Meat Lovers Paradise

Steak is the best thing in the world and if you disagree you're a idiot. Ok that's a bit of a extreme first sentence, and obviously it's not the best thing in the world, but it's right up there with sex, Tottenham Hotspur and sunny weather. If you're lucky enough to live near London you have the pick of some really top quality restaurants that serve steak. As mentioned in my previous blogs I'm a huge fan of Hawksmoor, it's one of my go to restaurants, great food and great atmosphere. My friend Chris who writes the excellent www.allthingsmeaty.com and one of the most knowledgeable foodies I know contends that Goodman is a slight step above my beloved Hawksmoor. I obviously couldn't form a opinion without going to Goodman; this was addressed on Monday.

Goodman have 3 establishments in London, one in Canary Wharf, another in the City and the one I went to in Mayfair on Maddox Street. My immediate feeling upon walking in is a more traditional, maybe more serious atmosphere than Hawksmoor, not saying it was stuffy or pompous just that you knew you were there to eat some proper steak. I was a couple of minutes late and my friend is waiting for me at the impressive looking bar. I think one of the keys to making sure Goodman does not stray into the category of intimidating restaurants are the staff. From beginning to end the service was great, everyone was attentive, chatty and friendly without being too overbearing.

My guest and I had a nosy around the menu well in advance of going so we pretty much knew what we wanted however I forgot they have an impressive selection off the board too. One thing we knew we were going to do was to pick an American steak and a British one, I never had USDA meat and was interested to see if there would be much difference from the British counterparts. We started with the pan fried foie gras with roasted fig, oyster mushroom. I'm not too au fait with the wonders of foie gras but when I saw my guest have a mini orgasm after her first mouthful i thought 'yeah I'll have a bit of that.' It really was a excellent starter, the foie gras was rich, melt in your mouth and the figs and oyster mushrooms gave it a real umami punch setting us up perfectly for the main course.

Pan Fried Foie Gras

I'm not afraid to ask questions when I go for a meal, I'm sure it can be quite annoying for waiters/waitresses ('just order your damn food already') but our waitress was brilliant, guiding me through the different cuts and how they should be cooked. My guest went for the 400g USDA bone in sirloin, I chose the 45 day aged English Longhorn bone in ribeye. We chose the truffle chips, beef dripping chips and some token green stuff (think it was spinach) to accompany our steaks. After years of watching Adam Richman on the Food Network I've learnt that the USDA only label around 3% of beef as prime beef. The grading is based on the marbling and the age of the beef. A younger and fattier beef will get a higher grade. This was my first taste of a USDA steak and the thing that immediately stood out was how tender it was, probably the most tender steak I've had. My guest asked for medium rare and she actually preferred it to be a little more rare but the texture was still great.

Hello Mr Sirloin

I wasn't sure how to have my ribeye, the waitress informed me that it would probably be better to have it medium given the higher fat content and that it was a slightly thick cut. I normally go for medium rare so I was a little dubious about this but decided to go with the knowledgeable waitress. She was definitely right, my ribeye was cooked perfectly. In comparison with the my guest's steak my ribeye wasn't as tender but it wasn't at all tough. However the flavour was more prominent with stronger 'beefier' notes. I don't have the most refined palate (if it's meat i'll eat it) but the difference in taste is definitely noticeable. The USDA sirloin was excellent but I think I would have to side with the British when it comes to steaks. I would comfortably say that this was the best steak I've had. An amazing crust on the outside, and cooked to a perfect medium inside.

I thought the chips were excellent. I'm a bit of a potato fiend, I love Patty & Bun chips, I'm addicted to the rosemary chips from Honest Burgers, the triple cooked chips from Hawksmoor are so crispy, but I think I've found my new favourites; the truffle chips from Goodman, Holy crap they are good. Actually I'd probably put it on par with the confit potatoes from Quality Chop House, if I didn't have the ability to exercise restraint I would be a big big boy.

Got your truffle chips and beef dripping chips right there (and some greens, weird guest request)

To end the meal we ummed and ahhed about what to have for dessert. We were too full to have a dessert each so decided to share. I wanted the cookie sundae, but my finicky guest didn't like cold desserts (I don't get it either) so the waitress recommended the apple and pear crumble with ginger ice cream. I'm really not a fan of crumble but i decided to yield to my guest. I'm still not a fan of crumble but the flavour combinations were good, and I liked the ginger in the ice cream. To be honest I was a quite full from the steak to fully appreciate the dessert but my guest was definitely pleased with the choice.

So which is better, Hawksmoor or Goodman? I would have to say....Hawksman...Goodmoor...I really can't pick. No no lets not sit on the fence, I think I'll have to go with Goodman, only by a whisker though. I couldn't recommend this place highly enough, and it really doesn't miss a beat, from the excellent service to the faultless steaks. Goodman, I'll be seeing you again very soon.