Everyone tell’s a story about a good steak they had or at least they thought they had. But what is a good steak. Is it that thumb thick cut that you got from your butcher? Or perhaps that $89.99 price per kg for a grade 5. Well, those are simply just the beginning. From the ageing process, to the thickness of the pan and even the temperature of the steak prior to cooking, making the perfect steak is an art that can only be improved and never be mastered.
During my trip to London, I decided to take a little trip to Hawksmoor Spitalfields which was a short walk from the Liverpool Street Station. This establishment known for their steak caught my attention with its rave reviews. So what do I eat? All of their beefy offerings! To start was a roasted bone marrow with caramelised onions.
A simple dish that is so easy to mess up. At Hawksmoor the marrow was creamy and the caramelised onions sweet. The mixture spread like butter on the toasted sourdough. While it was tasty, I felt like the marrow could do with more basic seasoning to avoid it tasting “raw”.
After that comes the highlight. The steaks at Hawksmoor are not what one would call cheap and definitely is a place reserved for special occasions. Starting from £8 per kg up to £14, Hawksmoor specialises in large cut steaks. The best cuts of steak to cook! This was the 1kg cut.
The steaks at Hawksmoor are specially selected from their butcher before they are aged to maturity. One can tell that Hawksmoor does it well just by looking at the intensity of colour of the meat. Pair that visual pleasure with the robust bovine kick really made it a sensational meat. The high heat used also produced a consistent char on the surface giving it a nice “frying” that resonates beautiful smokiness. Over all, this was a seriously good steak.
For our sides we ordered some shrooms, triple cooked chips and mac & cheese. Oozy unhealthy goodness!
While the mac & cheese really tasted good, I cannot help but feel that Rockpool makes a better one. Then comes the triple cooked chips, which Hawksmoor superbly well. The crispness of the chips were unquestionable and dipping them in Heinz ketchup brought back childhood memories!
Hawksmoor was a nice eat but was it the best steak? Definitely not. But like what Rockpool is to Australia, that is what Hawksmoor is to England. When it comes to dollar value, service and ambience, I feel like the upmarket feel and service quality I receive at Rockpool trumped the one at Hawksmoor. Putting both steaks side by side, thing then gets a little complicated. While both had intense flavours, I felt that Hawksmoor charred their steaks better! So which will I return for? Hah, I am a glutton so I will return to both any day for a good bite!
WenY
