JW Steakhouse, London – Review

Set within the elegant Grosvenor House Hotel, Mayfair, the JW Steakhouse is a truly luxurious and enjoyable place to dine. It`s décor, ambiance and atmosphere all lean towards the classic, high class American steakhouse and it does so very well. Complete with dark woods and traditional chalk boards, there is no doubt that you are here to eat some fine American food, and to eat well. There is also an extensive bourbons and tipples selection to choose from, just to keep the cockles warm and indulge yourself.

Looking to try something different from JW Steakhouse and veering away from their steaks, we wanted to see what the rest of the menu offers, in particular the Sunday Lunch menu. Is this the best Sunday lunch in London? Not quite.

The perfect way to kick off a Sunday (or any meal to be honest) is with the `Candied Bacon` cocktail. Made from an inventive and unique bacon-infused Jack Daniels whiskey, this combines pomegranate juice, Bramley and gage plum liqueur and lemon juice. Plus, a slice of candied bacon to complete the look and give it some character. The infused whiskey is a real taste revelation and makes for a very memorable drink.

The bacon infusion is the collaborative effort of JW Steakhouse head chef Paul Hallett and Bourbon Bar’s mixologists. Premium JW Steakhouse smoky bacon is cooked and the fat reserved. Hot bacon fat is then added to a jar of Jack Daniel’s whiskey, sealed, and once at room temperature, placed in the freezer for 24 hours. Whilst the fat solidifies, the whiskey remains in liquid form and after straining, leaving a unique and delicious bacon infused flavour. It was just a wonderfully different and fun way to start our Sunday. If you aren`t looking for something alcoholic, then the virgin mojitos are also stunning, fresh and full of flavour.

It`s not an orthodox cocktail, but if meat based cocktails have this sort of potential, then may it`s the way forward.

The Sunday Menu

The Sunday menu is available at very affordable prices, with 2 courses at £24 and 3 courses for £28. Considering the area and the establishment, this was particularly good value in our eyes. To begin with you have a selection of dishes such as duck liver parfait and Calamari with Old Bay Tartar sauce. My partner went for the latter and found dish to be surprisingly light, also the Old Bay sauce is one of the best Tartars we have ever tasted.

Moving on, you can select from one of the restaurants great steaks, the Roast Creekstone New York Strip USDA, or go for more traditional dishes, such as Roast Leg of Salt Marsh Lamb and mint sauce. We went for the Lamb, and although, tender and typically flavoursome for salt marsh lamb in places, the meat just seemed far too sinewy and left us feeling rather disappointed. We envisaged something a little better than this to be honest.

The Rest

The crux of the menu is great steaks, with Creekstone Kansas Black Angus (the gold standard for USDA beef) and Butcher’s British Cuts (Macken Brothers of Chiswick) being the two prime sources here. Looking to avoid steak and trying to find the restaurants other strong points, we didn`t try them on this occasion.

We could not, however, fault the a la carte menu and its offerings. In fact, the 12 Hour Braised Short Ribs, with buttery mash was utterly beautiful and only £17. The meat was so tender it only had to be stroked off the bone and it melted in the mouth. Usually, ribs can be hit and miss, but at the JW the Short ribs are elevated to a fully bodied and powerful dish. If this was anything to go by, then I would certainly recommend trying out some of the other courses on offer.

To finish our meal we were pointed towards the JW Steakhouse American style cheesecake (£10). The restaurant claims it to be the best `this side of the pond`, so we had to give it a go. Topped with the gorgeous homemade sour cream and packing a lot of rich flavours, this is indeed one of the best cheesecakes we have sampled in the UK. It was so good that we had to take it home for seconds.

To make your booking, please click here: http://www.jwsteakhouse.co.uk/