Battersea’s Gaslight Grill is the name of the steakhouse that was added to the rear of the Lost Angel bar in early 2012. The venue’s gin palace aesthetic comes as no surprise as it’s part of the same stable as Powder Keg Diplomacy and Lost Society, inspired by colonial Britain and American speakeasies respectively.
There is an impressive array of 16 sauces for the steaks, and you can choose up to three. Bacon and veal jus with actual pieces of bacon, cep and cognac cream made with Courvoisier, and hickory-smoked chocolate sauce pair well with both the meat and the chunky hand cut thrice cooked chips. The steak in question is a well-peppered sirloin (£27) with a nice amount of marbling, served on a board with salad and roast garlic.
Baked crab in its shell is coated in a tasty parsley and Parmesan crust. There is also a rolled duck breast sprinkled with pepper stuffed with redcurrant mousse that’s creamy rather than fruity, and with a blanched baby leek on the side (the menu says “leeks” but we like the dish enough to forgive them).
Only the foraged mushroom soufflé served on black truffle risotto falls a little short. The risotto is far too heavy on the cream, but it’s topped with sheep’s cheese crisps that ought to be sold in supermarkets.
For dessert there’s a classic light and frothy lemon syllabub, and a rich duo of white and milk chocolate mousse with a cinnamon biscuit. In keeping with the theme there are plenty of gin-based cocktails; the cucumber gimlet is a very refreshing mix of Hendricks gin, cucumber and lime.
It’s easy to yawn at the thought of yet another retro venue, but Gaslight Grill has a very attractive dining room with plenty of dark wood, a fireplace and of course, faux gas piping used as decoration, “Victorian country estate” they call it. The kitchen’s doing a pretty good job too.
