Hawksmoor - Spitalfields

Smee is part of a (self-created) Men's Only Steak Club which has allowed him to not only explore his caveman side but also sample some of the finest steaks around London town.  The surprising-yet-not-so-surprising discovery is that we live within close proximity to a lot of excellent steak houses!  One of these beefy temples is Hawksmoor near Spitalfields Market.  Hawksmoor have three branches (so far) but Spitalfields is the original.  More pointedly, they recently opened a new branch within the Square Mile - even closer to us!  Due to some building maintenance, Smee and I weren't able to eat at their Square Mile branch so off we trotted to Spitalfields.  

Smee ranked Hawksmoor quite highly on his beef scale and I can see why.  Good quality, British steaks,  cooked to perfection, yesiree.  Flannel-shirted waiters walking around a rustic, oaky wooden pub - a pretty casual atmosphere.  

To start we had the Grilled Bone Marrow with Slow Cooked Shallots and Toast (£6.00) and Macaroni Cheese (£4.50).

Bone marrow.  You either love it or can't stand the thought of eating blood stem cells.  I am of the former opinion.  Yummy!!!  The toast was a bit burnt but I we just ate around it.  The macaroni cheese was actually a side dish and man, it was effing good.  I love cheesy, creamy stuff so I'm prone to bias but it seems that everyone is singing praises for the mac 'n' cheese.  I could definitely detect the presence of more than one cheese but not being a cheese connoisseur, I couldn't identify what they were.  Parmesan on top - yes, cheddar somewhere in there too, a third or maybe even a fourth cheese?  I'm not sure how accurate this recipe is but I might have to give it a shot and re-create it one day.  On a side note, I've heard and read many things about Neil Perry's much lauded macaroni cheese.  I've never eaten it but am keen to give it a Pooey taste test one day but with a $15 price tag compared to Hawksmoor's £4.50 (~$7.00), Neil Perry better impress us with some ass-whipping.  

Our steak and other sides: 

Chateaubriand (950g at £12.50 per 100g), creamed spinach (£4.00) and our sauces bearnaise and stilton (£2 each).  

The purpose of tonight's visit was to eat Chateaubriand.  I've never heard of the cut before but Smee had eaten it for the first time at Steak Club night and was left mighty impressed.... and yep, this steak was yummy!  Mmmm... so tender, so flavourful.  Yum!  The creamed spinach is exactly what it is.  

If you think we ordered too much food then you're correct.  It was a struggle but we got to the finish line.  If you like steak, you gotta let Hawksmoor cook one up for you.  Don't forget to order the sides too!