Review of Hawksmoor Seven Dials - Jan 2011

Where: Hawksmoor, Seven Dials, Covent Garden
How much: £55 a head, mainly on meat this time.
Come here: if you've got pure meaty soul. 


Ok, so rocking up at ten on a Friday night after a few lagers wasn't going to be the best introduction to the meaty joy that should be a night at Hawksmoor but, having been to a recent and successful Steak Club at their older brother in Liverpool Street, at least one of the gang knew what to expect.
We went expecting the finest burgers, perfect post pub fodder, and were drooling at the description of the Third Burger, a rotating option aside their classic hamburger and the Kimchi Burger, a spicy Korean melange attracting Marmite-like attention from the reviewing community. This month's Third Burger was enthusiastically sold to us by our bubbly server, and promised a topping of pulled pork rib topping the Longhorn and bone marrow patty, enthusiastically moulded from the best the Ginger Pig has to offer.
After that description we were sold. Draft brew (slightly too floral) arrived in pint pots which, along with the communal bar tables and the uber-friendly staff gave the reservation free bar area the feel of an up-market American frat bar.  
At this point our server, mortified, appeared from the kitchen to inform us of the end of the burgers for the night. Made fresh, the fridge was bare, and the burger had to wait for another day. Instead we went for the bone-in Prime Rib and the Porterhouse. Two full kilograms of meat serving to sate three hungry (slightly drunk) men. Minimum sides needed, the steak was sufficient. 
Many have tried to describe these steaks, I can't really see the point. Cooked perfectly, they're sweet and meaty joy. Start by imagining the best steak you remember tasting. Now imagine the steak that steak wanted to be when it grew up, and then you're part of the way there. The triple cooked chips were a little lacklustre and passed hardly noticed, though the bone marrow went alongside the steak perfectly.
It's not the cheapest night out. A kilogram hunk of the finest steak will set you back around £65, though that should feed two (normal) people and you get a pretty decent list of smaller cuts, at around the £20 to £25 mark.If you're a fan of culinary subtlety (or heaven forbid, vegetables) then Hawksmoor isn't the most obvious place to come. And while I plan on bringing my other half here, it's not the most obvious place for a date night. Bring your friends instead, grab a hunk of prime rib, and settle down for a dose of the meat sweats.