An English Steakhouse Gillrays

An English Steakhouse. It’s a bit of a rarity in London. Gillray’s at the County Hall Marriot is one of those elusive places that serves quality English Beef.

Gillrays is laid out as a circular bar with large picture windows overlooking the Thames which leads into an elongated dining room, making the most out of its position along this scenic stretch of the river. At each table, you can catch a glimpse of the London Eye or the Houses of Parliament.

Gillrays English Steak House at Marriot County Hall

At a recent visit for lunch, we enjoyed a drink in the bar before adjourning to our table with a view for lunch.

The main menu is quite concise with a choice of several English themed starters and mains. There is also a lunch menu of 2 or3 courses. Being a steakhouse the main attraction was a variety of cuts of meats including their signature Bull’s Head which is a 1kg of meat which should be enough for 2 people sharing.

We opted for the duck liver parfait and a scallops with black pudding for starters. The scallops were cooked jut right and the black pudding was delicious.

scallops and black pudding

Duck Liver Parfait

The duck liver parfait was an odd bowl of warm and runny liver mousse served with some sour dough toast. It tasted fine but the consistency was unexpected and this was probably the least successful dish the meal.

For mains, it had to be steak. I had a rib eye steak and my companion had the fillet steak (not the lady fillet which is the name that butchers give to the thinner end of a fillet). The beef is Aberdeen Angus from Yorkshire, and much to our delight it is grass fed (but barley finished) and had been dry aged for 35 days and cooked on a Montague grill at 500⁰C.

Main courses served with a smil

We also had to have the triple cooked chips and some bone marrow to go with the steaks. We both loved the steaks but my companion didn’t take to the roasted bone marrow. Our food was served with much enthusiasm by Anthony, the restaurant manager and he was extremely patient with our endless questions about the provenance of the beef, cooking techniques, etc.

steaks, marrow bone and triple cooked chips

On the pudding menu, the main attraction was their signature boozy sherry trifle. This came deconstructed in a jam jar filled with the sponge, custard and cream. On the side was a glass of sherry which you had to pour in yourself. The portion was rather large and although delicious, it was a real struggle to finish after a big piece of steak. The other pudding we tried was the flourless chocolate cake which was a chocolate lovers dream.

English sherry trifle

Flourless chocolate cake

It was a thoroughly enjoyable English meal in a stunning location. If you are visiting London, this is a great place to stop for lunch after sightseeing around Westminster.

Gillrays also offers a lunch menu at £22 or 3 courses at £27, both served with a gin cocktail.

Gillray's Steakhouse & Bar on Urbanspoon

Eat Cook Explore was a guest of Gillrays.

 

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