Hawksmoor

Very nearly like New Tayyabs this place has been lauded, venerated and martyred by nearly all the reviewers and bloggers except perhaps for a certain posh fella*. I find women irresistible and when they put pen to paper I instantly become a lapdog by default. I came here because of her, her and her.
If you’re after a review that ends with ‘they digested happily ever after’ I suggest you divert somewhere else.

I’ll try and keep the details of Hawksmoor to the minimum, I don’t wish this post to be yet another stereotypical review that’s expected of the place; let’s be honest it’s becoming tedious. This place can be missed at the blink of an eye, it’s that inconspicuous.

The interior is what I’ve come to conclude as gravitating accordingly to the steakhouse manifesto.

As mentioned elsewhere on the blog my limited number of constant dining companions** restrict where I end up scoffing. Tonight’s pressed victim is Sunshine Band (actually KC), he’s a restaurateur and a downright snob (he thinks tapwater is only good for washing one’s feet).

The pilgrimage was made for two reasons, the Holy Grail of steaks and the perfect burger. Just one problem, as the burger was off limits during dinner I had to plead with them to make it an exception. The granting of the request provided yours truly with a degree of euphoria.

The best value item of the evening, Virgin Mary at £2.00

Hawksmoor Hamburger with Triple Cooked Chips with Ogleshield Cheese from Somerset.

From the onset, it looked world class

The only problem was that the burger didn't taste of much. Imagine holding both your nostrils together when eating this...you've got it, something major has gone amiss. Point taken if this was the last pattie of what's left of the day but I was still charged £15 for it...excuses need not apply then. The best burger for me in London is still found at Haché. The aforementioned euphoria soon deflated rapidly!
First highlight of the evening was the incomparable chips. Astounding.

Tomato and Red Onion Salad
My second and final highlight of the evening. Not cheap at £4.50.

English Asparagus with Hollandaise Sauce
Good sauce but let down by the undercooked vegetable. Each spear was only 2/3 edible.

Sunshine Band's très cher Half Grilled Lobster with Garlic Butter

This titchy crustacean was minute compared to the monster we had at Dinings for the same price and twice the size! Alas like the asparagus it was undercooked despite the sweet tasting meat.

My 400g Rib-eye

Cooked medium as requested

This was indeed an excellent piece of cow, unlike the burger it was beautifully beefy. The steak was good enough for me to ignore both the béarnaise and peppercorn sauces. And once again contrary to the other reviews, I've had better steaks at Maze Grill, Buen Ayre and Popeseye.

Lemon Posset
This actually tasted decent. Lemony and zesty.
Something was also bugging me on this, oh yes where was the bikkie with this?

Elderflower & Prosecco Jelly
With rhubarb thrown in. Gimmicky and frivolous. Ok with the 50p going to Action Against Hunger but £6.50 for the pud is seriously out of touch!

The final bill came to £93.43, super expensive and taking the mick. This is the first review that I don't actually have to eat my own hat as far as two of the three ladies are concerned. I'll only come back here if I can find someone else to share a Porterhouse with (it's gotta be medium rare or nothing). If my second visit reflects this review then this place has been magnanimously overrated and I've been misled. A cautious and reluctant recommendation.

*Douglas' review
**Like Sunshine Band my two other companions are also teetotallers


157 Commercial Street
London E1 6BJ



www.thehawksmoor.co.uk

by enlarge I felt despondent after the evening.