The Guinea Grill

British1 ⭐️

6 Feb

Written By Sam C

Rib steak on the bone: An impressive looking 448g of beef but had far too much gristle - though I got a good workout trying to cut through it all.

Somewhat of a quintessentially British institution and a stalwart on the various lists of the best Sunday roast to have in London, my experience was of bemusement at what all the fuss is all about.

Initial impressions were good: being taken past the cold meat counter to see the steaks for order; the grill station next to it with steaks and offal grilling away; the maze-like way to our table under low ceilings and through tiny dining areas; and the decor which hadn’t been changed in decades.

Thanks to their front of house I already knew that I couldn’t have the Sunday roast (or their massive Yorkshire puddings) as it wasn’t DF.

So my steak looked impressive when it arrived on its clean white plate. Sadly, whilst parts of it were delicious there was too much gristle and, honestly, trying to spend ages sawing through it is simply no fun.

It was the same with the red wine jus which looked glossy but didn’t have the body or depth of flavour that it needed not to be pointless And, as for my friend’s Sunday roast, he remarked that the meat was average with the sides and Yorkshire pudding being better.

Compared to my current steakhouse: Hawksmoor - Guildhall, this didn’t rate at all. I guess I’m much happier taking the sleekness of modern restaurants today than putting up with the idiosyncratic experience of dining here with its uneven food and service.

All in all, a quaint curio of a restaurant that’s a time capsule from days long past. One that was novel to dig into but also one I’m happy to leave buried once again for those other than me to enjoy.

Cuisine: British 🇬🇧