London's best restaurants for carnivores
Meat!!!
Sometimes only a giant helping of meat hits the spot. (The smut is too easy, so we're going to rise above it.)
It's true though. We love a bit of refinery, balance and faff here at All In London as much as the next website... but sometimes the only thing that will abate those pesky gastric juices is a slab of animal. Or a couple of animals. Well butchered, well cooked, well sourced and, indeed, well sauced.
We've scoured London's best meat restaurants to compile this list: from nose-to-tail eating, BBQ, offal, game and exotic meats... they're all here.
St John
26 St. John Street EC1M 4AY
The St. John restaurant group is synonymous with nose to tail eating, therefore things like grilled ox heart, pheasant and trotter pie, and bone marrow salad come as standard on their menus. The flagship restaurant in Smithfields has the most meaty options.
Mark Hix’s Tramshed has a simple premise: the main course is either chicken or steak. Expect meat of the highest quality; juicy beefcarefully selected for its marbling,and incredibly succulent, flavoursome chicken. As a sidenote, Damien Hirst is responsible for the artwork, which includes a new take on his famous cow in formaldehyde installation.
Brawn
49 Columbia Road E2 7RG
From the same guys as <a href="http://www.allinlondon.co.uk/clubs_bars/venue-6561.php">Terroirs</a>, Brawn has equally appealing charcuterie selections, foie gras, andouillette, and game dishes according to the season.
Richard Corrigan’s Mayfair restaurant excels at both fish and meat; in the case of latter, game dishes areparticularly masterful.Rabbit is paired with salty bacon, ravioli is filled with partridge meat and there are terrines and pies made from wild birds and venison.
Umu
14-16 Bruton Place W1J 6LX
This Japanese fine dining restaurant serves intricate, Kyoto-inspired dishes. The menu has a section devoted to wagyu beef, famed for an ultra-velvety texture which is a result of its marbling. The higher the grades the more marbling the meat contains; try the grade 9 (the highest is 12) which arrives on a hot slate, still grilling.
It’s a bit like the Meatwagon/MeatLiquor story:Pitt Cue Co began life as a food truck, and since taking up permanent residence on Newburgh Street its inexpensive American BBQ fare has taken the capital by storm. Pulled pork and sticky ribs are served in generous portions, and drinks are Bourbon-based cocktails.
Nose to tail eating is old hat in China; just look at the menu at Barshu, which includes ducks’ tongues, beef tripe, ox tendons and pork knuckles. All are cooked in tasty, complex sauces, naturally.
Magdalen excel at simple British dishes using as many animal parts as possible. Examples include crisp fried pig’s head with gribiche, grilled veal kidneys with anchovy butter, and fried calves’ brains with sage and capers.
New York restaurant group Altamarea is behind this meat restaurant on Haymarket. Much of the menu is designed for sharing, with duck liver, cured meats and meatballs served in jars, planks and crocks respectively. Main courses include steaks, ribs and lamb chops, complemented by smart cocktails and comforting desserts.
Rowley Leigh is a dab hand at game and poultry; his seasonal Anglo-French menu features goose, pheasant and rabbit. The restaurant also started specialising in rotisserie-cooked meat well before grilled chicken got hip.
