Restaurants

Just up the road from the titular architects iconic Christ Church, Hawksmoor is all about subtlety. Its sign is easy to miss, the dining room is subdued, the decor self-effacing. In fact, there are only two things that really stand out: the gregarious, skilled bartenders and the incredible steaks no surprise, perhaps, as it was runner-up for both Best Bar and Best Steak Restaurant in the 2006 Time Out Eating & Drinking Awards. Great, thick slabs of impossibly tender beef from Longhorn cattle reared, the restaurant claims, in sunny North Yorkshire arrive alone on a plate, as if any garnish would be gilding the lily. And so it would. The quality sirloins, ribeyes and T-bones are chargrilled precisely to order. There are also racks of lamb from Swaledale sheep raised on heather moorland, pork chops from pedigree Tamworth pigs, and chicken, along with meat-free aubergine parmigiana. Nevertheless, this place is really a culinary love song to beef. Fries are hand-cut, cooked to a crisp and served in glasses. Vegetables are offered in tiny amounts: all the better not to distract you from the meat at the heart of the matter.

Time Out Eating & Drinking Guide 2008