Marco Pierre White lends his name – and a new menu – to the venue formerly known as Lanes.

The Venue
Formerly known as Lanes, the restaurant has now joined up with Marco Pierre White and moved into a new direction – mainly one that involves meat. City workers no doubt need all the iron-filled sustenance they can get these days, so changing to a steak restaurant isn’t entirely surprising. The restaurant is a basement venue, located near Liverpool Street station, but once you’re down the stairs you’d hardly remember you’re underground at all. The walls are bright and light, and everything is white, white, white, from the seats and booths down to the crisp tablecloths. There’s little to no decoration aside from an array of mirrors (another trick to brighten up the space) and a row of clocks along the wall that tell what the time is in various other worldly financial cities. Perfect if you need to suddenly be reminded that your colleagues in New York are about to start their day.

The Atmosphere
Restaurants in this area, with a few exceptions, tend to fall into two categories – trendy, quirky East London and austere, businesslike East London – and this restaurant is firmly in the latter. At lunchtime you can expect a crowd made up mostly of one on one meetings and dinner promises to be more relaxed, with bankers letting their hair down a bit. Despite that, though, it isn’t stuffy, and service is openly friendly.

The Food
About ten starters are on the menu, ranging from ham and melon (£10.50) to gravadlax with mustard sauce (£9.50). Most of the starters are fish, seafood or vegetable based, a smart idea considering the meat feast that’s probably on the cards for the main course. Kipper pate (£7.50) is a nice dish, with a square of light, smoky pate surrounded by a buttery edge. Two thin pieces of melba toast add a complimentary rough texture.

The focus for the mains is steak, with nearly a dozen options ranging in size from a six ounce fillet to a sixteen ounce T-bone, and prices for these run about £18 to £30 depending on size and cut. A side salad comes with each steak, although creamed spinach, creamed potatoes and triple cooked chips are available for £3.75. Other mains are similarly hearty fare: veal, calves liver, roast Aberdeen Angus beef and a couple of fish options. Veggie dishes aren’t on the menu but can be made on request.

Each day an English special is on offer for £10. Tuesday’s shepherd’s pie is filling and rich, with ground lamb and tiny pieces of minced carrots underneath creamy mashed potatoes with a lightly crisped top. The meat is really well seasoned, but slightly oily which might put you off scraping the bottom of the dish. The specials are served with a deep bowl of plain green peas on the side. Also daily changing are the puddings, which come in at £5.50 and include Eton Mess, bread and butter pudding and English burnt cream.

The Drink
A well priced wine list starts at about £15 per bottle and £4 per glass, with a good mix of old and new world choices, some of the priciest being a Vosnee Romanee Les Hautes Maizieres, Robert Arnoux, 1997 for £146 and a Les Forts de latour, Paulliac (2nd Chateau Latour), 1989 for £160. The obligatory Champagne is also available for those inevitable business deals, starting from about £38. Prosecco is also on the menu for about £28.

The Last Word
Although a £20 steak isn’t something that everyone can afford these days, those who can should make for the Marco Pierre White Steakhouse and Grill. Good for impressing a client who’d rather have steak and chips than haute cuisine.

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