London City Steakhouse glimmers and breathes glamour. Thick, white clothed tables cover the sophisticated room lined by large mirrors, and in an instant the madness of Liverpool Street station just behind us vanishes. There are no gold stars for guessing what’s on the menu here at City Steakhouse but quality and attention to detail? Well that’s another element all together.
Seated to the side and before the meal had commenced, it was quickly made apparent that table service is extremely efficient here; catching your waiter’s eye is more than enough…as they say, you’ll remember bad service over good food.
Huge, white card menus absorb our round table as we are taken through the elegant dishes. A smart, traditional touch, we start with Aperitifs whilst amusing ourselves over what takes our fancy for the evening. A weakness for something sparkling, the champagne classic with a drop of brandy, bitters and a sugar cube to warm up. Just down, Hors D’ Oeuvres are light and creative. Watercress and Garden Pea Soup is fresh but creamy and is topped with a poached egg whilst the Chicken Liver Parfait is as lovely as it sounds; weightless but with a ton of flavour. A few other dishes to start include Carpaccio of Beef, Grilled Scottish Langoustines, Crab Salad and Kipper Pate with Whisky; all too sounding equally attractive.
Entitled ‘the finest quality grass-fed beef’, the meat is sourced from Aubrey Allen who City Steakhouse have pinned as their master butcher. Dry aged for 28 days their steaks are served with a conventional selection of Cafe de Paris butter; peppercorn or Béarnaise sauce. Marvellously British, I spot Beef Wellington, if their meat is as good as they state then this was an easy order; and this wasn’t to follow with error of judgement. The blushing cut was wrapped within light, golden pasty with mushroom dexelle; everything great you would expect from a Wellington. Our other order, the Ribeye which is a generous cut, but more on the underdone side than hoped, (although maybe this’ll teach my guest from ordering medium rare next time). Classic and tempting sides sing to us from the bottom of our large menus and include creamed potatoes that teamed very well with the Wellington, beside large and sweet and crispy onion rings with buttered greens. Other side dish options include creamed spinach, seasonal veg, green salad, house fries and new potatoes.
If you happen to find yourself in the predicament of dining at City Steakhouse but not subsequently a fan of steak…or if you’re inclined to something with a fin instead hoof from the ‘grassy fields’, then fear not – the ‘fish mainboards’ will have you covered and are as equally as glamorous as their carnivorous competitors. Served simply with parmesan fries and herbed garlic butter is half a Scottish lobster or with parmesan risotto, Roasted Salmon fillet with lobster bisque or lastly also a Smoked Haddock Fishcake.
With the festive season on the horizon City Steakhouse Co (and its sister branch in Chelsea) have created exclusive menus for the annual occasion. Two different three course menus are available from 28th November until 24th December 2016 for only £35 or £55. These are complemented by two drinks packages for £15 or £25. Both of their menus include a selection of starters, mains and desserts including meat, fish and vegetarian options. With, of course, all of the Christmas produce sourced from only the most prestigious suppliers with steaks from Aubrey Allen, turkey from Holly Farm, and venison from Balmoral & Highland Estates.
Address: 109-117 Middlesex St, London E1 7JF, 020 7247 5050, www.londonsteakhousecompany.com/city
