Since it first opened in 2006 I've had many great meals at Hawksmoor. I've also had a couple of not-so-good ones too – hey, sometimes you just get a piece of ribeye that's mostly fat and gristle – but, in those instances, resolution has been swift and satisfactory. For the most part though, it is hugely dependable. I have very fond memories of the breakfast it used to do at the Bank, good memories of some very fine bits of steak at several of its venues and hazy memories of nights spent on Shaky Pete's Ginger Brew. Ahem.
Certain things have always stood out, however. The friendliness and efficiency and knowledge of the staff. The quality of the drinks programme. The impressive conversion of old buildings into smart, stylish restaurant spaces. The excellent sides – I'd like to shake the hand of whoever decided to mix Tunworth cheese with mash potato. And the Sunday lunch was always a safe choice: good value, generous, tasty. Admittedly it's also one of those classic value lunches that start as a £20 or so bargain and end up costing about four times that because, well, if we're saving that much money on the meal, we might as well have that bottle of wine, right? And a cocktail. Oh, and that pudding. And maybe a couple of the Rolo-tributes… Restaurant maths. The reason for overdrafts.
Hawksmoor's Sunday roast is excellent value at £27 a head
The food
The bargainous nature of the Hawksmoor Sunday roast has changed a little of late. The basic one – dry-aged beef rump, beef-dripping roast potatoes, Yorkshire pudding, roasted carrots, buttered greens, roasted garlic, bone marrow gravy – is still a fine plate of food and excellent value at £27 a head.
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Now, however, Hawksmoor has added the chance to pimp your lunch and opt for "Sunday feasting". This, basically, means you can swap the roast rump for any of the sharing cuts on the blackboard at whatever price shown, and add the spuds, puds, carrots etc, for £7 a head. And in either instance, you can pimp those sides with extra options, at £5.50 each, of cauliflower cheese, celeriac mash and sausage gravy and Hawksmoor stuffing. "Other Sunday roasts come with a delicious stuffing," they reason. "Why not roast reef?"
On this evidence they have a point. The resulting mix of bone marrow, onions, sausage and fresh herbs turns out to be something that has, frankly, been missing from Sunday lunches forever and that you'll be fighting over with a fork. The other two extras are great of course but Hawksmoor stuffing is genuinely the stuff of dreams. Well, my dreams, anyway…
The verdict
There are better Sunday lunches out there. There are cheaper Sunday lunches out there. But as a nigh perfectly judged, please-everyone, great value option – available across the UK, as well – this remains very hard to beat. Well, if you have more willpower than I which, frankly, probably isn't difficult.
Neil Davey was a guest of Hawksmoor Air Street in London. Hawksmoor has various locations across the UK, Ireland and the US; thehawksmoor.com
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