A butchers with a meat-grilling operation set up on the side certainly seems like a good idea, but are the the cleaver wielders' steaks, um, well done?

The Venue
As befits its City surroundings, Leadenhall is no ordinary market, with ornate stonework, silver dragons, and a maroon and gold colour palette. It has a certain heft to it, too, in an old-fashioned hulking way, that can compete with the skyscrapers (and bellies, and egos) that mark the Square Mile. But even if the units are now, for the most part, modern shops, its market past is tangible in the cobbled floor and meat hooks.

Butcher at Leadenhall is the sole remaining market-style business in the market. To one side of its long, shallow unit is the counter, stocked with high quality meats (their wares include Packington chicken and Bretby lamb) and surrounded by other desirable produce: condiments, huge jars of marmalade for £5, and old crates printed ‘Langham, Essex’ (making a fair few of the City boys feel at home, maybe) that bear cartons of eggs, including 12 little quail specimens for a bargain £2. Behind the counter, old-fashioned wrapping paper is draped – almost elegantly – from hooks.

There’s a mirror with a cartoonish pig image by the counter, too, its trunk sectioned diagrammatically to show the various cuts, some of which show up on the menu. Choose yours and it’ll be passed to the chefs who work the grill to the other side of the unit.

Rickety lightweight metal furniture offers the opportunity to dine in, but they do get plenty of takeaway trade at lunchtimes. You do feel like you’re sitting in a street – cobbles down the middle, ‘pavement’ to the side – in spite of the roof high above. This outside-inside aspect, coupled with being easy on the eye, means there’s a definite film-set quality to dining here, and the wrought iron spiral staircase to nowhere at the centre of the unit merely adds to the effect.

There’s a slight waft of raw meat from the counter, but that’s nothing compared to what your nostrils would be wrestling with if it were yesteryear, when the whole place would have been dangling with carcasses. In fact, you can picture it quite easily thanks to the rows of nasty-looking hooks still lining the shop fronts, even at Reiss.

The Atmosphere
It isn’t romantic, that’s for sure. You may feel a little self-conscious at the cobble-wobbly tables placed in the gutter of the ‘road’ – with shoppers (and Harry Potter fans) passing by, as well as boozers boozing at the pubs to either end of the market. But equally it’s a unique place in which to dine, and it's all so wonderfully atmospheric. The staff are very friendly, and the owner is up for a chat.

The Food
Grill offerings are separated into steaks and chops. The former run from the £16.75 rump to the £25 T-bone, all served with green beans, roasted tomatoes and fries. Chops come with the same sides – on offer are lamb cutlets (£13.50), Barnsley chops (£19), pork chops (£13.50), a leg of lamb steak (£16.50) and the wallet-busting (or perhaps not, given the environment) ‘City Boy Rib’; 1kg to share, at £50. The meat’s provenance and free range credentials are assured and beef is hung for at least 21 days. You can also pick and choose meats from the display cabinet.

The ‘sides’ are telling. Sure there’s a mixed leaf salad (£3), sauteed spinach and green beans (both £3.50), but there are also lamb kidneys and black pudding (both £2.50), enabling you to build your very own formidable mixed grill. Their (slightly) more dainty offerings include a £10.50 burger, a chicken caesar salad (£11.50) and veal liver, duck breast and lamb kebabs. There are a few ‘nibbles’ also – mixed olives, marcona olives and chorizo with piquillo peppers on toast.

The rare roast beef open sandwich (£10.50) and the Barnsley chops are worth a try; the latter served on a wooden board and still sizzling from the grill. The meat, as you’d hope, is excellent, but the sides are just as good. The sandwich comes with parmesan shavings (thick ones) and rocket, and the beef is plentiful, spilling out all over the plate and cooked to a perfect pink. The only downside is that the bread – a kind of focaccia – is a touch stale but hey, these are butchers not bakers.

The Drink
The wine list is, unsurprisingly, dominated by reds and a Gran Hacienda Cabernet Sauvignon (Chile, Santa Rita 2009 - £19.50) goes down a treat. There are also a few beers and ciders, even if they're not especially interesting options.

Last Word
The food is excellent but the real hook – pardon the pun – is the deliciously atmospheric setting.

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