A steak joint as they’d recognise it in America: good meat, great service and very comfy booths.

The Venue
There’s a clutch of restaurants on this stretch of Stoney Street alongside Borough Market, but Black and Blue is by some distance the most visually arresting. A life-size cow stands outside, the word steak emblazoned in big white letters on its sizeable gut. Behind the cow is the glass frontage of the restaurant; you can see everything before you’ve even got in the door, which is nice, because this is a fine venue. Big, soft banquettes demand you sit and get on with the serious business of eating some cow (or not, as it may be).

The Atmosphere
Big and airy doesn’t really do Black and Blue justice. The loos, for example, are up some stairs on a ledge overlooking the main high-ceilinged room, which is set into the arches of the train line running out of London Bridge. It doesn’t feel cold, though, thanks at least partly to the aforementioned booths. They’re got to be some of the best booths in London. On top of that, the service here is exemplary and delivered with a big cheesy smile.

The Food
There's really only one reason why you would come here; to eat large cuts of prime beef. Black and Blue keep it admirably simple – there's sirloin, rib eye, fillet and t-bone, plus a mouth-watering and tender cote de beouf to share. Served deliciously red and bloody (hence the name – black on the outside, blue on the inside) on a wooden board, it's a fantastic fairly-traditional take on the restaurant world's welcome fashion for sharing. It's served with hot, salty chunky chips.

Hamburgers are available too: there's rich, salty bacon and cheese for those who don't consider a big hunk of beef a heart-stopping enough prospect or a foie gras burger for those who don't consider a big hunk of beef topped with cheese and bacon a heart-stopping enough prospect. Anti-steakites – yes, they do exist - are not totally shunned, though: there's a range of chicken, fish and salad options. Starters are a slightly strange mix of Tex Mex (tortilla chips and guacamole) and French (foie gras, again).

The Drink
The wine list is reasonably short, and weighted towards big reds. A Chilean Cabernet Sauvignon at around £17.00 is decent value and a fine accompaniment to beef. For those with deeper pockets, there’s a Brunello di Montalcino at about £45.00. There’s white wine, rose and champagne, too, but if you’re eating steak it would be a perverse decision, to say the least, to shun the reds.

The Last Word
In an area full of good quality restaurants, Black and Blue thrives by playing to its strengths: steak, comfy booths and, er, steak.

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