Phat Food Reviews

The Hawksmoor in Manchester is my regular haunt when it comes to steak, so this is the restaurant I’m reviewing today, as Hawksmoor is a small chain.

I’ve eaten at Hawksmoor several times and each time I am impressed with the quality of the food. A simple menu, consisting of well-cared for meat. My personal choice for steak is rib-eye cooked either medium-rare, or black and blue (charred on the outside and very pink in the middle).

To begin, I treated myself to 6 oysters – 3 natural and 3 Vietnamese. I love the flavours of the Vietnamese oysters which include scallions and lime for freshness, but I enjoy the natural oysters for their simplicity and the way they allow the oyster to stand on its own, without any culinary trickery. The creaminess of the oysters is one of my favourite elements, requiring a good chew. Anyone who swallows their oysters without chewing, is missing out big time!

For my main, I ordered a medium-rare rib eye, with anchovy hollondaise, bone marrow and a Waldorf salad. The meat is beautifully tender, cooked perfectly and well rested before serving. The anchovy hollondaise was sharp and salty, cutting through the rich, fatty steak. The addition of bone marrow on the side is a little decadent, I use it like butter – spread on top of the steak, for a big meaty punch.

There are few things I can say to do justice to the incredible gastronomic experience provided at Hawksmoor, but it is certainly on the pricey side. This prevents it from scoring top numbers from me.

4.5/5 from me, I’ll certainly return!