Beefbar

It had every chance to be overrated. It wasn’t.

Beefbar had every opportunity to be just another overpriced restaurant, but on the contrary, it delivered. The Beefy Bravas were absurdly good, the Mini “Big” Smash was dangerously close to perfect, and the Picanha Suprema can only be described as "the perfect steak". Even the truffle fries, which are usually where most restaurants fail to present a decent side-dish , were excellent. The Japanese-style tagliata was the weakest dish of the night, but “weakest” here still means very good rather than something I’d complain about theatrically on the drive home. Service was flawless, the atmosphere felt polished without becoming stiff, and the whole experience had that rare quality of feeling expensive without feeling like you’d been scammed. Starter portions could be a little more generous, but the quality was high enough that I’m willing to forgive the arithmetic. Extra points for being genuinely cat-friendly, because any restaurant that understands a cat minding its own business is not a public emergency is already operating at a higher level of civilisation. And then there’s Jimmy, the resident feline ambassador, who somehow managed to improve the atmosphere without taking an order, carrying a plate, or pretending to care about our booking. Frankly, management material. The Marbled Chocolate Bar finished things exactly as it should: rich, polished, and dangerously easy to keep eating after common sense had left the building. Would I go back? Absolutely. Beefbar is expensive, but this was one of those rare dinners where the food, service, atmosphere, and Jimmy collectively made the bill difficult to argue with.