What could be easier than grilling a piece of raw meat to a customer's specifications? Sadly, quite a lot. We all know the sense of annoyance in a good restaurant when a steak arrives that is anything but cooked as we had hoped, whether it be medium, rare or even well done. An added disappointment is when it has no flavour to boot. I have always had a passion for good steak and not just because of the taste. Cooked properly, it is an exquisite accompaniment to fine wine, especially the more robust varieties from the Rhône Valley in France or the better regions of the New World. These four establishments have a fetish about getting it right, even to the extent of importing cuts from around the globe and then ageing them as required.
RESTAURANG AG
Kronobergsgatan 37, Stockholm, Sweden, +46 8 410 681 00, restaurangag.se
Restaurant AG, which is on the site of a former silver workshop, has the buzz of a very hip private club (in fact, one half of the room is actually a bar). Guests are confronted by a vast range of chilled storage rooms along one wall, with whole sides of beef from around the globe. The décor is shabby industrial-chic, with original white tiling on the walls, and a room dominated by large rustic tables. The local meat is provided by Fällmans Kött, purveyors to the Swedish royal family, but there is also a wide variety of cuts from the rest of Europe and the United States. Most popular are the entrecote and porterhouse (T-Bone) steak, with cochinillo (roast suckling pig) also
in big demand. AG also provides communal helpings of veal shanks and other traditional dishes for an entire table. Price for two with wine £180
OFFICINA DELLA BISTECCA
Via XX Luglio, 11 Panzano in Chianti Firenze, Tuscany, Italy, +39 055 852176, dariocecchini.com
One of the best steak houses in Italy is to be found in a room above a butcher's shop in Panzano, in Chianti. Tuscan butcher Dario Cecchini has legendary status in his homeland, especially when it comes to the iconic bistecca alla Fiorentina — an oversized T-bone or porterhouse cut grilled over hot coals and served with a dash of Tuscan olive oil. Rather than using the local Chianina ox, Cecchini sources his meat from organically reared Catalonian cattle, which he hangs for
30 days. The results justify his claim that his bistecca has greater succulence and flavour. The room — less than an hour from Florence — is only open four times a week or by appointment,
but steaks and more obscure dishes made from less usual body parts are served in his other restaurant opposite. Price for two with wine £85
HAWKSMOOR SEVEN DIALS
11 Langley St, London WC2, 020 7856 2154, http://thehawksmoor.co.uk
Sitting in the basement of an old brewery in Covent Garden, Hawksmoor excels in its mission to provide the best steaks in London. Apart from the normal offerings of fillet — bone in or out —
of sirloin and rib eye, a blackboard displays larger pieces that a table can share. The steaks, which are hung for at least 35 days and charcoal grilled, come from the Ginger Pig butchery and are mainly Longhorn cattle from North Yorkshire. The Hawksmoor also boasts that it can procure any cut of meat that you require, with 48 hours notice. Customers may bring in their own wine on Mondays for a flat fee of £5, and there is a Steak Club for those who desire a more ritualised private experience. Price for two with wine £125
CHARBON ROUGE
25 rue Marbeuf, Paris, France, +33 1 40 70 09 99, charbonrouge.com
Many of the leading chefs in Paris beat a path to the door of Fernando Periche, the former Dominican Republic diplomat who is proprietor of Charbon Rouge. And no wonder. He serves some of the best steak on the planet. Whether
it is Wagyu from Japan, Charolais from France, Black Angus from the US or Hereford from Argentina. Every meat item on the menu is described along with its precise weight. It is quite possible to try a Wagyu variety from Australia against the original Japanese or an Argentinean sirloin against its American rival. Steak apart, there is also perfectly cooked bone marrow, venison patties on mashed potato or grilled Camembert with layers of Périgord truffles. Price for two with wine £140
BA flies to Stockholm, Florence and Paris from London. Visit ba.com.
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