Steak of the Art

We arrived mid-​afternoon and the six of us were starving. We had a great time. Mali, our waitress was great. Food was excellent. Price was fair. Artwork was very interesting. Wish we had one here in the States. A very diverse menu.

I was with a fairly large group when visiting the quirkily named Steak of the Art, and we were given our own room with splendid long table running the length of it. The décor was fab (the restaurant also boasts loads of local artwork), but wasn’t quite all up yet, as next to our table was quite a few empty picture frames stacked against a wall and the frames on the back wall were mostly empty. Nevertheless, there was an enormous flat screen television (yet I can’t think why a party as large as ours fitting in the room would want to watch TV) and surround sound stereo system which they switched on for us on request. The food was delivered promptly to the table considering the fact there was around 25 of us, and it was stunning. I had a starter instead of a main, the meat platter, with a side of sweet potato fries. It was presented on a wooden board which gave it a proper rustic feel, and was more than enough– I was stuffed! It included two different types of pâté, a baby beefburger, gorgeous chutneys, a rocket salad and olives and pickles, toasted bread and sliced spicy sausages– and this combined with the sweet potato fries only set me back £10! My friends’ meals also looked fabulous– the chicken was presented beautifully and I heard no complaints about the steak! The staff were very accomodating and up for a laugh– I’ll definitely be back.

There has been a good deal of chatter about this place since it opened and they are already fully booked in the evenings for several months in advance.
In a word … Disappointing
The décor is not yet finished and the capsules you sit in are completely unnecessary. The restaurant is one of those annoying places that describes the chips as «hand cut» when in reality nobody’s hand will ever be sharp enough to slice a potato.
The steak comes in 200g pieces so are on the small side. You can double up but instead of getting a 400g nice thick steak you get 2 skinny 200g pieces??? Rib eye steak needs to be thick and have a nice bit I fat in it. The chips were just quarters of potato … So wedges really… And the salad was a small bowl of under age rocket with some Parmesan and I think balsamic vinegar.
I was going to say the place was partially redeemed by its service as the chap who attended to us was polite, enthusiastic and engaging, but then I remembered that on the way out the front of house and another waitress were having a chat so couldn’t be bothered to say good bye as we walked out…