Lifestyle | Travel The Evening Standard's journalism is supported by our readers. When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Remember the last time meat was au courant on the dining scene? It centred around pop-ups, street vans, BBQ festivals, garish fonts, liberal use of the word ‘dirty’, and lots of bearded men talking way too enthusiastically about charcoal.
It seemed only right that its subsequent counter-trend swung towards the herbivorous, and countless vegetable visionaries proved that plant-based fare is more than capable of holding its own. But now meat is having a moment again, except this time, to use the vernacular, it has matured nicely. Last week’s unveiling of the World’s Best Steak Restaurants featured eight London entries, four of which are in Mayfair, including Wolfgang Puck’s Cut at 45 Park Lane which made the top 10.
Critics have salivated (figuratively) over the veal chops and cotê de bouef at Bouchon Racine in Farringdon, Claude Bosi is serving brawn, sweetbreads and not-for-the-faint-hearted andouillette at the similarly French accented Josephine in Fulham, the soon-to-open Ibai near St Paul’s is focusing entirely on Basque beef cuts, and food writer Tim Hayward’s new book, Steak: The Whole Story, was hailed by Angela Hartnett as being “an encyclopedia anyone with a pair of tongs should read.” That it’s 30 years since St John first introduced us to the ‘nose-to-tail’ concept seems fitting .
