Misha Zelman is a restauranteur that knows no boundaries. Let me explain, he owns Goodman’s (his first venture in the UK), Burger & Lobster (the odd place that has cheap lobster but overpriced burgers), the outrageous Beast (where they sell king crab the size of planets with steak), and now (well since 2016) Zelman Meats. It’s tucked away in St Anne’s Court of Soho, a site formally occupied by Misha’s seafood venture Rex & Mariano, (Londoner’s prefer meat apparently), but prior to that, from as long as I can remember, there was a sticky floored establishment that sold alcoholic shots by the rack, bright enough to light up a dark country lane. I know what I’d rather have.
Tuna tartare, avocado, soy sauce, lemon and lime £10 was a welcome starter that we all loved.
Tiger prawn tempura with “Holy F*ck” mayo £8 were gobbled without hesitation.
We went for 500g of brisket £35 which was moist, seasoned well and there was little else to wish for – the quality was just sublime.
We also ordered 4 lots of short rib at £12 for 250g – they smoke them here, then glazed them twice over. The result gets the saliva glands going like taps.
The BBQ sauce had a balance of sweetness, heat and was a flavour punch to the taste buds. The quality of the meat was high though, so it didn’t need any condiments in my honest opinion.
They had a “specials” board and the one that was recommended to us was the O’Shea bone in ribeye at £48 for 600g. The beautiful piece of meat was cooked with the respect it deserved as within that caramelisation, the flesh was cooked to a perfect mid-rare. It was so tender, yielding, and full of deep beefiness.
Black truffle and parmesan chips £8 were chunky, crisp and fluffy in the middle, exactly how excellent chips should be – the truffle parmesan concoction just added exuberance.
Charred hispi cabbage is slathered with a rich sauce of chilli, garlic and anchovies £5.50 – it was another triumph.
Aubergine with miso hummus, crispy shallot, cucumber, coriander and lashings of mint £6 was a treat to eat too.
Everything was washed down by this full-bodied rich plonk £40.
Oh and a Tommy’s Margarita for good measure. Too sweet for me though.
There are only 2 deserts on offer and one of them is this warm chocolate brownie with vanilla ice cream £5.50, with a generous amount of chocolate sauce, so good it deserves a place in anyone’s pudding pilgrimage.
Homemade apple pie with vanilla ice cream £5.50 could have been one of the best apple pies to ever bless my mouth.
The pastry chef with his fantastic beard hadn’t realised we ordered desert already, but was so keen on us trying them he brought them over personally before our order came! What a nice touch – its things like this that elevates the experience. Happy days.
The verdict:
When did I go? Oct 2016
The damage: Expect to pay £60-£80 per head.
The good: I’m finding it really hard to pick fault in my experience at Zelman Meats – there is enough here to please any meat lover, sublime BBQ, stunning steak, drool-worthy sides and stellar puddings. Full to empty it didn’t disappoint and after eating here I can’t argue with the restaurant’s mantra: “We do a small number of things, but we do them well.”
The bad: Not a lot really!
Rating: 4.5/5
Would I go again? Yes
Address: 2 St Anne’s Ct, Soho, London W1F 0AZ
Web: https://zelmanmeats.com
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