Review of Hawksmoor Borough
Hawksmoor have crossed the Thames for the first time; opening Hawksmoor Borough a new branch on the doorstep of Borough Market in an old hops warehouse.
Hawksmoor is my favourite steakhouse chain. It’s my go to restaurant for steak when I\’m trying to impress my friends. It strikes that balance between being a top steakhouse while not taking itself too seriously. Hawksmoor is classy, but not stuck up. It’s attitude is reflected in the decor consisting of cleverly recycled furniture and the staff who are dressed casually, but comfortably.
Our waiter warmly welcomed us upon arrival and asked if he could sit down at the table to talk us through the menu. I’ve not previously had a waiter join us at the table, but it was a nice touch and reinforced my view about the prevailing sense of informality. He talked through the menu and explained the variety of steaks on offer. This included all the usual suspects as well as a very large 1.5kg chateaubriand). After talking us through the menu, the waiter allowed us a few minutes to consider our order and returned. After a few minutes we looked up from our menus and the waiter had returned to take our order stating: “What’s the words, hummingbirds”?
We went for full fat old fashioneds (drinks), two 300gm fillet steaks ordered rare and sides of sweet potato, Doddington salad, triple cooked chips and mushrooms. We asked for a carafe of tap water to which the waiter cheekily responded, “London’s finest”.
Our steaks arrived promptly: a single chunk of charred cow carcass on an oversized plate. The steak seemed underwhelming at first. In fact the steak may have been ugly on the outside, but it was a stunner on the inside. Cutting into it revealed all the colours of a beautiful ‘steak rainbow’ (from black and brown through to gorgeous deep red tones). Biting into the steak, bought on a flood of emotion which I stoically fought back. The charred outside gave subtle hints of charcoal and salt, while the centre simply dissolved on my tongue. The taste was typical of a fillet with a soft flavour of beef.
Like all trips to Hawksmoor, you’ll be spending at minimum £50 per head and possibly much more. However, the service and steak at Hawksmoor Borough are among the best in London.
