FLAT IRON
-LONDON-
London is a city with everything just a tube ride away.
But it’s difficult to decipher your surroundings when you aren’t in your own neck of the woods.
Fortunately, the best spots always seem to reveal themselves when you're looking blindly anyway.
Just around the corner from London Bridge Station on Tooley Street, is Flat Iron.
A covert and classy steakhouse surrounded in shrubbery, the dark doorway blends in amongst the busy capital.
The concept is simple – steak.
It seems popular with commuters and casuals alike, due to its prime location.
One of eight sites, Flat Iron has gained a reputation for itself –a scrumptious steak that doesn’t break the bank.
Inside is an intimate bar area, concealing the dining space.
Plants decorate the wide room that is cosily lit by draping lights.
With grand low beams and skylights, it’s like being in a snug greenhouse, that also serves a nice steak.
The exposed brickwork gives another homely element to the restaurant, making it an easy place to unwind after a long day.
We’re seated by a chatty young man, who then brings over a mug of popcorn.
It's an unusual greeting, but glorious all the same.
He explains how it’s made; with house rendered dry-aged beef dripping and fresh ground thyme salt.
I’m a sucker for a savoury snack and this doesn’t disappoint.
The dripping provides a tease of what is to come in the steak department and makes me question my unwavering loyalty to the traditional sweet and salted variety.
It’s a pleasant reception from the cold winds outside and a little something to tide us over until our food comes.
It's easily washed down with a Freedom Four lager, served in mini stein glasses.
I assume it's London's take on a pint and pork scratchings down the pub, and I'm all for it.
It’s a proper tea that: popcorn, steak, chips, and a beer.
All the beef here is sourced from British butchers and farms, and some from its personal herd reared in Thirsk, North Yorkshire.
The farmer of this fine group of cattle even gets a shout out on the menu – so cheers to Charles Ashbridge, you seem to be doing something right pal.
The menu is a clear and concise list, but the added info is a nice addition to it.
Flat Iron’s logo is similarly incorporated through the tableware.
Their branded cleavers are the necessary tool when dining here, ensuring diners are well equipped to tackle their steaks and sides.
Our server is more than happy to talk us through the menu and advises the steaks are best enjoyed medium-rare.
We each order the £12 flat iron steak, served with a house leaf salad.
Dripping chips are an unquestionable side order, yet the vegetable dishes sound equally as appealing.
The roast aubergine (£5.50) and roast cauliflower (£6.50) are calling my name.
It sounds like a sumptuous home-cooked meal.
The specials menu is always worth considering, often a modern interpretation of timeless dishes.
Today's ‘special beef’ is a barely finished Native Breed Rib Eye – while it lasts.
At £16, it’s a little steeper than the flat iron but it is a nicer piece of meat.
Our trio of steaks arrive in unison set on wooden boards, each piece looking perfectly pink and branded by the restaurant's signature cut.
It's flavourful and has a nice marbling to it, expected from a shoulder cut of the meat - but it makes it a little chewy.
Even so, for £12 in central London, you can’t complain.
The mini cleaver is a useful instrument in helping cut the thick slices of meat.
The steak is covered in hunks of kosher salt, making it glisten in the light and giving it a sharpness.
The chips are warm and filling, each evenly saturated by the beef dripping.
It seems this is a carnivores paradise with the potential to inspire some amateur butchers.
I ordered a peppercorn sauce (£1) to accompany it, but the steak is delicious enough on its own.
It’s a little on the thick side anyway, but still a good enough garnish for my chips.
The roasted veg comes in two small dishes and are an ideal vegetarian option.
A huge cauliflower floret is in one, its crown lightly crisped and covered in almonds, parsley, and capers.
It’s a sturdy side order, appropriately softened during the roasting process.
The roasted aubergine has a significantly brighter appearance - its interior now a deep maroon, surrounded by a vivid tomato and basil sauce.
A helping of 24 month matured grated parmesan tops it off, a slice of luxury in spite of its low cost.
Even though there’s more than enough steak, the roasted vegetables tie the meal together.
I’m kicking myself that I didn’t try the creamed spinach, as it’s on almost every other table in the place – for about 30 seconds, before everyone is fighting over the remains at the bottom of the bowl.
There’s always next time.
There’s a 20 pence optional charge automatically added to the bill, designated to the ‘Flat Iron Fund’.
The couple behind the company, Charlie and Sophie Carroll, decided to add the donation on the bill and match them with 10% of the companies profits.
In 2019, they had donated over £1 million to different charitable foundations, including Macmillan, Bread, and Water for Africa and Cool Earth.
It's home-cooked food in a chic capacity and a seriously chilled setting... that also does a bit of good in the world.
Even the wet floor sign is original – it’s an illustration of a cow slipping, instead of the usual stick figure.
It’s a nod to their herd residing in Yorkshire and a humorous take on health and safety apparatus.
After a few more Freedom Four lagers and a slap-up steak, I’m feeling quite free myself.
Flat Iron has earned a decent reputation for delivering simple and succulent steaks with exemplary customer service.
It certainly makes for a nice atmosphere.
It’s a refreshing style in the normally extortionate restaurant scene of London, that I'm happy to have found.
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