Its based in Knightsbridge not far from the station in amongst expectedly opulent surroundings. I arrived early alone and was seated at the bar whilst I waited for my friends. It looked like a serious bar, but I settled for a beer to ease myself into the evening. The first thing that struck me whilst waiting was the type of people here. Overwhelmingly male, hedge fund, alpha males type guys talking overly loud. Never mind, we were here for the food.
We ordered a portion of calamari to start and shared this. Most of the dishes are "family style" and this dish easily fed the three of us (£10.50). The opening gambit wasn't overly impressive to be honest. It lacked a fresh, just fried crispness and a lemon/acid hit you need with fried seafood.
For my steak, I ordered the 16 ounce Prime Aged New York Strip (£42 approx). OK, I admit, this place stepped up its game seriously here. I could smell how good the meat was as the vapour wafted up from my plate. Beefy, meaty, delightful. The steak was medium as ordered and incredibly juicy in the middle with the salty, beefy char on the outside they know you want.
We ordered some sides to share. Chips, creamed spinach and wild mushrooms (these were excellent). All sides are £10 something each. Not cheap but they are big.
This place does a serious steak. By far the best one I have ever had. Forget about Gaucho this place is where hardcore steak lovers should come. I am keen to compare it to the Hawksmoor but I can't see steaks getting much better than this. Its not cheap, and we spent £85 each for a 3 courses plus £40 bottle of wine. I place for a celebratory dinner I would say, like the fact that it's a Monday.
Monster Munch Rating: 88%
The Palm Restaurant1 - 3 Pont Street
London
SW1X 9EJ
0207 201 0710
www.thepalm.com
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