Goodman

'Bringing the New York steakhouse to London.' Not the most original brief, but this (Russian-owned) newcomer has a decent stab at bringing Manhattan to Mayfair: dark-wood panelling, inviting leather booths, a bar counter running the length of the restaurant, and staff so chatty and involved in your order they practically sit down to eat with you. (Our waiter gave us a five-minute wine discourse, talking through the choice of 20-odd on the red-heavy list.) If the server did pull up a seat, you wouldn't be happy to share the excellent steak -be it a 250g fillet, superbly rich and tender, or a less subtle 400g 'Goodman ribeye' from the US, rippled with delicious golden fat. We used the chips, thick and salty, to soak up excess juices from the meat; the classic American side dish, creamed spinach, made an excellent further accompaniment, softening the strong flavours. If a starter of rocket salad with pine nuts and roasted tomatoes was forgettable, it was our fault for ordering boringly; likewise an apple tart for dessert - we wanted to concentrate on the top-quality meat for mains. Is Goodman a bit of NY in LON? Pretty close.