The Palm
LONDON is coming down with steakhouses but until recently they were almost entirely of the shoddy Aberdeen Angus variety, exclusively populated by guileless tourists who’d beckoned by the red velour banquettes and the cruelly empty promise of a well-cooked cut of fine British beef.
But following the rise of the Argentinian inspired Gaucho group, and the arrivals of Maze Grill (Maze’s meaty annex on Grosvenor Square), Hawksmoor in the City, and the Russian run Goodman on Maddox Street, Londoners in search of a decent steak are infinitely better served than they’ve ever been.
This situation looks likely to improve further with the arrival of the Palm on the Belgravia site that was previously Drones, originally opened by David Niven Jr. in the 70s and more recently run by Marco Pierre White, it now houses an unpretentious clubbable interior that’s a likeable mix of booths and dark wood on the floors and halfway up the walls - the other half given over to caricatures of famous regulars.
The first UK outpost for the Italian-American chain which started in New York in 1926 and now spans the US, the Palm serves various British beef alongside USDA Prime - the United States Department of Agriculture’s finest that’s been graded on flavour, muscle and marbling.
Cuts range from a sensibly sized 7 oz (200g) Filet Mignon to a bring-the-(lucky)-doggie-bag aged 18oz (450g) New York Sirloin – what’s known as a NY Strip on the other side of the Atlantic.
The other specialty of the house is whole Nova Scotia lobster (weighing in at 2 or 3 - 4 Ibs; served either broiled or steamed) and helpfully broken into easy to pick-up and pick-out pieces tableside by your waiter, so that things don’t end up getting too messy. With this much quality protein on offer it’s predictably more of a blowout than a cheap night out, although the £15 two-course set lunch should satisfy even the most frugal flesh eater.
1 Pont Street, London, SW1X 9EJ, 020 7201 0710, www.thepalm.com
The Drapers Arms
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Formerly an award-winning gastropub, this handsomely rambling Georgian boozer in Barnsbury had lost much of its once sterling reputation and had gone into receivership by the time Nick Gibson and Ben Maschler – yes son of that Maschler - came along to take over the lease earlier this year. Tastefully tarted-up, it’s fresh new interior is reminiscent of The Cow in Notting Hill and The Pig’s Ear in Chelsea but, as befits its affluent Islington neighbourhood, is much smarter and, thanks to the buildings original high ceilings and huge windows, airier. Head Chef is Karl Goward, who previously ran the kitchen at St. John and whose meaty menus accordingly ploughs a similar furrow with a short list of tersely described twice daily-changing dishes such as Devilled duck hearts on toast; Roast chicken, pearl barley, mint & cucumber; with Lardy Cake for afters, puts the emphasis on hearty simplicity and seasonality. 4 Barnsbury St, London, N1 1ER, 020 7619 0348, www.thedrapersarms.com |
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Gallery Mess
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The latest London gallery to up the ante with their food and drink offering is the Saatchi, which has just opened Gallery Mess. With a Blighty inspired menu, put together by hip event caterers Rhubarb, featuring everything from bacon sarnies to prawn cocktails and knickerbockerglories, it’s open for breakfast, lunch, afternoon tea and dinner. The Mess which seats 120, with a roof terrace that takes another 60, doubles as an exhibition space for artists featured on Saatchi’s online gallery. Gallery Mess, Duke of Yorks HQ, King’s Road London SW3 4SQ,
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Joe Warwick