The Steakhouse in Harrods

How do you like your steak done? Rare? My, you’re quite the rabid carnivore aren’t you?

Well done? Do you actually want to taste the meat or do you just feel that it should be punished for crimes unknown?

As for myself, I prefer my steak done medium rare. Well medium rare is a little too simple. I like it lightly seared, so it’s pink on the inside, well not really pink, more a light mauve, like the colour of a tongue. Or more towards the colour of a velour suit worn by a game show host from the Seventies. It cannot be too heavily salted and I can tell, I can really tell if it has not been aged for a decent length of time.

I don’t get asked back to many dinner parties.

But rather than quibble over the degree over which a steak can be cooked, there is another way in which you can get your steaks done. And that is at Harrods. In amongst the sections of the Food Hall that are dedicated to caviar, lobster and chocolates, there is a new installation; the Steakhouse.

In terms of its look, it is similar in style to a 1950s diner with high-rise seating and the meals served around a bar. It’s quite a beguiling combination as the easy-going front is combined with a raging furnace at the back. The process of dining is quite simple with one of the chefs presenting the choice of cuts available. The beef comes from 21-day, dry-aged Aberdeen Angus beef and the quality of the meat with its reddish-violet colour and considered marbling was apparent as a T-bone and a sirloin steak were excised and taken away. There is a choice of four sauces ranging from the orthodox béarnaise to the chilli-infused Chimichurri.

It’s worth coming to the Steakhouse just for the experience of eating in Harrods’ Food Hall. It’s almost like being in some kind of art installation as you often find yourself being stared at by people who are busy shuffling round trying to take in the unique environment. For the tourists and those visiting from the provinces, those who are actually sitting down to have a meal are regarded with some kind of curiosity, so perplexing is the sight of those treating the Food Hall as a place to, you know, enjoy food.

Both the sirloin and the T-bone were sumptuous with the meat prepared to our exact specifications, cooked evenly throughout and retaining all the wonderful juices. The Chimichurri sauce worked well with the meat, providing a different combination with the steak in contrast to the the béarnaise. We finished the meal with a modest crème brûlée and a decent chocolate cake.

Harrods might not be the most obvious place to drop in for a bite to eat. But the experience is unique and the prices mean that you should have enough to visit the Food Hall’s other departments.

The Steakhouse
Harrods
87-135 Brompton Road
Knightsbridge
SW1X 7XL

Tel: 020 8479 5100