Flat Iron!

With two weeks seemingly flying by my very eyes, I have finally managed to sit down and write about a dining experience that has managed to stand tall above the rest during a very busy month of engagements. Tonight’s post documents my trip to the bright lights of Soho to find an establishment with a name that’s been on every foodie’s lips since their fine review from the guys at TimeOut. Tonight we delve into the belly of Flat Iron!

After moving to London at the start of the year, I’ve had an extremely busy couple of weeks trying to balance an increased workload, social events and trying to enjoy as many of the city’s finest events as I can. Therefore, when I eventually set aside an evening to catch up with my friend Tim, we decided that only the best would do. The only thorn in the side of this plan was that Flat Iron does not take reservations and with this place gaining an increasing amount of social media buzz, queues were definitely a worry. So with this in mind we start this tale with me rushing across the city from Tower Hill, intent on arriving just in time to ensure that queuing in the cold was not an option we’d have to consider!

To my delight my manic dash paid off as the lower floor was full to the brim already and it was only 6:15pm! Fear not though as the upstairs was empty and waiting. Tim joined me not long after and the room was soon filling up. Before any chatter commenced we were presented with a complimentary mug of Beef Dripping Popcorn, which was incredibly addictive and polished off in minutes. We then ordered a bottle of Bethnal Pale Ale & Shoreditch Blonde to wet our whistles, whilst we decided on our choices for dinner.

As you can tell from the pictures you are about to see, Flat Iron is quite dimly lit. Apologies for the photo quality in advance. If there is one thing I can not stand it is poor quality photography, which is why I gave up towards the end. However, for Flat Iron, I think the lighting works in its favour and adds to the atmosphere. Giant menus hang from the walls and all guests are seated on long wooden tables, next to other diners, so the lighting adds some privacy. However if you are on a date please take note that you can still be seen and not everyone wants to share in your overly enthusiastic scenes of PDA!

The great thing about Flat Iron is that they specialise in one thing and one thing only, you’ve guessed it, steak! There was the option of a delicious sounding special, the Slow Cooked Beef Belly but we thought we’d have to go with their signature dish. I ordered the Flat Iron Steak with Dripping Cooked Chips and the Peppercorn Sauce. Tim decided on the same but added the Roast Aubergine side too.

Check out the seriously cool mini meat cleaver! A small but very much appreciated touch I think.

The trademark Flat Iron Steak arrived, looking exactly like the image on the landing page of the website. Sliced into thin pieces, juicy and beautifully cooked to a medium rare perfection. I seasoned with rock salt and then sampled my first bite. Now I rarely get excited about steak, I feel like I can make a good go of it at home and so never bother with one in a restaurant. I imagine many of you are disgusted at this idea but that’s just me. However this was probably one of my favourite steak experiences. The meat literally fell apart in my mouth and was incredibly succulent. It just got better too as dipping slabs of the steak into the Peppercorn Sauce took it to an extra level, acting as the perfect accompaniment.

The Dripping Chips carried on where the popcorn left off, providing a delicious and different take on a food that has seen many transformations by other establishments recently. Again dunking these into the pot of Peppercorn Sauce produced extreme levels of satisfaction.

We ordered a couple more beers to help see off the remainder of the meal and then turned our minds to dessert. We were aware that there was a cocktail bar and had caught wind that they sold the infamous St.John’s donuts down there too so decided to skip pudding and venture down to the basement floor. The cocktail bar was already quite full but we managed to grab a table. For the life of me I can not remember the names of the cocktails we had. All I know is that they were bloody good and nice and strong! We both went for a rhubarb jam and custard donut, tossed in sugar and served with its contents oozing out on to the plate. No surprises to find that it was absolutely delicious and although a strange addition to have with a cocktail, a thoroughly enjoyable finale to what had been a superb dining experience!

Flat Iron didn’t falter once from start to finish and has cemented itself as one of my favourite eateries that I have had the pleasure of enjoying over the past few months. I can definitely see why they have been surrounded in social media buzz and encountered such high praise. I shall definitely be returning as soon as possible and will be watching with great intrigue to see how Flat Iron continues to evolve their already immensely successful concept.

Enjoy!

We The Food Snobs x