db eats: Black & Blue

There’s definitely a red-blooded movement sweeping London at the moment. Steak has long had a ubiquitous presence on just about every UK restaurant menu, but the past couple of years have seen these prime cuts of beef take a well-deserved step up in class. These days it’s all about provenance, breed, cut and hanging time – and let’s not get started on the wet versus dry-aged debate.

As with so many UK gastronomic trends, other countries cottoned on to the simple pleasures offered by a carefully nurtured piece of steak a while ago. In this case, it is the New York steakhouses with their high quality beef yet casual atmosphere which has now been recreated by a number of chains, from Goodman and Hawksmoor to the recently expanded Boisdale for a Scottish twist and of course Gaucho, the achingly cool Argentine answer.

Among this fray is Black & Blue, which recently opened its seventh London branch on Mortimer Street, just on the outskirts of the restaurant village clustered along Goodge Street. Spacious and modern with a giant bull by the bar, it certainly fits neatly with the rest of the new wave steakhouse brigade.

As with its peers, Black & Blue has evidently given some thought to its wine list, with half the selection available by the glass. Frustratingly for anyone with more than a passing interest in this part of the meal, no vintages are mentioned but the Hungarian restaurant manager was happy to let us taste a few wines while we made up our minds. The obvious Argentine Malbec pairing, Finca Sophenia (£27), was predictably ballsy without being over the top and kept some palate-relieving acidity. A more interesting option was the £24 bottle of Simon Hackett Shiraz from McLaren Vale (the wine list had decided this was in South Africa), which despite its unmistakeable size retained real elegance and nuanced character.

In the end though we plumped rather satisfyingly for the cheapest red on the list, the Carignan Vieilles Vignes Les Arches from the Languedoc (£15). Bottled under screw cap, it was immediately open and attractive. Not overly complex, at just 12% alcohol it offered a refreshing lift that became increasingly welcome as we ploughed our way through the steaks.

First though came the starters: crayfish and guacamole salad with creme fraiche and chargrilled king prawns with garlic butter. While the crayfish dish was rather off-puttingly sweet for a UK palate, the king prawns were delicious, the only let down being that one still had its vein attached.

Warmed up and ready for the main event, we embarked on a 280g ribeye and a man-size 400g T-bone. Black & Blue’s bovine credentials take the form of Yorkshire and Lancashire reared Aberdeen Angus/Charolais or Limousin cross (the Angus for its flavour; the latter breeds for the shape of their steaks), dry-aged for between 28 and 35 days. Both arrived impeccably cooked to medium-rare with a tasty chargrilled outside and deliciously juicy, tender centre. Sadly for a place which takes its meat so seriously, the Béarnaise sauce which accompanied it lacked freshness both in appearance and tarragon flavour. The chips also had a slightly stale edge to them, as if cooked in old oil. Both were sideshows to the beef of course, but it would have been nice to see equal levels of care lavished on all sides of the plate.

Through a potentially dangerous combination of curiosity and sheer greed we ordered pudding. A modestly titled mango sorbet was all-American in size but intensely refreshing, topped with strawberries, raspberries and blueberries. I nearly finished it. The chocolate brownie, warm and moist, was a more weighty proposition for this stage on the meal, but we made a respectable dent in it.

Needless to say, our food intake for the rest of the day was minimal, which slightly mitigates the fact that good quality steak comes with an imposing price tag, and rightly so.

Black & Blue is certainly getting its flagship features spot on, but then so are many of its competitors. Perhaps the true cavemen carnivores won’t notice the peripheral detail, but with this many serious steakhouses now in town, success must surely depend on an ability to appeal beyond the Neanderthal market, especially when a meal for two easily hits the £80 mark. The future health of this current steak trend may well come down to survival of the fittest.

Black & Blue,
37 Berners St,
London
W1T 3NB

+44 (0)207 436 0451

www.blackandbluerestaurants.com

Gabriel Savage, 15.03.2011