The last quarter of 2012 has been packed with new steak restaurants opening across London. In a matter of months, a number of meat joints have swiftly set up shop, peppered across Piccadilly and Soho. Established chains Hawksmoor, MASH and STK have opened expansive establishments maintaining the love affair which our city currently has with all things carnivore.
With the number of tables available at steak restaurants in Central London now numbering well into the hundreds, one might question whether there is room for yet another contender. The team behind Flat Iron believe there is. Situated on Beak Street in the heart of Soho, Flat Iron opened their doors earlier this month following a brief but popular residency at the Owl and the Pussycat in Shoreditch earlier this year. The 30 cover no-reservation restaurant attempts to bring customers a steakhouse experience at bistro prices.
The offer here is focused around the ‘Flat Iron’ steak, an underused and underappreciated cut of beef which they sell for just £10. The Flat-Iron (also known as Featherblade) sits atop the shoulder of the animal and is acknowledged as being a tricky cut to butcher, often surrounded by gristle on both sides.
At a tasting this week, owner Charlie Carroll cycled through Flat Iron steaks from a variety of sources he is considering adding to the menu. We tasted our way through examples from Ireland, rare breed cattle in North Yorkshire, Cornwall finishing with Wagyu sourced from New Zealand which was our preferred favourite. Pricing for these alternative cuts has yet to be decided, but we expect they will not stray too far from the original price point.
The list of sides is short and simple and priced in line with the core offer starting at just £2.50. Beef dripping cooked chips (£2.50) and creamed spinach (£3) are the highlights here. As with any steak establishment, the sauces are worth exploring - a freshly made Bearnaise or Horseradish Cream can be enjoyed for an additional £1.
Following the lead of other steakhouses in the area, the drinks list is short and to the point. Flat Iron features a list of simply-described wines (starting at £16.50 a bottle) and cocktails developed under the careful eye of the Soulshakers consultancy. We found their Old Fashioned the pitch-perfect companion for such a meal.
To call Flat Iron a ‘budget’, ‘no-frills’ steakhouse would be to do it a disservice. Carroll and his team have their sights set high and their menu pricing purposively low.
Follow Louis Fernando on twitter at @tuckandvine and on his blog Tuck & Vine.
