Four years of food writing has turned into eating more food then I could possibly write about, so I’ve discovered. I’ve still got a whole image library just waiting to leap out on to the screens and hopefully whet a few of your appetites. From that crucial moment when I decided to transfer the taste on my lips, on to paper, It’s been all about finding the right places to eat, but also the ones to avoid. It’s been a great way to explore London too and the one area which I seem to neglect is Smithfield. Thankfully however, I came across a restaurant whose motto was serving no-nonsense food, wholesome flavours and an array of steak to leave the mouth-watering. Don’t get me wrong, it’s no Hawksmoor – but neither are they pretending to be. It’s ll about good steak and good cocktails (plus some great discounts if you ask to sign up to their members area on-line). We arrived to a VERY busy bar entrance which was rather loud, but at the back the restaurant is hidden away for a more private dining experience. Cocktails certainly won’t disappoint and the espresso Martini was quite the favourite, so perhaps a quick pit stop at the bar should be the starting point.
Starters were of the simple, yet moorish traditional grill-restaurant kind. First to arrive at our table was a solid offering coming from the jumbo asparagus, covered in lashings of chive oil and some lovely home-made béarnaise sauce. There isn’t any culinary boundary pushing here or even Heston dry ice seductively poured over the table, but instead honest traditional food, cooked very well. Crispy calamari with lemon mayonnaise was dangerously addictive and left the table fighting over the last bite. Deep fried calamari is a dish which most places serve as an easy way to fill the menu – but so often the batter is all wrong and the squid overcooked, but not here thankfully.
The one downside of food writing is reminiscing about it and craving it over and over again. That’s exactly how you’ll feel when tucking in to the steak here, you’ll want it twice. Now don’t get me wrong, it isn’t cheap. For £32.50 that will get you 450g of cooked to order tender steak (please don’t bother with cremating it to well-done). Cooked and grilled to perfection, seasoned perfectly and full of flavour. Prices are on comparison with some of the big boys around town but as long as those great deals or 2-4-1 cocktail Wednesday are in place then it all becomes much more affordable. I plan to seriously abuse those Wednesdays within the next coming months. A side of creamy mash was acceptable but I’d have liked it a little smoother and covered in more butter – always go for the heart attack option I say.
Choosing a favourite steak was a near impossible choice, yet achievable. The Grill on the Market serve a special separate steak menu alongside its main menu, which features premium cuts of British Galloway beef. I went for my all time favourite cut, rib-eye and each bite was a tantalising affair I didn’t want to end. Again it was cooked incredibly well, seasoned to absolute perfection and with some punchy flavour. They don’t mess around here. Again this steak at 283g was a hefty £32.50. If you fancy ordering a sauce (of course you do), go with the glossy rich Diane, it doesn’t disappoint and only compliments the meat.
I’m not entirely sure why, but for some reason I wasn’t expecting much from the dessert menu here, The Grill on the Market however proved me very wrong indeed. So much so, that you could even come back just to satisfy your sweet tooth alone. The menus full of British classics and an array of liquid cocktails – now they’re just showing off. The favourite tipple was the sweet apple pie concoction, a mixture of apple juice, vodka, cinnamon syrup and cream – it was all very reminiscent of a McDonald’s apple pie (except laced with alcohol). The Jaffa Cake with orange and dark chocolate liquor was nice, but less successful in terms of tasting like the nostalgic jelly biscuit. One thing both of these liquid cocktails did do however was pair beautifully with the summer berry pavlova and burnt orange cream – a match made in a very boozy heaven.
A bottle of wine later, who knows how many cocktails and vodka laced liquid desserts – there was still room for one final dessert. Now I many be coming across a little strong with this bold statement – but the sticky toffee pudding was an absolutely stunning masterpiece. Arguably one of the best I’ve had in a while. Light and fluffy, moist and flavoursome, sticky and sweet – salivating over me own words doesn’t happen this often. The only let down to this dish was the vanilla ice-cream which was very basic.
Ready to party the night away, I held back and decided bed was where I needed to be after such an indulgent midweek treat. The Grill on the Market was a very nice find and for a chain roll out its extremely well-defined, offering very good food at mostly good prices. Steaks are rather ambitiously priced but then as I keep on saying, some great offers (on their website, hint, hint) can be found. If you find yourself in the Smithfield area and you’re looking for a fun, tasty and uncomplicated but very satisfying meal then come here for utter indulgence – you’ll have a great night.
7/10
