If you follow me on Instagram, then you’ll know that I’m a BIG fan of meat. Yet, somehow, despite living in London for six years now, I have never been to Flat Iron. Ever. After going there the other week with a friend, I then made a very prompt return with the boy, and it’s safe to say that I’m obsessed. How I haven’t visited here before baffles me.
We went to the one on Beak Street in Soho. Like with all of them, you have to put your name down for a table, but the service is very efficient and you’ll receive a text when your table is ready. Myself and the boy went on a Tuesday evening and we had to wait about an hour for a table, but there are so many pubs nearby where you can grab a drink whilst you wait.
Both times that I’ve been, I’ve been at a table downstairs. It’s really cosy downstairs, with low lighting and lots of wood. It’s a great date-night spot.
Whilst you’re looking at the menu, they bring over a tub of delicious popcorn – it’s so salty and very more-ish! I opted for the trademark Flat Iron which comes with a house salad and a pot of bernaise sauce and the boy went for the special – the Hereford Rib Eye with a pot of horseradish cream. Side wise, we chose three between us – the chips, creamed spinach and the Market Greens (which happened to be cabbage on this occasion). For our wine, we opted for a bottle of the Malbec (you can never go wrong with a good Malbec!).
Despite it being busy, the two times that I’ve been, I’ve found that you never have to wait too long for your food. After probably about 10 minutes of eye-ing up other people’s steak, ours arrived.
My Flat Iron came out on a wooden board which has an iron slab in the middle to help keep the meat warm. It comes already sliced and I could see that it was cooked to perfection – properly medium-rare. The Hereford Rib Eye didn’t look quite so presentable as it came as one whole piece of meat, but as soon as the boy cut into it, we could see that it was cooked in exactly the same way.
The tables in Flat Iron aren’t that big, but we were able to fit all three of the sides on the table and then we had to contemplate the challenge that was laid in front of us…
Both of the steaks were delicious. The Flat Iron was extremely tender and melt in the mouth. It was seasoned well, and I think that there’s nothing better than a piece of well-cooked steak and then also finding some salt crystals on there too. The Rib Eye was a bit tougher and had more marbling through it. Personally, I preferred the Flat Iron, but TBH, I’d be happy with either.
None of the sides disappointed. The chips were crispy on the outside and nice and fluffy in the middle. Creamed spinach is one of my favourite sides and the one at Flat Iron has a great flavour. It’s very creamy, whilst maintaining the spinach flavour – something which doesn’t always happen. The cabbage was buttery and soft and another great choice.
Part way through our meal, they bought around a complimentary dish of their Roast Aubergine. I didn’t even think to ask if it was gluten-free, I just dove straight in. It was absolutely delicious. I would have been more than happy with a bowl of that an no steak (yep, it’s that good). I felt fine after eating the aubergine, but I have since read that it’s not gluten-free, so it’s worth checking.
There’s two important bits that we haven’t touched on; the service and the price. The service in Flat Iron is top-notch – the staff are really friendly, hard working and accommodating. But probably even better than that is the price. For all of that food, the wine and service, it only cost us £62. Absolute bargain! My piece of steak only cost £11, which is amazing value for such good quality. People that we know have started to shun the more expensive steak joints like Gaucho in favour of Flat Iron, and I completely see why.
Have you been? What are your thoughts?
