Food: JW Steakhouse

For the sake of transparency I'm going to have to qualify this review from the start. Tonight's meal was the most expensive I've ever had to pay for. Those who know me will already know how much of my judgement this will affect, and I will be the first to admit that it has.

But it's experiences (for that must be what such a price buys) that tell you a lot about yourself - what you appreciate and value in life. I'll never see the value in designer labels or fancy jewellery but will easily spend on travel for instance. And although I've never claimed to be a foodie, today I can say with certainty that I'm not. I also know now that I am not a steak person - if the best steak in London doesn't do it for me, then none will. On the other hand I am able to appreciate why others might like a slab of meat, and I will also admit to have thoroughly enjoyed and seen value in meals that would have cost more than this one today.

Enough philosophy though, let's get to the food. The menu was straightforward enough: we pre-ordered our halal steaks a few days in advance, with myself teaming up with another to split an Angus Rib-Eye and American New York Strip - we had no idea which to choose so we hedged our bets. This was lucky, as I definitely preferred the accessibility of the Strip to the chewy gristle of the Rib-Eye, even though I would acknowledge that the latter tasted better.

Starters and sides were standard enough, and not worth mentioning explicitly, barring the table bread which was all kinds of awesome. A special note does go to the cheesecake, which might just be the one thing I go back for (although the place does apparently do a decent fish and chips too).

The atmosphere, table configuration and service all confirm the theory that after a certain cost it's the experience you pay for and all were pretty much top notch, although also on par with other places I've been to but of a fraction of the price.

Which brings me to the final bill. The evening cost an incredible (perhaps just to me and the student on the table) £55 per head, of which the steak alone was £35-40 depending on the cut chosen. If this is how much a decent steak costs, I can see why the consumption of red meat can indeed lead to heart attacks.

Which leaves me in a pretty interesting position here at the end of this review. Of course on principle there is no way I can give JW Steakhouse a general recommendation. But if someone with more money than sense did ask me if I knew of a top-end steakhouse that would offer halal meat, then JW will always have to be the first I suggest to them.