HAWKSMOOR AIR STREET: Great steak & seafood, among the best in London and the U.K. Photo: Courtesy of Hawksmoor Air Street

HAWKSMOOR AIR STREET
5 Air Street
Piccadilly, Mayfair
London W1J 0AD
United Kingdom
44 20 7406 3980, http://thehawksmoor.com/locations/airstreet/

By Scott Harrah

LONDON–Hawksmoor Air Street, like all the Hawksmoor locations in London, has some of the best steak in the U.K. Two years ago we visited the Hawksmoor Seven Dials and were completely overwhelmed by the high quality of steak and seafood and the superlative service. We were anxious to try another Hawksmoor location to see if it lived up to the glories of the Seven Dials restaurant, and we were not disappointed.

Take some extra time to find the restaurant since the entrance is on a short stretch of Air Street between Piccadilly Circus and Regent Street. It is definitely worth seeking out this hidden-away Central London gem. Dining at Hawksmoor Air Street is a glorious experience from the moment one walks through the door and is greeted by the cheerful hostesses. As soon as one heads upstairs, expect to be instantly transported to a world of old-school elegance, from mirrored walls to stained-glass windows, polished veneer and banquettes. While the Seven Dials location has a pub feel, Hawksmoor Air Street is more Art Deco and a bit on the posh side, but still casual and hardly stuffy.

The menu, of course, is the star attraction at any Hawksmoor location, and Hawksmoor Air Street does not disappoint with its wide selection of seafood, juicy steaks and remarkable side dishes. There is an extensive wine list and what the British call “pre-prandials” (cocktails), from Champagne Charlie (Gin, lemon, seasonal fruit syrup and Champagne) for £12.50 to Messenger’s Tonic (Gin, Lillet Blanc, Sherry and tonic cocktail) for £10 to the Hawksmoor Collins (Gin, lemon, Campari, bitters and soda) for £9.75.

Roast scallops, with white port & garlic is a great starter. Photo: Scott Harrah

For starters, choose from roast scallops with white port and garlic, potted smoked mackerel, smoked salmon, Half Dartmouth lobster (£5.00/100h). Old Spot belly ribs, potted beef with bacon and Yorkshires, filet carpaccio with porcini, Parmesan and scallops, Evesham asparagus, buttered or hollandaise; Kohlrabi salad with celery hearts and spenwood cheese; and Doddington Caesar.

Steaks are the main reason to come to the Hawksmoor Air Street. From Chateaubriand (£13.00/100g) to Porterhouse (£9.25/100g); T-bone (£8.25/100g); bone-in prime rib (£8.25/100g) to filet (300g) for £35.00; sirloin (400g) for £29.50; Rib-eye (400g) for £31.50; rump (300g) for £19.50. Plus, sides such as maple bacon for £4.25; two fried eggs for £3.00; grilled bone marrow for £4.50. and a half Dartmouth lobster for £5.00/100g. Steaks all come with a fabulous choice of sauces: Peppercorn, bone marrow gravy, Anchovy hollandaise or Stichelton hollandaise.

However, seafood lovers will not be disappointed. Choose from turbot (grilled over charcoal) for £13.00 for 100g or royal bream, baked in paper with garlic, rosemary, and chili, for just £20. Dover sole, grilled over charcoal or Meuniere, is £36. Monkfish, grilled over charcoal, is £24 to £48.

Juicy and tender Chateaubriand served with a side of mashed potatoes & gravy. Photo: Scott Harrah

Being a carnivore who loves good steak, I asked our pleasant and helpful waiter Jordan to recommend the best steak,and he suggested the Chateaubriand, served medium rare, with the savory peppercorn sauce. He also insisted I try the roast scallops with white port and garlic and a side of beef dripping fries and mashed potatoes and gravy for my main course. I ordered a glass of lovely Malbec that went great with everything. The scallops were fresh and succulent, and the Chateaubriand was outstanding—a tender chunk of thick, lean but slightly marbled Nirvana.

Hawksmoor smoked salmon as a starter. Photo: Scott Harrah

My dining partner was feeling a bit under the weather and was not in the mood for a heavy steak, so Jordan suggested the sea bream with Jersey Royal potatoes. He enjoyed the sea bream and found it light fare for a hot British summer night. For a starter, he chose the light and flavorful Hawksmoor smoked salmon.

The Hawksmoor Air Street includes an Express Menu (Pre-Theatre) with two courses for £25 and three courses for £28 . Starters include potted smoked mackerel, potted beef and bacon with Yorkshires or Kohlrabi salad with celery hearts and spenwood cheese. Main courses include Royal bream with garlic, rosemary and and chili, or ash-baked root vegetables with spelt (known as hulled wheat in the USA) and curd’s cow. Choose from one of the following sides: Triple-cooked chips; baked sweet potato, creamed spinach or lettuce and herb salad. For dessert (puddings), try peanut butter shortbread, sticky toffee pudding or passion-fruit cheesecake.

Sides are also something one simply cannot miss at Hawksmoor Air Street, from the beef dripping fries (£4.50) to triple-cooked chips (£4.50); mashed potatoes and gravy (£4.50); Jersey Royals (£5) to baked sweet potato (£4). Also look for macaroni and cheese (£5.50); creamed spinach (£5.50); spinach, lemon and garlic (£5.25); roasted field mushrooms (£4). plus a selection of salads for £4.

We loved the beef dripping fries and the mashed potatoes and gravy, as well as the Jersey Royals (we couldn’t decide which we liked best as they were all superb). This reviewer is proud to be of Irish-American extraction, so I will eat and relish potatoes of any type, shape or form.

Sticky toffee pudding with warm clotted cream. Nobody does it better than Hawksmoor. Photo: Scott Harrah

For dessert, we both split an order of the Hawksmoor’s famous sticky toffee pudding with warm, sinful clotted cream. Just like at the Seven Dials location, the Hawksmoor Air Street’s sticky toffee pudding is among the best you will find in London, if not all of England. The dessert is not well known in America but it is a British staple, consisting of a rich sponge cake filled with chopped dates and sultanas, topped with either ice cream or warm clotted cream. The Hawksmoor’s version is served with the latter and it is decadently divine. It goes exquisitely with a cup of American coffee or espresso.

Now that we’ve enjoyed two different Hawksmoor locations in London, we’re convinced nobody does steak and upmarket British comfort food quite like the Hawksmoor. They truly have some of the best steak and service of anywhere in the U.K. If you visit London this summer or autumn, be sure to try one of the Hawksmoor restaurants. Hawksmoor is great for both pre-theatre dinner or a long, leisurely meal out in the British capital.

Edited by Scott Harrah
Published July 4, 2017
Reviewed on June 23, 2017 in London

HAWKSMOOR AIR STREET: Grass-fed, bone-in prime rib. Photo: Courtesy of Hawksmoor Air Street

HAWKSMOOR AIR STREET: Cocktails. Photo: Courtesy of Hawksmoor Air Street

HAWKSMOOR AIR STREET: Great fish dishes. Photo: Courtesy of Hawksmoor Air Street

HAWKSMOOR AIR STREET: Stained glassed windows in a gorgeous Art Deco setting in the Piccadilly/Mayfair area of London. Photo: Courtesy of Hawksmoor Air Street

HAWKSMOOR AIR STREET: Bar with great pre-theatre cocktails. Photo: Courtesy of Hawksmoor Air Street

HAWKSMOOR AIR STREET: Cozy yet upmarket atmosphere. Photo: Courtesy of Hawksmoor Air Street

FABULOUS STEAK & SEAFOOD: Some offerings at Hawksmoor Air Street. Photo: Courtesy of Hawksmoor Air Street

HAWKSMOOR AIR STREET: Conveniently located near all the theatres in Piccadilly Circus/Mayfair. Photo: Courtesy of Hawksmoor Air Street

HAWKSMOOR AIR STREET: The interior. Photo: Courtesy of Hawksmoor Air Street

HAWKSMOOR AIR STREET: Interior with stained glass windows. Photo: Courtesy of Hawksmoor Air Street

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PRE-THEATRE GEM IN COVENT GARDEN: The Hawksmoor Seven Dials. Photo: Courtesy of Hawksmoor Seven Dials

HAWKSMOOR SEVEN DIALS
11 Langley Street
London, United Kingdom
WC2H 9JG
020 7420 9390, http://thehawksmoor.com/locations/seven-dials/

By Scott Harrah

One doesn’t normally think of London as a city to find great steak, but the pre-theatre crowd need look no further than Hawksmoor Seven Dials in Covent Garden. Located in an old fruit warehouse, the place has the feel of an upscale but casual pub, but there’s nothing “pub like” about the food because here you will find some of the best steak and seafood in London, and possibly, the United Kingdom.

There’s a nice pre-prandials menu, with a fancy gin cocktail, sherry crusta and the Hawksmoor Collins (gin, lemon, Campari, bitters and soda), but a glass of wine also goes well with what you’re about to enjoy.

The Hawksmoor also has excellent service from the moment one walks in the door. James was our waiter, and he was kind enough to explain many of the British specialties on the menu with which we were unfamiliar. His friendliness and professionalism really enhanced our experience at the restaurant.

For starters, choose from Brixham crab on toast, Hawksmoor smoked salmon with soda bread, half a native lobster (from waters around the U.K., such as Cornwall and Scotland) with garlic butter, shrimps on toast, roast scallops with white port and garlic, potted beef and bacon with Yorkshires, Evesham asparagus with duck egg hollandaise, steak tartare, bone marrow with onions, Tamworth belly ribs or salads.

HALF A NATIVE LOBSTER: Served with garlic butter. Native lobster is found in the cold waters off Cornwall & Scotland. Photo: Scott Harrah

We started with the half a native lobster, which was absolutely scrumptious. British lobster tastes similar to Maine or Nova Scotia lobster but has a slightly different consistency, yet is delightful nonetheless. Next, we dug into the light and tasty roast scallops with white port and garlic. It was a great prelude to the steak.

ROAST SCALLOPS: With white port & garlic. Photo: Scott Harrah

The Hawksmoor is famous for its steaks, and you can choose from bone-in prime rib, porterhouse, T-Bone and Chateaubriand (all three of which are big portions, so sharing is recommended). There is also bone-in sirloin (500 grams), rib-eye (400 grams) and D-rump (300 grams), aged 55 days. We each chose the fillet (300 grams) because our waiter, James, said it was the right size for people to eat individually. Having been raised in the American Midwest, I know a thing or two about great steak, but I never thought I’d eat one this tender and succulent in the U.K. It melted in my mouth. James suggested the Jersey Royals potatoes as a side dish and they were also excellent.

FILLET STEAK: 300g & tender & succulent. Photo: Scott Harrah

For a side with the steak, one can choose from grilled bone marrow, two fried eggs or maple bacon.

If you’re not a carnivore, the Hawksmoor also has whole sea bream with chili, rosemary and garlic, and a larger native lobster grilled with garlic butter, as well as ricotta dumplings with spring vegetables.

BEEF DRIPPING FRIES & SAUCES: Choose from Bearnaise, peppercorn, bone marrow gravy, anchovy Hollandaise or stilton Hollandaise. Photo: Scott Harrah

We were curious about the beef dripping fries because the name itself is not something most Americans know. Our waiter insisted that we try them, and it is a good thing he did. The fries were crisp and perfectly cooked, and didn’t taste fatty or greasy at all. We ordered a selection of sauces: Béarnaise, peppercorn, bone marrow gravy, anchovy hollandaise, stilton hollandaise. The steak was so good we didn’t want to put the sauces on the meat, so instead we used the delicious liquid as something in which to dip our fries.

Other sides available are triple-cooked chips, roast field mushrooms, Doddington Caesar salad and English lettuce and herb salad.

To top off this outstanding meal, our waiter suggested the sticky toffee pudding with clotted cream. We had only seen this very British dessert on TV cooking shows but had never tried it. After trying it, we’re fans of the fattening treat. Sticky toffee pudding, James explained, is a steamed sponge cake filled with chopped dates and covered with a toffee sauce. Some British chefs put vanilla ice cream on top, but the Hawksmoor puts a generous scoop of clotted cream on top, which is sinfully delicious. Clotted cream, for those Americans who have never tried it, is sometimes called Devonshire or Cornish cream and is made by heating full cow’s milk cream and then leaving it to cool, and it eventually forms “clots.” After dining at the Hawksmoor, we tried other sticky toffee puddings, but no one else made it as good as we had it here.

The menu is so extraordinary at the Hawksmoor that one could make a full evening of just dining here, especially on a special occasion, but there is also a popular pre-theatre “Express Menu” of 2 courses for 24 pounds or 3 courses for 27 pounds and is served until 6:30pm and from 10pm onwards, Monday to Saturday. The Express Menu includes spring salad with Graceburn, potted mackerel or bone marrow with onions as a started; for mains, Hawksmoor hamburger; D-rump (300 grams) or fillet tail (200 grams, with 5 pound supplement; whole sea bream or ricotta dumplings with spring vegetables. One side of triple-cooked chips, beef dripping fries, sweet potato, spring greens or herb salad is included. Puddings for dessert include sticky toffee pudding or peanut butter shortbread.

If you’re planning to go to London to see West End shows, or simply going to experience everything the British capital has to offer, the Hawksmoor Seven Dials is a gastronomical treat you won’t want to miss.

SINFULLY DELICIOUS: Sticky toffee pudding with clotted cream. Photo: Scott Harrah

THE BAR AT HAWKSMOOR SEVEN DIALS: Perfect place for a cocktail before or after a West End show. Photo: Courtesy of Hawksmoor Seven Dials.

GREAT FOR PRE-THEATRE OR A SPECIAL OCCASION: Hawksmoor Seven Dials in Covent Garden, London. Photo: Courtesy of Hawksmoor Seven Dials

Edited by Scott Harrah
Published July 3, 2015
Reviewed in London on June 17, 2015

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