Butcher & Grill

Time Out says

Fri Sep 30 2011

Really, that should be ‘Butcher, Grill & Deli’, as the delicatessen part of this operation gets as much custom as does the glass counter of meat. At the weekend, expect to see middle-class couples browsing the artisan jars of pâté, kitschy American confectionery, organic white carrots and gigantic, own-made scotch eggs.

Adjacent to the deli, in an attempt to add a café-like ambience, are a couple of long communal tables. The airy main dining area is raised above the shop floor, providing a view of a post-industrial decor that takes in bare bricks, white-painted metal girders and ventilation pipes.

Huge black and white framed photos of cows and sheep remind you that meat is this place’s speciality – and the steaks certainly impress. A medium-rare ribeye offered hunks of crisped-up fat, dotted with chunks of black peppercorn and topped with a garlicky half-tomato. But the chips were disappointingly supermarket-like, and a portion of grilled ox heart on toast was drowned in a gloopy, brown, oniony jam that wasn’t mentioned on the menu.

Service was slightly impersonal, but swift – partly because there were few other diners during our Sunday afternoon visit. There’s also a branch in chi-chi Wimbledon Village.