Few city workers won't be at least familiar with, or have at least heard the Hawksmoor name. Since the first restaurant springing up in Spitalfields in 2006, the chain has become synonymous with indulgence. Bustling with city worker patrons ordering chateaubriands, porterhouse and fillets by the gram, as they are struck off a chalkboard as the night progresses. Pushing capacities to the limit, you can barely see the surface of the table for hot-pots, skillets and gravy-boats containing a broad spectrum of flavoursome side dishes.
Hawksmoor Borough is no different in this regard. It brings much of the same ambience, a dimly lit wooden interior, accented with black leather seating, despite feeling a little more intimate than some of the earlier restaurants such as the more vast and echoey Guildhall.
True to form, the bar area upon arrival feels like an atmospheric step back in time. The excellent bar staff know their cocktail menu back to front, which is cleverly sectioned off in pre-prandial, post-prandial and anti-fogmatic drinks among others. ‘Shakey Pete's Ginger Brew' seemed to be the refresher of choice for most at the bar, a turbo-shandy based on Beefeater, Ginger, Lemon and London Pride with a real kick to it, and a home-made feel.
I have to be honest, whilst ordering it didn't break any new ground, in my opinion you can't leave a Hawksmoor without having shared a large steak on your table. With that in mind we were served up a chateaubriand that still for me is the best steak in London. Seared on charcoal grills and perfectly textured medium rare on the inside, it was difficult to show the restraint to leave room for what I consider to be the main reason to go to Hawksmoor Borough. The market specials.
It is always a pleasure to wander through a treasure of the South Bank like Borough market, but it is a pleasure that head chef Simon Cotterill has used to inject a vibrant new menu in to the restaurant. Using ingredients sourced from just yards away, from the stall and shop vendors, he has successfuly created a small but diverse collection of new offerings.
We opted for Jersey Rocks oysters coated in bone marrow, and Heritage tomatoes on toast with Cornish Lardo. Both are a little out of my comfort zone, as I have to confess to neither being a fan of oysters or tomatoes. The tomatoes on toast were a real treat, and probably the item on the menu I am most looking forward to having again. Whilst I am not going to become an overnight oyster convert, pairing them with bone marrow made for a good marriage.
Hawksmoor Borough succeeds in all of the ways its previous locations already did, with a few market place touches that give it that extra charm. If you love great steak and fresh ingredients make the trip. Just do so with a full wallet.
