THE TRANSATLANTIC MAGAZINE
THE TRANSATLANTIC MAGAZINE
I always thought the Jones family referred to my little sister! Apparently she has competition in Covent Garden. They both share a love of food and drink. Surely they must be related!
The location in the heart of the theatre district is absolutely brilliant. Spread over 2 floors, the eclectic décor is a mix of American brasserie with banquettes, exposed brick, and a wonderful collection of art. The large space is nicely divided to give a sense of intimacy and it all has a warm and cosy feel.
The inventive cocktail menu was a good start. Our waitress did well to recommend a Tanqueray 10 with fresh thyme, grapefruit and Franklin & Sons tonic (£11.50). It was an excellent drink, the fragrance of thyme enhancing every sip. A saffron sour with Absolut vodka, lemon, saffron syrup, Angostura bitters, lavender and egg white (£10) was elegant, balanced and full of perfume. With these, crispy courgette straws with siracha mayo (£4.50) hit the spot perfectly.
Steak is the star of the menu. Supplied by The Ginger Pig, the renowned North Yorkshire butchers specialising in native and rare breeds, there was no doubt we would be having meat and potatoes for mains. So we decided to start green with 2 salads. Duck with mixed leaves, grapefruit, pomelo and plum sauce dressing (£10.50) had a great mix of sweet, bitter and umami. The shreds of duck were deep fried and delightfully crispy though without much resemblance to the actual bird. Celeriac and chimichurri with rocket, lentils, feta and chilli (£8) was a wonderful invention. Tasty and nutritious, I would easily have it for a main course. Portions throughout the meal were very generous.
There is a good choice of steaks on the menu but I couldn|'t resist my favourite: prime rib on the bone for 2 at £10.50 per 100g. 1 kg was the smallest on offer. Do the math! We ordered medium rare. Half the steak was perfect, the other half very rare. It is beautiful meat, full of flavour from the ample fat content and the char from the Josper grill. We couldn't eat it all but our rare leftovers were nicely packaged to take away and I had gorgeous steak and eggs the following day!
Scorched cauliflower with soy and yuzu (£5) was an excellent side as were Dauphinoise potatoes (£5.25) just oozing with butter.
We drank it all down with a superb bottle of 2018 Indian Wells, Château Ste Michelle Cabernet Sauvignon from Washington State (£57.50). Full bodied, rich tannins, dark fruit and a hit of spice was just right with the steak. The wine list is very impressive, with something for every pocket.
For dessert, a nicely caramelised Pear Tatin (£8) was marred by a soggy bottom. White chocolate cheesecake with lemon curd fared better; sweet and sour on a good crumb base.
Service throughout was first-rate and friendly. Almost as good as visiting my sis!
