Goodman (steakhouse) – London, England (8.5/10)
Feb 2nd, 2009 by admin
Background:
As part of the Lunch with the FT offer (which ends on Friday 13 February), my friend and I chose Goodman as our lunch venue. Ever since it opened on Maddox Street three months ago, it’s been on my restaurant wishlist, and I thought this would be an excellent opportunity to try the steak there.
Goodman (named after jazz musician Benny) is a Russian-owned steakhouse chain, with nine restaurants in Moscow and one in Kiev. You might have thought there was a world-wide recession, but not at Goodman, it seems. In fact, there are plans to open a second branch in the City in the near future.
First impressions:
When we arrived, the restaurant was packed (it was interesting to note that it was somewhat dominated by businessmen, but don’t let that put you off as it might just be the lunchtime crowd). The interior is lovely – dark wood and leather, black and white photos lining the walls – similar to upmarket New York steakhouses. We were greeted by the charming hostess and immediately shown to our table towards the front of the restaurant. It’s a little set aside from the main part, but it allows for a quieter conversation. Our server was an equally charming young man, who was friendly, didn’t pull a face when we ordered tap water and no wine, and remained incredibly efficient throughout lunch. If only every server could be like him.
Menu:
The steaks on the main menu are range from £23 to £25 (I think comparable to Hawksmoor, which is also on my list). There are other choices on the menu, such as the Goodman burger, fish and chips and rack of lamb, but if you’re going to eat at a steakhouse, I think steak is a must. There are seven options, with daily cuts written on the blackboard (today there was an Australian wagyu and an Irish cut which I can’t remember the name of) – rib-eye, New York strip steak, filet mignon (all Australian, 110 days grain fed), Goodman rib-eye, New York strip steak(USDA prime beef, 120 days grain fed) and filet, bone in rib-eye (UK Angus cattle, grass fed, 28 day aging).
What we ordered:
At lunch, there is thankfully also the set menu to choose from – 2 courses for £13, 3 courses for £15, very reasonable in my opinion. We went for the 2 course set menu as well as the lunch special, and split the steaks in half. These days, one has to be smart to eat well while counting the pennies!
Our starters were:
- chicken liver and foie gras pate
- rocket salad with crumbled stilton, sundried cranberries and spiced pecans
Our mains were:
- steak frites – 225g (8oz) Australian sirloin with peppercorn sauce (£4 supplement)
- lunch special which includes a set menu starter and 350g USDA rib-eye served with homemade chips and peppercorn sauce (£23)
Both cuts were excellent (medium-rare of course) although I thought the rib-eye was tastier than the sirloin. I used to eat a lot of sirloin, but I prefer rib-eye now. The side of homemade chips were thick cut but perfectly fried and a joy to eat. And although I don’t like sauces with my steak, which meant I left the peppercorn sauce in its little jug, I did dip both steak and chips into it. If you like your steak sauces, there are four to choose from if you select your cut from the main menu.
The verdict:
I had already decided I liked Goodman very much and was going to write a postive review, when David the manager came over for a chat to ask what we thought of the food. After I introduced myself, he took us downstairs to inspect their on-site beef aging room and meet John, the Canadian chef, who talked us through the quality of their beef and the differences between dry-aging and wet-aging (they have both). He and David were both very passionate about their meat and finding the best suppliers both in the UK and abroad.
It’s been a long time since I had such an impressive steak in London. Both Hawksmoor (the guys from Hawksmoor eat at Goodman too!) and Buen Ayre are on my restaurant wishlist, so I’ll be able to compare the quality and service over the next couple of months hopefully. Meanwhile, I look forward to returning to Goodman to try another cut. Good quality steak is definitely worth paying for, and if you eat at lunch, you can take advantage of the lunch specials. Put it this way – if you saved your sandwich money for a week, you’d be able to eat lunch here and have a far better meal!
Because of the FT offer, we paid £13.50 each including service charge. A veritable bargain for such a pleasurable meal!
10 – Perfection, 9.5 – Sensational, 9 – Outstanding, 8.5 – Superb,
8 – Excellent, 7.5 – Very Good, 7 - Good, 6.5 - Above Average, 6 – Average
All the London restaurant reviews on World Foodie Guide
Contact details:
Goodman
26 Maddox Street
London W1S 1QH
Tel: 020 7499 3776
www.goodmanrestaurants.com
Helen Yuet Ling Pang @ World Foodie Guide
Sounds like you had a great time and really enjoyed it, but I have to say I’m a bit disappointed by the look of those steaks. It doesn’t look like there’s enough charring and that the grill wasn’t hot enough. See this (from Hawksmoor, ‘natch) in comparison:
http://bp0.blogger.com/_cmAIhPDIe_o/Rz23_X0Y7PI/AAAAAAAAAhg/oOX0YB9azNw/s1600-h/16112007072.jpg
Great looking meal & pics .. and £13.50 is really cheap! I am still holding on to my 3 vouchers which I wanted to use for quo vadis .. but im going to come here instead based on your review.
hope you’re enjoying the snow Helen !
I also prefer rib-eye – my absolute favourite! Oh, you are going to love Hawksmoor. I reckon I would put money on it being your best steak ever in London!
Looks great! I am also a Hawksmoor fan, but that really is a good deal.
(When were frites thick cut? I much prefer mine thin n’ crispy…)
Those fat chips look so good! Wow VIP treatment too. Lucky you
Looking forward to trying this place out, albeit without the aid of the FT. Thanks for the review.
Chris – yes yes, you big Hawksmoor fan. I’ll compare the two when I get a chance to go to Hawksmoor!
Kang – oh dear, what pressure. I’d go to Quo Vadis with your vouchers.
Helen – can’t wait to go to Hawksmoor now. 600g rib-eye sounds perfect to me…
Lizzie – yes, the chips were thick cut. I don’t mind how they’re cut as long as they’re perfectly fried!
Christie – thanks, the chips were great!
Fat Les – hope you liked it as much as I did. Look forward to reading about your trip.
Helen Yuet Ling
Wow, that’s really good value and the steaks look pretty good. I also prefer rib-eye, I think it has far more flavour.
I’m another Hawksmoor fan, will be interesting to hear what you think of it and how you feel Goodman compares.
Ginger – can’t wait to go to Hawksmoor now, so many people have been raving about the steaks there. It has been on my list for a long long time, along with Buen Ayre.
Helen Yuet Ling
Interestingly there is one review that has eaten at both Hawksmoor and Goodman:
“We both decided to go for the Goodman steak which is a 28 day aged 400 gram Rib Eye sourced in the UK. It was superb. Great char, great flavour surpassing anything I have eaten at the Hawksmoor, Gaucho, Beun Ayres, Maze et al.”
http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/575716
Adrian – thanks for the link, interesting! Reviewer seems to have eaten his / her way around the steaks of London!
Helen Yuet Ling
Having been to both, I don’t think one is better then the other.
I think it’s more of the case of which breeds of beef you prefer.
When I last went to Goodmans I had 800g Aberdeen Angus Rib reccomended by the waitress(over the USDA prime) which was beautiful.
I personally would go for Hawksmoor, because I prefer the Longhorn cattle over the Aberdeen Angus.
Derek – thanks for your comments, having been to both. I think you’re right as well about the breeds. I’m looking forward to going to Hawksmoor though, having heard so many positive reviews about it!
Helen Yuet Ling
We got very lucky and snatched a table for 2, without reservation, on Saturday evening. The 800 g. bone in rib-eye we shared was the best meat we had in a long long time, and the sauces (especially pepper) are truly delicious. I recommend the bluberrie ice-cream for dessert. We were very impressed by the service, friendly and efficient. It wasn’t cheap, but definitely worth it.
I love the detail and honesty in your reviews. Thanks to your recommendation and reading this post I have booked Goodman for the other halfs birthday tomorrow and we’re both looking forward to it immensely!
JJ – thank you! I hope you guys have a wonderful time at Goodman tonight, especially as it’s a birthday celebration!
Helen Yuet Ling