Steak in England
Discussion
Allow me to summarise a frustration which has been brewing for years (and years and years) with steak served in this country.
1) Most steaks from almost any other country taste better. Matter of opinion. Im happy to overlook this (this, my personal opinion).
2) Medium means medium. Not put through a pressure cooking blast furnace before being fried on a perpetual bed of coals from hell for ten years.
I can forgive myself for ordering steak and almost never getting a decent one from a pub. But from restaurants? Why is virtually every 'medium, please' steak we've ever ordered come out somewhere between crisp as a cracker and burnt to ashes.
I would have the energy to rant properly, had I first ranted a decade or more ago, at which time I was already at the end of my tether.
And no, I cant order medium rare to counter the overcooked tendencies chefs in this country have for "medium" - In my experience this produces a raw steak, with 8 seconds per side.
Medium on the other hand, is server the same as medium well, well, or very well, ie incinerated to cinders.
It must just be me then, as I don't hear anyone else grumbling about the steak in this country.
1) Most steaks from almost any other country taste better. Matter of opinion. Im happy to overlook this (this, my personal opinion).
2) Medium means medium. Not put through a pressure cooking blast furnace before being fried on a perpetual bed of coals from hell for ten years.
I can forgive myself for ordering steak and almost never getting a decent one from a pub. But from restaurants? Why is virtually every 'medium, please' steak we've ever ordered come out somewhere between crisp as a cracker and burnt to ashes.
I would have the energy to rant properly, had I first ranted a decade or more ago, at which time I was already at the end of my tether.
And no, I cant order medium rare to counter the overcooked tendencies chefs in this country have for "medium" - In my experience this produces a raw steak, with 8 seconds per side.
Medium on the other hand, is server the same as medium well, well, or very well, ie incinerated to cinders.
It must just be me then, as I don't hear anyone else grumbling about the steak in this country.
Agreed, Generally.
There are some restaurants which can cook a decent steak, but tend to be few and far between. Barlounge in Chester (and the steak restaurant with which it is connected...) is pretty good FWIW.
Not just steak though. As a rule we seem to be more accepting of generally crap and overpriced food in the UK than other european countries.
There are some restaurants which can cook a decent steak, but tend to be few and far between. Barlounge in Chester (and the steak restaurant with which it is connected...) is pretty good FWIW.
Not just steak though. As a rule we seem to be more accepting of generally crap and overpriced food in the UK than other european countries.
Agree with most of that.
It's why I'll never order steak in the UK unless I'm in a proper steak restaurant. Not an "oh, that places does a good steak" sort of place, but a specific steak restaurant.
Conversely, if you go to the US, it seems as though even the most humble of restaurants can cook steaks to perfection.
It's why I'll never order steak in the UK unless I'm in a proper steak restaurant. Not an "oh, that places does a good steak" sort of place, but a specific steak restaurant.
Conversely, if you go to the US, it seems as though even the most humble of restaurants can cook steaks to perfection.
TBH the USA isn't the be all and end all. Way too much of the meat is wet aged, hormone-pumped, corn fed crap. Yes, they are huge. Yes, they are actually quite well cooked. But the meat quality here just isn't all that great, imho.
Hawksmoor in London does some of the best steak out there.
Hawksmoor in London does some of the best steak out there.
I had a USA 30 day aged fillet in Goodmans last week and it was nice.
Nice but not fantastic and about as good as the steaks I can do at home from Costco but it cost £35.
Unless you are lucky enough to find somewhere that is really good I wouldn't bother with steak in an average restaurant as I know I can do better myself.
Nice but not fantastic and about as good as the steaks I can do at home from Costco but it cost £35.
Unless you are lucky enough to find somewhere that is really good I wouldn't bother with steak in an average restaurant as I know I can do better myself.
I have sent a few back in my time, maybe there is a clue.
I now avoid pub steaks like the plague unless someone says they are actually good, cannot see how a £6 steak can be good. Best I ever had were in a small hotel in Bodmin where the chef would examine the steaks in from the butcher and they knew what was with with regards well done, medium chop the orns off and wipe its arse etc. I have been to a few places that refuse to do blue and many more that sent it out well done! Argument in one hotel over the bit of stringy fat and gristle loosley termed a steak where even the chef said it was OK. I refused the meal and ate in McD that night.
I think its down to the consumer. How many know and pipe up, probably the same ones accepting it that sniff the wine first.
But all is not lost, even in Wales we have good steaks and I am pleasantly surprised at times.
I now avoid pub steaks like the plague unless someone says they are actually good, cannot see how a £6 steak can be good. Best I ever had were in a small hotel in Bodmin where the chef would examine the steaks in from the butcher and they knew what was with with regards well done, medium chop the orns off and wipe its arse etc. I have been to a few places that refuse to do blue and many more that sent it out well done! Argument in one hotel over the bit of stringy fat and gristle loosley termed a steak where even the chef said it was OK. I refused the meal and ate in McD that night.
I think its down to the consumer. How many know and pipe up, probably the same ones accepting it that sniff the wine first.
But all is not lost, even in Wales we have good steaks and I am pleasantly surprised at times.
Wadeski said:
TBH the USA isn't the be all and end all. Way too much of the meat is wet aged, hormone-pumped, corn fed crap. Yes, they are huge. Yes, they are actually quite well cooked. But the meat quality here just isn't all that great, imho.
Hawksmoor in London does some of the best steak out there.
I've eaten there twice. Both times they've screwed up and when we eventually got the right orders the steaks were just average.Hawksmoor in London does some of the best steak out there.
In general, the UK seems to struggle with Steak. I've had a few good steaks in the UK, a couple of places that spring to mind are CUT/JW Steakhouse/Goodman/Gaucho Picadilly. If I think back to my top ten steak experiences, only one is from UK, the rest are from the New York, Las Vegas and Dubai.
contractor said:
I've eaten there twice. Both times they've screwed up and when we eventually got the right orders the steaks were just average.
In general, the UK seems to struggle with Steak. I've had a few good steaks in the UK, a couple of places that spring to mind are CUT/JW Steakhouse/Goodman/Gaucho Picadilly. If I think back to my top ten steak experiences, only one is from UK, the rest are from the New York, Las Vegas and Dubai.
Massively underwhelmed by Hawksmoor - you don't expect to have to send steak back in a steak restaurant.In general, the UK seems to struggle with Steak. I've had a few good steaks in the UK, a couple of places that spring to mind are CUT/JW Steakhouse/Goodman/Gaucho Picadilly. If I think back to my top ten steak experiences, only one is from UK, the rest are from the New York, Las Vegas and Dubai.
THE BEST steak I've had in the UK (actually, anywhere) was a lump of Belted Galloway in Goodmans on Maddox St. Simply sublime.
As a producer of Scottish Beef and a lover of steaks, I share your frustration. Finding properly hung (minimum 20 days) and well cut beef is very hard - even in posh supermarkets. I put it down to general ignorance in the public - they must be accepting what they are being given. Unless I'm really confident I'll normally go for Medium Rare Rump these days. I've given up trying to get a good Rib-Eye.
However, I wouldn't say this is only a problem in the UK. I've travelled a lot in France, and I've yet to have a good steak there.
However, I wouldn't say this is only a problem in the UK. I've travelled a lot in France, and I've yet to have a good steak there.
I started a topic on a similar vein, here http://pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&t...
t restaurants, Mobsta.This topic appears every couple of months on PH. I am a chef in the family restaurant,we have a reputation for good steaks though they are not our speciality. We pay a hefty premium for quality meat but most steaks go out way overcooked because that is what our customers want. If I was to send out a "medium steak" actually cooked medium it would come back like a boomerang, a large proportion of our steaks go out "well done" which means cooking out all the juice until it grey all through. The customers are happy to pay £20+ for this so who am I to argue, of course we also have customers who like their steaks properly blue, rare or medium rare but the majority ask for medium when in actuality they mean well done.
This issue has caused more hassle than anything else over the years so much so that our waitresses always double check exactly how the steaks are to be cooked. To sum up, cooking steak in the UK is a nightmare due to Brits not knowing how to order properly, however it is our job to give our customers what they want and spending two minutes whilst taking an order is way more efficient than recooking a steak.
This issue has caused more hassle than anything else over the years so much so that our waitresses always double check exactly how the steaks are to be cooked. To sum up, cooking steak in the UK is a nightmare due to Brits not knowing how to order properly, however it is our job to give our customers what they want and spending two minutes whilst taking an order is way more efficient than recooking a steak.
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