Girls Just Want to Have Steak! [Girls Steak Club at Hawksmoor, London]

Girls like steak, of course we do. We also like lots of other things perceived to be manly territory, so when Hawksmoor suggested Girls Steak Club, how could we not but jump at it.

I’ve blogged about Hawksmoor before, I really like it there, and it was our venue for our inaugural Blaggers’ Banquet. It’s got great steak, is buzzy and vibrant, and there’s great cocktails and a nice wine list. Service is friendly and informal. It promised to be good.

Now, it was controversial, the boys were not pleased, and organised their own night to counteract it, Blokes Eat Beef at Goodman Steakhouse, which looked great, they even enticed my favourite Irish salmon smoker Frank Hederman. However, it’s not a competition (or is it?), and much as I don’t think a proliferation of single gender events is wise, Girls Steak Club was a great night, with luscious food, delectable wine, friendly fun company, and lots of banter.

Secured in the private room, behind a thick velvet curtain, we were treated to top notch cocktails. Starters of sublime tamworth belly ribs or chargrilled squid followed. I chose the ribs, they were excellent, with a lovely spice rub and perfect char, coating tender meat that fell off the bone. I also had a taste of the squid and it was I think, the better preliminary dish, light and fresh with lovely smoky flavours and cooked very briefly as squid needs to be (unless you cook it for a long time, there is no middle ground with squid, in middle ground there is chewiness).

The main event came swiftly, where was the evening going? I opted for an enormous 600g bone in sirloin, a 400g rib-eye was also up for grabs. Served with sides of macaroni cheese, sprout tops, creamed spinach, salad & triple cooked chips, I did wonder how I was going to fit it all in.

It was all so good, and the chips were the best that I have had at Hawksmoor, perfectly golden and crispy with a fluffy interior. The steak was perfect, served rare at my request, with a ruby centre and gorgeous charred exterior. Full flavoured, these are Ginger Pig Longhorn Steaks, dry aged for 40 days,

Some ladies opted for dessert, I was not woman enough. Stuffed to the gills, I carried on with some wine and chatter, and went home very happy, with a steak doggy bag. The menu, including cocktail and excluding wine was an absolute bargain at £40. Hawksmoor plan to hold it again and I’ll be going. If you’re a London lady, you should look into it too.