Special occasions are certainly times that call for a highly recommended restaurant booking, and Hawksmoor Seven Dials proved to be just that. Ankit and I celebrated our 5 year anniversary by heading to Hawksmoor Seven Dials in Covent Garden, somewhere where we have both wanted to go for a long time now, for an early dinner. I’ve previously only been to Hawksmoor Seven Dials once, so I kind of knew my way around the menu, the cuts and had my own personal recommendations as to what to order.
You may ask why Hawksmoor, in particular? Anyone who knows a thing or two about good steak know that the team at Hawksmoor really know their stuff when it comes to prime cuts. The restaurant itself is beautifully decorated, setting the mood with such sophistication for any special occasion. The food is cooked to each individual taste, and it’s likely that you won’t find anything on the menu that doesn’t entice you.
So when someone asks me why Hawksmoor? My response is, why not?!
Ankit had actually added a special request when making the booking at Seven Dials, noting that it was a special anniversary for us, which the team at Hawskmoor took note of – going out of their way to make it a special one for us.
Located a short walk from Covent Garden station, the mammoth black doors at the entrance of the building almost makes it seem as though you are walking into a secret world. You cannot look into the restaurant, which just adds to the mystery and feel of entering somewhere completely different. On entrance, you are pleasantly greeted by elements of gold and bronze décor, a complete contrast to what you would expect walking through giant black doors.
The seating area for the restaurant was split into two areas, though it was still one large dining area. As you head downstairs, the bar is directly in front of you with additional seating for those who just want to pop in for a glass of wine, or cocktails (I thoroughly recommend the Champagne Charlie). Whereas the seating area is on the other side of the dining room, away from the bar for those who want a more secluded dining experience.
The team at Hawksmoor welcome you with such genuineness and were willing to strike up a conversation, and give recommendations where needed. They were attentive and willing to go out of their way to give you the true Hawsmoor dining experience. Although they do add a discretionary 12.5% service charge to the bill, you really do get what you pay for at the Hawksmoor. I’ve found with some places, where they do slap a discretionary service charge on the bill, the service does drop. This wasn’t the case at the Hawksmoor.
We went for the express menu – 2 courses for £25.00, which is great value if you are going for an early dinner, or even heading their for lunch. On top of the express menu, we wanted to try a few additional sides and starters, just to get a real feel of the flavours.
We shared the Burrarta with asparagus, bone marrow with onions and crab on toast. If there is one starter you really want to go for it’s the bone marrow with onions. It’s certainly an acquired taste, but it really opens up your taste-buds, and isn’t something you see on menus on a general.
Obviously if you’re going somewhere likes Hawksmoor, and a steak is not off the options list, go for a perfectly cooked steak to your preference – we went for the rump steak, with triple cooked chips and beef dripping fries, along with an additional side of sweet potato. If steak is a no go for you, there are other alternatives such as Sea Bream or Dumplings.
I can honestly say that the steak was cooked to perfection, and teamed up with gravy and Béarnaise sauce you really cannot go wrong. You could really taste the quality of the meat, and meticulous way the steak was tenderly cooked.
The team at Hawskmoor, in particular Richard, who was our waiter, certainly made special effort to make our experience amazing. The atmosphere in the restaurant itself is enough to make you to make a booking.
You can make a reservation at Hawksmoor Seven Dials here.
Have you ever been to Hawksmoor?
