June 2018 - Food

Where To Eat this Month - Flat Iron Covent Garden

The beauty of Flat Iron is that while it’s no bookings, it’s also no choice. Which means that even if you do have to wait a while to be seated, the moment you sink your bottom on to a chair, you can go straight ahead and order. Sure, there’s the occasional blackboard special, but essentially the deal is this: one steak (a ‘flat iron’, the US term for a full-flavoured but affordable leg cut) for £10. It comes long and thin, like a deboned rabbit, then sliced into fat little mini-slabs, on a slate, with a dinky pot of lamb’s lettuce that’s more garnish than salad. Proper sides (crispy fries, steamed greens) are only £2.50 a pop. Everything we ate was just as it should be – which, when you factor in affordable wine (with plenty by both glass and carafe) and friendly, helpful staff, makes for a pretty good deal.
Then there’s the charm-bracelet-sized cleaver (a replica of the one provided for eating) they give you when you’re finished, so you can either grab a scoop of salted caramel ice cream with chocolate shaving from the ice cream bar as you leave or – if you’re local – ‘cash it in’ another time.
Finally, the large, stylish space: a failsafe combo of wood floors, exposed brick and designer lighting with a few Theatreland quirks (such as arches leading to more intimate ‘nooks’). All in all, it adds up to a great, and great-value, night out. No wonder there’s a queue. My rating 9/10.

 (© Paul Winch-Furness)
 
 

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