Zelman Meats is a paradise in Soho for meat-lovers. The steakhouse champions great quality cuts from around the world and is headed up by Chef Olly Bird in the kitchen. With their open plan kitchen in play, it’s a decent stage to see the secrets in how cooking meat is played out and what Zelman bring to the table.
The Soho restaurant (they have another in Knightsbridge and are part of Moscow-based restaurant group Goodman) is kind of how you’d imagine a steakhouse to be; dark, neon lighting, exposed brickwork though it’s modern enough by design and is comfortable in one of their big red leather booths.
The menu is pretty simple, and right off the bat they showcase a pretty strong player for those want to to try lots of meats with their ‘Everything on a plate’ option, designed for a minimum of two. On there you have fillet from the UK, sirloin from Canada, Rib-Eye from Austrailia and USDA Picanha, a lesser know cut that is slow-cooked over Zelman Blend charcoal on the robata, before being finished off on a high heat to caramelize. Here you get to taste and experience what Zelman can do. All of the meat comes on the one plate and arranged with the slices, a deep pink on the inside all stacked in a ring. The textures, velvetiness and deep, rich flavours are distinctive throughout the cuts. We even add a Scottish tomahawk that’s big on the bone into the mix which is as impressed in flavour as it is a statement cut.
Besides meat being centre stage on the menu, Zelman’s offer lots of veggie sides to accompany the meat treats, helping you to balance out a high protein meal. Paprika roasted cauliflower with hummus, pomegranate and black sesame seeds makes for pretty sexy cauliflower; their chopped salad is pretty spot on with lettuce, tomato, chickpeas, cucumber, spring onion, radicchio, radish and sprinkled with feta cheese and their roasted courgette with chilli, feta, mint and pine nuts is also pretty damn good, a little unexpected and most enjoyable. Of course, you also have chips, triple cooked and sauces, the ‘holy fuck’ is a pretty fiery eye waterer.
Zelman’s surprised us in the sense we maybe didn’t think it would be all that great. But we can hold our hand up and say we were wrong, the food and service is decent and if you are all about the meat, it makes an alternative to some of the bigger for fancy pants places.
2 St Anne’s Ct, Soho, London W1F 0AZ
zelmanmeats.com