat there would be with the bone adding to the weight of the cut, but I didn't want to be greedy so 800g was OK but I could have eaten a lot more. It was cooked well, a little overdone but only very slightly. The taste, the most important part, was nice. That's it. It was nice, and I was a bit disappointed with that. I ate it happily with the lovely chips, sauces and some mustard, and really enjoyed the meal but I was expecting a bit more than just nice steak (Please take into account that this is "nice" compared to steak at other decent steak restaurants. It was considerably better than the steak you'd get at your average restaurant or from the meat fridge at the supermarket).

For me, the overall experience at Gaucho is a lot better. From the slightly quieter more spacious surroundings, the warm breads you get to start with, the meat board they bring round and explain the various cuts, and the (in my opinion) more flavoursome steak. Another thing that I like at Gaucho is that on the menu they have a Sampler option; 300g of fillet, sirloin, ribeye and rump on one board. Perfect to share and to get an idea of the different flavours of each cut.

This is just my experience. I've no doubt that others will go there and have the most fantastic steak, something I wanted but I didn't get. I will go back, and next time I'll be choosing a different cut, perhaps the Chateaubriand which I originally wanted anyway. I hope that I then see (or perhaps taste) just how good it is :).

Overall, for a steak restaurant, I'd give it a solid 8 out of 10.
 
Will have to check this place out next time I am in 'that London'. We have a place near us here in Chester called 'Upstairs at the Grill' http://www.upstairsatthegrill.co.uk/ that was very very good for a steak.

However, no UK steakhouse I have visited compares with an American one. Not even close...

Went there on Sunday.

Not as good as the Hawksmoor but pretty good. I had the Porterhouse and it was beautiful but the overall ambiance of the place wasn't as good as the Hawksmoor and as an experience, it just wasn't as good.

The chips are miles better though :D
 
I went to Hawksmoor in Spitalfields for a meal last night so I thought I'd write up a quick review. I'm a big meat eater, and I love steak so I was looking forward to it. I've been to many steak restaurants in the UK as well as abroad; places like Maze Grill, Gaucho, Kew Grill, and The Meat and Wine Company amongst many other smaller steak restaurants, and after reading about Hawksmoor here, I was quite excited. Of course I am no expert or food critic, just someone who loves eating good meat :).

The fact that I found the restaurant a little noisy and cramped is just my personal preference. The service was very good and attentive without getting in the way. The menu (which is slightly different to the one on their website) has a great selection of cuts, almost too many to choose from. The friend I was with wanted the Bone-in Prime Rib, so we went for 800g cooked medium. No Beef Dripping Chips on the menu :(, so just Triple Cooked Chips instead, and some Bone Marrow Gravy and Stilton Hollandaise sauces.

A short while later it arrived at our table. Firstly, I knew how much meat there would be with the bone adding to the weight of the cut, but I didn't want to be greedy so 800g was OK but I could have eaten a lot more. It was cooked well, a little overdone but only very slightly. The taste, the most important part, was nice. That's it. It was nice, and I was a bit disappointed with that. I ate it happily with the lovely chips, sauces and some mustard, and really enjoyed the meal but I was expecting a bit more than just nice steak (Please take into account that this is "nice" compared to steak at other decent steak restaurants. It was considerably better than the steak you'd get at your average restaurant or from the meat fridge at the supermarket).

For me, the overall experience at Gaucho is a lot better. From the slightly quieter more spacious surroundings, the warm breads you get to start with, the meat board they bring round and explain the various cuts, and the (in my opinion) more flavoursome steak. Another thing that I like at Gaucho is that on the menu they have a Sampler option; 300g of fillet, sirloin, ribeye and rump on one board. Perfect to share and to get an idea of the different flavours of each cut.

This is just my experience. I've no doubt that others will go there and have the most fantastic steak, something I wanted but I didn't get. I will go back, and next time I'll be choosing a different cut, perhaps the Chateaubriand which I originally wanted anyway. I hope that I then see (or perhaps taste) just how good it is :).

Overall, for a steak restaurant, I'd give it a solid 8 out of 10.

Nice write up - I am dying to go to the Gaucho for a good comparison
 
I found gaucho extremely average I have to say. The lighting was very dim so you could barely read the menu and the steak, although good taste, wasn't, for the money as good as I could cook myself with a really nice steak and the sides I found a bit of a let down as well. This was one of the London ones in central, forget the one would have to look on the site.
 
I went to the Hawksmoor last night with some friends and we ordered the chateaubriand and the porterhouse with some various sides. the difference between the two steaks were like chalk and cheese. The Chateaubriand was by far the tastiest piece of meat I have ever eaten in my life, and paired with the bone marrow gravy it was sublime. The sides however were very meh, wasnt a fan of the triple cooked chips and the spinach wasn't cooked very well. the sweet potato was very nice though. Overall it was a fantastic meal. I can also highly recommend the champagne charlie starter drink - delicious.

Now comparing it to Gaucho - I used to date a manager of a Gaucho and have eaten there many times. I hate how dark they are inside, I like to be able to see what I am eating, its very annoying. That said though the steak there is excellent, its even better when its free :D, I also prefer the sides and the bread before hand is a nice touch, for an overall service and experience I would probably rate Gaucho above the Hawksmoor
 
I went to Cut at the Palazzo Hotel in Las Vegas last week with the missus for our last night meal. One word- incredible!

I had the sampling plate which gave me the opportunity to try Nebraska Corn Fed 35 day dry aged, American Kobe Style and Australian Wagyu. Japanese beef is currently restricted for import but the Australian was rated at A5 for marbling making it the same as the Japanese stuff.

All three pieces were cooked to medium rare then rested for 30 minutes. They were then finished under a 1200 degree broiler to give them the crust.

The tastes were so so different; the Australian Wagyu was basically like eating a piece of beef flavoured butter, it just melted in the mouth. 2oz was just enough as it was so rich and strong flavoured that it would be unpleasant to eat a whole 8oz steak.

The American Kobe style was very similar but not as tender and with a less buttery taste.

My favourite of the three was the Nebraska corn fed though, a perfect beefy taste with great succulence and texture. Pic of the meal is below. First piece is Aussie Wagyu, then American Kobe then Nebraska dry aged...:




However, still the number one steak in the world for me is the bone in cowboy ribeye from Cafe Society at the Encore in Las Vegas, this baby is just so so tasty and juicy. It's also a fraction of the price of Cut's offerings!



Hawksmore is on my to do list but it has a lot to live up to....
 
Jason Atherton left maze/maze grill last year - i haven't been but i'd be surprised if it's up to the same standard.

Maze retained it's Star after he left. What that says about the grill I'm not sure but I wouldn't expect to see a noticeable difference in Maze 'proper'. I'm not sure if they are judged as separates.
 
Sorry for thread resurection, finaly made it after my july date had to be cancelled.

Just had:
Corned beef and bacon
600g bone in sirlion
Bone marrow sauce
Buttered carrots
Beer dripping chips
Some cocktails and red wine

Amazing meal, me and the wife are stuffed and relaxing on a train home ready fir some more drinks ;)
 
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