Review of JW Steakhouse
JW Steakhouse ‘s claim to fame is three of my favourite things: Steak, bourbon and cheescake. I was more than a little excited about visiting.
JW steakhouse is an American steakhouse that specialises in USDA and British beef. It is located just off Hyde Park, central London inside the Marriot hotel. I was so excited that I repeatedly downloaded the menu and agonized over which of the steaks to go for and which Bourbon I should sample (from the extensive Bourbon menu) and of course I was looking forward to testing JW Steakhouse’s claim to have the best cheesecake in the world..
The options at JW Steakhouse
There are two sets of steak at JW Steakhouse, the imported USDA from the states and the butcher cuts from Britain. I prefer my steaks large (i’ll always share a large steak over an individual steak) so I shared an 800g Porterhouse steak, which is similar to a T-bone but cut from the other end of the short loin (has a larger fillet section). I ordered medium-rare. The price of the Porterhouse was £69 for 800g or £8.6 per 100g.
The steak at JW Steakhouse
The steak arrived and looked a little small for a 800g T-bone and a little underwhelming (perhaps because of the way it was presented in the cast iron pan). The waiter immediately insisted we check the temperature of the steak (whether it was cooked as ordered). It wasn’t much of a ordeal for me as the porterhouse was already sliced, but it meant one of our group (who ordered a USDA sirloin) was asked to immediately cut her Sirloin in half . JW Steakhouse should have more confidence in their kitchen to serve their steak as ordered and to handle customer complaints as they arise rather than to force customers to immediately sever their steaks.
In any case, I grabbed a piece of the sirloin section and carved into it. It fought a little too much against my molars, but eventually succumbed with a pretty decent taste. The fillet was far better. It was soft with a mild taste and melted away in my mouth. The steak was only lightly seasoned and I didn’t notice the taste of charcoal or wood in the crust.
Sauce was included with the steak so I had ordered Béarnaise. If i get steak sauce it’s only to drench fries in the buttery sweetness of Béarnaise, so I reached for the sweet potato fries and dipped them in the sauce. The sweet potato fries were a soggy mess. I switched to standard potato fries which were numerous but so small they would’ve fit right into the ad-lib ‘Lil ‘Bits’ in ‘Rick and Morty’s’ ‘Rixty minutes’.
The ground zero of sugar crashes
JW Steakhouse claim that their cheesecake is the best in the world, so I had a duty to fact check this claim. There is one things for sure: for £15 this cheesecake is surely one of the most expensive cheesecakes. I checked with the waiter about the size of the cheesecake and he said it would be big enough for the three of us.
The cheesecake is floppy, very yellow and has raspberries on it. It is probably a pathway to diabetes. While it was reasonably tasty it was insanely sweet and after a 30 minute insulin rush the three of us experienced the ground zero of sugar crashes, which left me staggering about like a drunk in Green Park station.
The verdict
JW Steakhouse is an incredibly comfortable and spacious place to eat steak. While the steak and bourbon makes the cut, the sides don’t and the cheesecake is memorable for its vicious sugar crash.
No missed steak
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