There’s something about a ‘City dining experience’ that I find very enticing. The concept conjures up notions of a Mad Men-esque lifestyle pushing ice cubes around a crystal glass of Scotch in some fancy boardroom before clinking flutes of Champagne in a high end bar and topping it off with an extravagant meal in an exclusive restaurant. It chimes of a day when work and play were more intermingled in the cosmopolitan parts of the World, and no one can begrudge a little nostalgia in that department.
Situated a stone’s throw away from bustling Liverpool Street Station, London Steakhouse Co has recently re-opened its doors to reveal an opulent split-level dining space full of the timeless British glamour that caters perfectly for such an experience. On the ground floor, the 85-cover restaurant features a neutral colour scheme peppered with dark mahogany wood features, a brand new marble-top bar lines the length of one wall showcasing the finest spirits and walls that are adorned with luxurious Farrow and Ball paints and artworks by one of Britain’s finest political cartoonists ‘Jak’.
Pristine white linen table clothes are married with dark-red leather hide to blanket the circular dining tables, while maroon leather arm chairs populate the room to mirror a stage set of the aforementioned drama series. Atop each dining room table sits a charming miniature lamp, Robert Welch cutlery and RIEDEL wine glasses which you swill in your newly adopted, chic posture.
And of course no experience would be complete without the level of service required to match the surroundings. Waiters in formalwear ferry dishes displayed on Bauscher crockery around the restaurant and take care to guide you through the carefully curated menu, which boasts some of the finest meat cuts in London, before placing the order.
I started off with Kipper Pate with Whisky from the hors d’oeuvres menu, served with melba toast to ensure your appetite is whet rather than diminished before the main course. Which was fortuitous, considering the size of the steak that was to come. The plate-filling cut of Rib Eye, sourced from the highly regarded butcher Aubrey Allen, was a mouth-watering burst of flavoursome heat on the outside followed by melt-in-the-mouth pink meat in the middle. Chunky Pont Neuf chips and creamy spinach accompanied it along with a creamy peppercorn sauce to create a dish that tingled the senses. I washed it down with a bold Argentinian Malbec, taking care to savour every mouthful as I ate.
Overall it is hard to find a criticism of the London Steakhouse Co both as a restaurant and a fine dining experience. The staff are incredibly knowledgeable and professional, the décor is befitting of a true City steakhouse and the food is to die for. And to top it off, the crème to its dela crème, a newly installed whisky bar to sit and get merry while you watch the suspended lighting bounce off sparkling glassware and cut crystal decanters. Bliss.
