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En path to Sophie’s Steakhouse, an American-themed restaurant in Chelsea, I assumed in regards to the UK’s somewhat complicated emotions about US meals. Our cousins over the pond have all the time laughed at British “fayre” – they chortle at our noticed dicks, steak-and-kidney puddings and fry-ups – and, extra typically, snigger on the drab, mediocre pub grub they must endure after they’re over right here. What they hardly ever grasp, nevertheless, is that we guffaw proper again at them, for his or her wasteful enormo-sandwiches, breakfast potatoes, half-and-half cream and the way their nationwide dish now appears to be deep-frozen popcorn shrimp.
Even so, we Brits typically eat somewhat higher in America, as a result of there’s a sense of largesse within the States, in addition to chipper, tip-based customer support to which we’re completely unused. It’s no shock, then, that a few of us look to recreate that feeling again house, which explains why manufacturers similar to Massive Straightforward Bar BQ & Crabshack and Sophie’s Steakhouse thrive, to not point out the roadside OK Diners the place you will get a chilli and cheese hotdog with tornado fries and a blue bubblegum-flavoured “Million Greenback” shake.
Sophie’s is a little more refined than that. It’s a traditional US-style grill bar that’s open seven days every week and serves prawn cocktails, rooster wings with blue cheese dip and corn ribs, alongside ribeye, butcher’s lower rump and sirloin steaks. There’s a traditional hamburger with a dill pickle, and a chargrilled tuna steak with avocado, and waffle cone ice-cream for afters.
Sophie’s will not be loud, blaring or gimmicky. It’s the genteel face of steak consuming – that is Chelsea, in any case – however it’s breezy sufficient to go as a household group with out worrying about making an excessive amount of noise. It places me in thoughts of all these faceless, run-of-the-mill, family-owned grill eating places that I’ve chanced upon in upstate New York, Florida and even California. Sophie’s will not be pretending to be something new, experimental or remotely earth-shattering. Slightly, it’s quietly decided to be merely “someplace to go” whenever you fancy a centre lower fillet with a jug of peppercorn sauce and baked alaska for pudding.
Sure, there may be paprika rubbed on these excellent corn ribs, and harissa within the mayo that comes with the courgette fritters, however the meals is resolutely, safely unadventurous. Shockingly so, in some instances: I’d ordered the grilled candy potato facet to go along with my primary, imagining one thing baked, whipped with butter, gilded with herbs and spices, and completed below a grill, solely to obtain a plain candy potato, simply parboiled and grilled. It was the type of British cooking that the Individuals have laughed at for the previous 20 years.
Nonetheless, whereas no one ever leaves Sophie’s pondering, “Gosh, that modified my life”, service is vibrant and swift, they throw home salami in your desk whenever you sit down and supply buttermilk wings which can be crisp, beautiful and much too sizzling to eat. That tuna steak was gargantuan, which doesn’t occur typically nowadays, and got here topped with avocado, tomato and crimson onion. Charles’s “home fries”, which I stole following my disappointment with the candy potato, had been superb (as stolen chips so continuously are). He ordered his ribeye uncommon, and it arrived as bloody as required; the peppercorn sauce that got here with it, nevertheless, was oddly lacklustre, whereas the creamed spinach was precise spinach, not canned – which is sweet – however was unseasoned and drowning in an ocean of cream. The home salad, in the meantime, was contemporary and beneficiant, and featured a great, sharp French dressing.
“If this place was subsequent door,” I abruptly discovered myself saying, “I’d come right here lots.” As a result of, among the many numerous duds and “what the hell?”s, there are literally some first rate issues to eat, similar to these corn ribs, the smoked mackerel paté and the crispy squid with aïoli that supplied all of the oily, crunchy pleasure of consuming at an American bar with out having to shell out £450 to get to Florida.
For dessert, we ordered a darkish chocolate brownie that was extra like a sq. of heat sponge cake and got here smothered in chocolate sauce, Jackson-Pollocked with custard and served with a scoop of excellent vanilla ice-cream. I defy anybody to not be cheered by that. I used to be useless set on the waffle cone, although it’s clearly for youngsters. But when there may be any upside to ageing, it needs to be the shortage of self-consciousness you might have about lapping a mango sorbet, letting it soften and run down your arm, earlier than crunching the chocolate-rimmed cone proper all the way down to the purpose. Sure, folks nudged one another and made feedback, however that made it all of the extra fulfilling.
Sophie’s does a somewhat extra refined berry mess and burnt cheesecake, too, however that waffle cone was scrumptious. I had come searching for Santa Monica, however it turned out the bit I loved essentially the most was Margate pier.
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Sophie’s Steakhouse 311-313 Fulham Street, London SW10, 020-7352 0088. Open all week, Mon-Thur 5-10pm, Fri 5-11pm, Sat noon-11pm, Solar noon-9.30pm. From about £40 a head for 3 programs à la carte; pre-7pm/post-10pm set menu, £18 for 2 programs, £21 for 3, all plus drinks & service
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The brand new collection of Grace Dent’s Consolation Consuming podcast begins on Tuesday 26 September. Take heed to it right here.
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Be part of Grace Dent in London, Manchester or through the livestream this October for a collection of Guardian Dwell occasions the place she can be discussing her new e book, Consolation Consuming (Guardian Faber, £20). Tickets obtainable right here. To pre-order a duplicate of the e book for £16, go to guardianbookshop.com
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