Our two starters that day were a half dozen oysters that Mrs CC describes as ‘absolutely delicious’ and bone marrow and toast which was a huge portion of perfectly prepared bone marrow – my only concern was that I would run out of space for the steak that was to follow.
I had elected for the 400g Chateaubriand and Mrs CC for the Ribeye. Our criticisms of last time were now fully laid to rest. The meat was exactly what it should be, juicy, flavourful and with a distinctive char that made for two ‘just as they should be’ main courses. Triple cooked chips were again the must have side. This was the The Hawksmoor that we had come to know and love and with us both full by the end, a little doggy bag for the Chateaubriand gave me a wonderful little supper later that night.
While no dessert was necessary, that rarely stops me and Mrs Beeton’s Raspberry Trifle seemed light enough to attempt, and while it was a little more food than I thought it might be, this return to the old school was a wonderful way to finish up a wonderful lunch.
Both the management response to our previous concerns and a fabulous meal on our return was enough to ensure that we remain huge fans of the Hawksmoor and its place as the ‘go to’ restaurant for steaks in London. Having passed today what will soon be their new Covent Garden branch of the restaurant, we look forward to returning to our local off Spitalfields and trying their new restaurant in what looks like an incredible space when it opens later this year.
Finally, we were super impressed by something our waitress told us as we discussed the meat, that is, The Hawksmoor had sent the restaurant staff to the farm where the cows are reared so that they could better understand the product. That’s a wonderful touch on a number of levels from belief in the quality of the farm and the meat, staff training and development, and, the knock on impact on the customer experience as you can have a real conversation with serving staff who can now stand behind product. It speaks volumes.
Our thanks then to The Hawksmoor for a great meal.