Grosvenor House,
86 Park Lane,
Mayfair,
London,
W1K 7TN
(020) 7399 8460
The ViewLondon Review
JD Steakhouse’s claim that they serve the best steak in town is more than justified – this restaurant just redefines perfection.
The Venue
Part of the Grosvenor House Hotel, JW Steakhouse occupies a prime spot on Park Lane and a sizeable patio outside, furnished with marble tables, bistro chairs and red parasols promises views of the park. Sitting inside is just as good since the dimly lit period room is cosy and elegant, lined with wood paneling and an antique floor made of wood and tiles. The furnishing is contemporary classic. Seats in cream and brown flank thick wooden tables, well suited to match the period elements with elegant modernity.
The Atmosphere
The only drawback is very minor. The ‘70s anthems are not necessarily obtrusive, but the music just doesn’t match the environment. Although jazz would be more suitable, the food is a symphony in itself. The crowd is elegant and classy while the staff are beautifully polite and very attentive - you just would not expect anything else at the Grosvenor.
The Food
The devil is in the details and you will be bewitched by the perfect crispy outer and melting inner of the huge chips (£4), the wonderful medium-rareness of your steak, the smooth creaminess of the mash (£4). Starting from the spiced popcorn to the fruit salad (£8), everything is excellent with peaks of divine.
The smoked salmon (£12) is a generous portion of quality fish covering the whole plate and it is accompanied by capers, minced gherkin and more. The JW chopped salad (£9), a perfect light starter, mixes nine fresh vegetables with crispy fried onions. Beware that starters come with an irresistible casserole brioche. This salty, fluffy, buttery loaf of bread is indulgently divine but it may spoil your appetite before the mains.
At JW Steakhouse meat is taken very seriously. A board indicates the special cuts of the day and their weight. You may order up to a kilo of beef in one steak. For not so exaggerated appetites, the Aberdeen Angus rib eye (14 oz, £26), is ideal: thick, tender, magnificently cooked, a mouthful justifies the claim the best steaks in town are here. Served ‘naked’, there is a great selection of market potatoes (£4) and sides (£4 - £6) to choose from. The thin green beans are high quality while the asparagus is cooked to perfection, a rare achievement for any restaurant.
The Drink
The bourbon bar in a corner shakes delicious cocktails (£8 - £14) and serves a selection of straight, single barrel and small batch bourbons (£7 - £30 for 50ml), Tennessee and or rye whiskeys (£9 - £45), beer (£2 - £5) and soft drinks (£3 - £4). Their homemade bitter lemonade is particularly traditional and definitely worth trying. The wine list counts a dozen wines by the glass (£5 - £14), three dozen white bottles, as many reds (£19 - £400) plus the usual rose, sweet wine and sparkling. The French house red Chateau Lyonnat, Lussac Saint-Emilion is perfect with red meat.
The Last Word
JW Steakhouse has just raised the bar a few notches. Not only are its steaks unrivalled, many other dishes are as well.
JW Steakhouse has been reviewed by 15 users