Having
subsisted the past few days predominantly on rice krispies during a trip to
northern Uganda and South Sudan, I have harped back to a lunch at the new
Hawksmoor on Air Street which I had the day before I departed for East Africa.
Many people are
aware of the Hawksmoor phenomenon. To aficionados, they do the best steak in
London. I happen to share this sentiment. The fan base is extensive, evidence
provided when the 50% soft opening launch booked out within 8 minutes of the
email being circulated to those signed up to the Hawksmoor mailing list.
Considering that this was an extensive soft opening and that the Air Street
venue can host 300 patrons, it’s no small feat. I sent my confirmation within
10 minutes of receipt of the email for the soft opening but was too late.
Hawksmoor being
the kings of good service did however send a further option for lunch at 50%
off on four alternative dates. So, on a Tuesday lunchtime, it was off to Piccadilly
with a friend to check out Air Street. I was further excited by the fact that
my friend with whom I was dining, was having steak for the first time, having recently converted from pescatarianism to the deity of carnivorism. In beef we
worship.
The venue is
big, replete with low ceilings, green leather upholstered seating and lots of
very helpful staff. It’s got a nice art deco texture to it. I ordered (a very
large) chatauebriand and the former pescatarian the fillet. For sides we
selected the baked sweet potato (always a must at Hawksmoor), the triple cooked
chips and the creamed spinach. I would have liked to have seen some sort of
tomato salad on the menu as I had an excellent one previously at Spitalfields
but none were on offer. We also ordered a pepper and béarnaise sauce though
really, the quality of the steak means that there is no need to do so.
I ordered my
chatueabriand rare. It was full or enormous flavour with the juices eeking from
the fibres as I cut into it. It really was an excellent piece of meat. The
fillet also was delicious and an excellent introduction to beef for my friend.
There are many
things to like about Hawksmoor. For me the foremost is the attention to
details. Little things, like upon our arrival and being guided upstairs, the
staff knew our name. I assume the online system indicated that we had checked
in downstairs so they were expecting us. Either that or the fact that we were 2
of the few females in the establishment made it easy to determine who we were. Whichever,
I liked it.
Secondly, the drinks
menu…we weren’t drinking alcohol with lunch and Hawksmoor possesses a non-alcoholic
drinks menu with a great selection of soft cocktail alternatives. This just
shows that, for those who do not drink alcohol, the non-alcoholic options are
not just an afterthought at Hawksmoor. The ginger ‘n’ juice for me excelled…all
that was missing was a shot of Jameson (ahem). The spiced tomato juice tempted
me also (it would be great with a drop of vodka) and the cornflake milkshake had
an allure to it, so teetotallers will not feel like an oft-forgot entity
(presupposing that teetotallers are an entity).
Third,
following my last review of Hawksmoor Seven Dials, I tweeted Will at Hawksmoor
my review. I noticed on his twitter page, his response to customers’ comments
on his twitter feed. Now, I don’t know if it’s him directly tweeting or whether
staff undertake this task on his behalf, but regardless, this is a nice
customer service touch.
The focus on
customer service, emphasis on delivering a high quality product in fabulous
surroundings means that the Hawksmoor brand continues to go from strength to
strength. Long may it continue.
Oh, and before
I forget, I should emphasise that Hawksmoor Air Street is different to its
other offerings in that it has fish on the menu in addition to steak. Truth be
told, I didn’t even read the fish options, so I suggest taking a look online if
you’re interested.
Though full
after the steak, we of course had to order the salted caramel rolos which are
quickly assuming cult status at the new Hawksmoor. They’re like the rolos we
grew up eating, only an adult version. They hit the nail on the head.
The bill all in
(and bearing in mind this was 50% off) came to £80. Granted it’s not cheap, but
you get what you pay for.
