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Hawksmoor, London
Author: Mārtiņš Rītiņš
England is famed for its beef steaks and boasts the most longstanding steak-making traditions. Quite naturally, there is a steak restaurant almost on every corner of London, although truly great places are just few. A reputable restaurant would never hesitate to indicate both the breed and origin of meat in their menu. Hawksmoor is known for its Longhorn beef, supplied by the North Yorkshire organic farm The Ginger Pig, a multiple prizewinner for its impeccable production quality. Due to the fact that Longhorn is one of the oldest beef breeds in England and is quite rare, the number of animals in the farm is not very large and meat of such high quality certainly is not very cheap either. To guarantee a perfect taste, the beef is aged for a maximum of 35 days, ensuring good ventilation and -2°C temperature during this time (so called dry age). Very few farms nowadays are implementing such a lengthy process.
After aging, meat is delivered to Hawksmoor restaurant, housed in an ancient, 19th century brewery building with almost every detailed preserved the way it was a century ago. Only open plan kitchen with its adjacent premises are contemporary styled in step with all the modern requirements, while the restaurant itself features a very pleasant, old-time atmosphere.
According to the menu chalked on the blackboard, the size of the steak cannot be chosen entirely according to one's mood appetite - only predefined cuts of meat are available and, as soon as ordered, they are wiped off the board. Yet you can order a cut of whatever size your heart desires, calling 2 days in advance.
Our choice was Porterhouse (£6.50/100g) T-bone, consisting sirloin on the larger side and fillet on the smaller side of the bone. Depending on appetite, the portion can turn out to be just fine for one person or quite a meal for 2 and even 3 eaters. As starters, we selected Bone Marrow&Slow Cooked Onions (£6.50). Only few places are offering a treat like that! All in all, it's a very hefty meal, requiring a decent degree of hunger!
Highly advisable are also Beef Dripping Chips or Triple Cooked Chips (£ 4.00). Fried in beef lard, they are very rich yet incredibly delicious!
If your prefer sea food, Hawksmoor offers also grilled oysters, scallops, lobsters, etc. Wine can be ordered by glass, or else you can take a whole bottle, too.
Hawksmoor is very popular among city people and hardly any of its 120 seats are ever empty. According to restaurant reviews, Hawksmoor perhaps has the best meat in the city!
A short glimpse into the menu:
Bone-in Prime Rib (£6.50/100g)
Porterhouse (£6.50/100g)
Chateaubriand (£12.00/100g)
Fillet (300g) - £30.00
Bone-in Sirloin (600g) - £29.00
Rib-eye (400g) - £26.00
D-Rump (400g) - £20.00
Seven Dials
11 Langley St.
WC2H 9JG
020 7856 2154
www.thehawksmoor.com
02/2011
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Keywords: restaurant, London
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