London is a home from home for many Russians, and this new restaurant gives one of Moscow’s biggest steakhouse brands a coveted postcode in the capital.

The Venue
Goodman, on Maddox Street, is literally seconds away from majestic Regent Street. If you’ve finished work or you’ve been shopping in Central London, you can be at their front door within a few minutes from Oxford Street, Mayfair or Soho. You will know you’ve arrived when you spot the unassuming chocolate colour signage, which is stamped with the Goodman typeface. Once inside, you will be warmly received at the reception desk by the smiley, courteous greeter. The dark brown colour scheme is present throughout the rectangular shaped space with different shades of brown evident in the wooden panelling and leather booths. This is offset with cream coloured walls and a gun metal grey paint that covers the exposed piping. Timeless black and white photos pepper the walls; they capture a certain age and give the place a cosmopolitan air. Decorative lamps are suspended over the intimate tables giving light to what is a fairly dark space.

The long bar inhabits a fair proportion of the left hand side of the space; it is a sturdy wooden construction that is backed by an expansive range of wine bottles. There is a small space for people to hang out at the bar, although this is a very tight squeeze. The rest of the room is set out for diners, particularly for couples or smaller groups. There’s plenty of elbow space and thankfully you’ll be able to have a private tete-a-tete without having to endure other people’s conversation. For those in need of extra privacy there’s a little nook towards the far end of the restaurant on the right hand side that obscures you from most of the other patrons.

The Atmosphere
There's an international feel to the atmosphere at Goodman. For one, there's the Russian connection. Then there's the American influences running through the restaurant's name, menu and decor - it's named after jazz musician Benny Goodman, steaks are called New York strips, and some of the black and white photos have American slants. This is further magnified by the fact that this is an area of London where all nationalities mingle.

Those who love a good steak and don’t mind paying for the privilege will be flocking here, whatever their nationality. The owners have sent over some of their best people from Russia to work in the kitchen and at the front of house. In the restaurant, members of staff might hail from Poland, Italy, England or Russia. Service is quick, to-the-point and unfussy. Staff are happy to make recommendations from the menu, showing that they’ve sampled the dishes themselves, always a good indicator of in house training.

London has recently been dubbed Londongrad, Moscow 2 even. Russians who live, work or visit London will, of course, be drawn here. The power of the Russian ruble in London is such that nearly all luxury shops in the local area have Russian speakers in store. Those looking for a familiar brand will not have far to go to eat. That said the people eating here are bound to be a mixed bag: Goodman is very international in both its patrons and its staff.

The Food
A visit to Goodman should be for one thing: their steak. The quality of the meat, and the way it is cooked, is likely to be up there in terms of quality, with the best steak you have eaten. The meat is sourced from Australia and the USA, they’re going to be stocking Irish beef too, they hang it for a minimum of 60 days (wet aged) and 28 days (dry aged). The cows are grain fed for at least 110 days. What this means is that the steak tastes as if it had a good life. Maybe it didn’t get stroked and massaged everyday like Kobe beef, but they certainly had a decent existence, perhaps a bit of tickling was involved.

You are invited to view the cuts beforehand, a member of staff will present them on a platter, talking through the difference between each cut and explaining that the American has more marbling (small bits of fat which give the steak a juicer texture and taste).

All steaks cost £25, whether you opt for the fillet, rib-eye or New York strip. This may seem quite a lot, especially in the current climate of cheap eats and cut price deals. But look, the prices are a reflection of the venue’s postcode and the excellence of the steak. Is it worth it? Yes, most definitely. The steak alone warrants a five star rating.

As you might expect, the steaks are cooked with the precision that they deserve. Anything above medium is considered a bit of a travesty, but no matter how you’d like your steak, it will be served to order. The Australian fillet mignon (250g) is a thick hunk of meat that arrives spongy to the touch. It has a beautifully charred surface and is deep red inside. The 400 gram Goodman rib-eye from the USA is the restaurant’s signature steak. It’s so good they put their name in front of it. The marbling gives it a consistency that veers just on the right side of indecent. That’s a good thing. Every mouthful of this steak is an absolute delight and will be accompanied by Homer Simpson style drooling. If you’re a carnivore this is the equivalent of food porn. Sauces, like the classic Béarnaise or the pepper, are served in little jugs. They are thick and gloopy, well balanced in terms of flavour, and thankfully there’s no sign of it congealing.

Sides, green beans, chips, sautéed potatoes, creamed spinach etc, cost £4 each, and if you’re not greedy and happy to share, two of these between two is more than enough. The green beans are delicious, served a little shy of crunchy to the bite; they also excel thanks to the inclusion of small slithers of caramelised onions in the bowl. Chips are served long and thin like fries; they come with an intensely salty flavour, which is great if you like salt, not so great if you don’t. If you are the latter, it may be an idea to request unsalted chips when you place your order.

Now, after lavishing such high praise on the steaks, what is the rest of the food saying? Well, it talks a good game but it doesn’t trigger the same explosive response as the steaks. Starters like carpaccio of salmon, salted herring with mushrooms and boiled potatoes, artichoke soup, and a dish of aubergine and feta cheese, are the culinary equivalent of solid understudies to the leading protagonists. Again, there’s uniformity in pricing – most are £7.50, the soup is £5.50. The roasted aubergine comes in pulped clumps, and is decorated with toasted pine nuts on top of sweet mushy tomatoes, wafer thin slices of radish and square wedges of distinctive feta cheese. It sounds like a classic combination, and it nearly works, but this all comes on top of a mound of yoghurt, which overdoes the dairy content – the feta would be just fine – and the dish is served a few degrees too cold. The salmon carpaccio fairs better. The Goodman stamped plate is nearly entirely covered by the slender pieces of salmon. This is bathed in olive oil, tomato seeds, passion fruit and sea salt and is succulent to the bite.

In between courses a platter of various pickled vegetables and fish may be offered. This contains mushrooms, gherkins, onions, tomatoes, boiled potato and will be familiar ground for anyone who has spent anytime in Eastern Europe. While it goes well with a little sup of vodka, if you’re not a fan of sour pickled flavour this won’t be something you’ll be devouring in no time.

Desserts are £6 each, with the exception of a selection of cheese (£9) and fruit and sorbets (£3.50). They’re all good. The apple tart comes thinly sliced and has a shiny glaze with a dusting of cinnamon. The dainty scoop of ice cream is cinnamon flavoured as well. This is gloriously indulgent cold weather pud. Another winner is the peanut parfait pudding that has a crispy base, creamy body and zingy fruit coulis-style topping. Other desserts include warm chocolate fondant with pistachio ice cream, and baked vanilla cheesecake.

The Drink
The wine list is hand picked to go with the steaks. Naturally it is dominated by reds. A small glass of house French Merlot costs £4 (£14 a bottle) and wine by the glass goes upto £8 for the more refined varieties. Out of the bottles on offer, the Don David Malbec Reserva (£24 per bottle) is a stunner that will have you salivating over it right into the next day. Brambly fruit is complimented by a spicy kick that lingers on your taste buds long after the mouthful has hit your stomach. It’s a joy to drink. Coffees and teas are available as a little after dinner perker.

During your meal you may be brought a small shot of vodka, this is not your average run of the mill vodka, its Russian Standard vodka. Those of you squirming at the prospect of necking neat vodka will find solace in the fact that this vodka is smooth, easy-to-drink and contains none of the chemically aftertaste you get with cheaper vodka. The venue will also be offering 250 ml and 500 ml carafes for braver souls. When in Russia, the tradition of drinking neat vodka is a national pastime. This means you should at least try it once. Live a little.

The Last Word
Those in search of the best steak in London need to have Goodman on their radar. Russia should be proud.

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