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The Docklands outpost of the Goodman steakhouse chain has a quiet waterside location – if you discount the planes going in and out of City Airport – and an unexpected view of The O2 from the terrace overlooking South Quay. Eat here if you can, unless you’re a fan of ubiquitous steakhouse interiors (lots of reds and browns, dark leather, and B&W photos on cream walls). It’s a low-key setting for a meal that comes with a wince-inducing bill, but you’re paying for the prime, aged-onsite meat, not the decor.
A short menu is supplemented by a blackboard packed with cuts of the day: from a long list we could have ordered porterhouse, T-bone from Nebraska, bone-in ribeye or chateaubriand from Yorkshire. There was a meltingly good 250g fillet steak (with a choice of pepper, bearnaise or stilton sauces) on the menu for smaller appetites, and doggy bags if your eyes are bigger than your stomach. The summer special of surf ’n’ turf, including a large (450g) sirloin, lipsmacking and fatty in all the right places, was unfortunately let down by a bland lobster tail.
Sides were worth ordering, particularly crunchy but yielding chips, butter-soaked mushrooms and chilli and garlic spinach. While for diners strong-armed here against their will, there’s grilled chicken or fish of the day. Of the – frankly superfluous – starters and puddings, rich, well textured crab cakes were a hit, but baked cheesecake with strawberry and basil was a missable, overly sweet version. That said, staff were an efficient, likeable bunch, who dealt with office groups and couples on dates with equal finesse. A solid choice for the Wharf.