The Hawksmoor Seven Dials

 

Carnivores will be delighted with the opening of this branch of The Hawksmoor in Covent Garden's Seven Dials. Will Beckett and Huw Gott's British steakhouse and cocktail bar, whose flagship venture in Spitalfields fast became a favourite amongst the capital's meat lovers, gets a West End makeover with this second enterprise on Langley Street which opened in November 2010. The subterranean venue (which seats 128 in the restaurant and 50 in its stylish cocktail bar) is housed in a former brewery and looks slick: Victorian cast iron columns hold up a vaulted ceiling above Manhattan-style exposed brickwork walls and oak panelling; the tables are spruced up casts-offs from old laboratories, while the lower walls are also covered from tiles sourced from London Underground. But it's all about the steak: sourced from the Ginger Pig's Yorkshire farm, some of these succulent slices are aged and hung for a whopping 55 days. Besides the steaks, the Hawksmoor Burger with crunchy beef-dripping chips has legendary status, while the menu also boasts the likes of lamb chops, lobster, ribs, oysters and sausages. There's an express menu for lunch and pre-/post-theatre which includes two courses for ?22 or three for ?25, while the Hawksmoor Sunday roasts have been championed by the Observer Food Monthly. It's rather expensive, but for steak this good it's money well spent.