Meat House London – Islington

Meat House London (MHL) is a “Steakhouse & Bar” that’s large and spacious.

Seating capacity of 80

With leather-style brown seating and Ikea inspired pendant lamps, no expenses seem to have been spared in decking this place out. The restaurant’s smart decor and brightly lit ambience will certainly leave a lasting impression.

Though MHL is said to be Halal certified, it does have a cocktail bar, and a large one at that, near its entrance.

Having said that, however, a table or booth can easily be found a comfortable distance away from said bar for those sensitive to such things.

All cooking takes place downstairs in the basement by chefs who, we were told, “have worked under top chefs”.

What is more, everything is in-house made aside from the sweet potatoes and fries.

Passion Fruit Cocktail, Watermelon Cocktail, £6.50 each; Oreo Cookie Milkshake, £7.50.

This fizzy passion fruit cocktail maybe a little too sweet for some, but there was no questioning its strength of flavour and the tangy-lemony after kick.

The Watermelon Cocktail, however, seemed to have sugar added to it making it far sweeter, though less fizzy, than its counterpart. The flavour of the watermelon came through well.

Although the shake came to us attractively packaged, with a whole Oreo and a waffle stick for garnish, it was a little on the milky side. Despite that, it was well made.

King Prawn – 6 grilled king prawns in a lemon, garlic & butter marinade served with a sweet chilli dip, £7.45.

A simple, straightforward dish this. The king prawns were a tad chewy, but the squeeze of lemon made these a pleasant alternative to the oft-ordered wings and nachos.

Nachos – Tortilla chips serves with cheese, guacamole, jalapenos, salsa & sour cream, £5.95, with Chilli Con Carne, extra £1.50.

Though nothing negative, this was met by mixed reviews. While considered average by one Lion, the others appreciated it for both its freshness and its distinct flavours and textures.

With ordinary Dorito-style crunchy nachos, and a well made yet mildly spiced Chilli Con Carne, this starter had proper melted cheese and not the usual cream cheese as a topping, finely diced fresh tomatoes, crunchy red onions, and the rest of the condiments, which all combined to deliver a tangy cacophony of flavours and textures.

Buffalo Wings – BBQ, Hot Sauce and Teriyaki sprinkled with sesame seeds. Five per portion, £5.95.

The wings were well cooked enough, but tiny little things! Usually served five per portion, what we had for review purposes were all the flavours on offer.

The Hot Sauce was strong in its Tabasco flavour though a tad salty; the Teriyaki subtle in taste; and the BBQ mild, yet the best of the three.

Overall, quite disappointing!

Short Ribs with side and sauce of your choice, £14.95.

These tender, slow cooked, smoky-sweet BBQ short ribs were full of flavour and succulent. With a smooth, creamy mash and an assortment of well cooked veggies, this proved to be a satisfying dish.

All burgers are served with a side & slaw. Choose from brioche or wholemeal bun.

Juicy Lucy – Beef patty, Monterey Jack cheese, pulled beef, lettuce, tomato, red onion, American cheese and mayo, £11.95.

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Isn’t the above image a stunning one? And this Juicy Lucy certainly lived up to her name – a medium well done burger that was quite something.

The meat was juicy, tender, full of flavour, and went really well with the pulled beef, caramelised red onions, and a good amount of mayo.

We were left thoroughly impressed and licking our fingers.

Chicken Schintzel – Crispy chicken breast with lettuce, tomato, red onion, & zingy mayo, £7.95.

Decent attempt here at a simple chicken burger.

Not quite as good as the one we had at BRGR.Co, but the chicken breast here was incredibly crispy.

And though relatively flavourful, what this burger needed, or more accurately, lacked was a good, complementary sauce.

Just needs that something extra to lift it.

Mushroom Halloumi – Portobello mushroom, Halloumi, lettuce, tomato, red onion & zingy mayo, £8.45.

Had to give this Halloumi-based burger a try after voting Band of Burgers’ (BoB) Halloumi of Fame as one of London’s best.

This wasn’t quite as good, but it was still pretty decent.

With a crispy bun, and good layers, the flavours here weren’t as distinct as BoB’s; nevertheless, the Halloumi was well cooked and the burger full of flavour.

What it perhaps needed, however, was more sauce to bring it altogether into a coherent whole.

Tomahawk 17oz. £34.95

All steaks are served with a side and a sauce of your choice – Bearnaise, Mushroom or Peppercorn.

The Bearnaise was deliciously buttery and chivy. The Pepper was mild and delicate in flavour, though perhaps a little over watery.

But the Mushroom… oh the Mushroom was unbelievable! Rich and buttery, and so addictive that we were compelled to have it twice over. This 14-day dry-aged Tomahawk was just cooked to medium and was amazingly succulent, meaty, chewy in places, and very, very satisfying.

The side we opted for was the spicy rice. Glad we did too because not only was the rice well cooked, but also aromatic with the spices lingering on the palate and a light pleasant burning sensation left at the back of throat.

All in all, the rice went really well with the steak, the crunchy and fresh coleslaw, and the assortment of well-cooked charred vegetables – vine tomatoes, carrots and courgettes.

Grilled Salmon – marinated in a lemon, parsley, garlic butter sauce with a side & salad, £14.95.

Really enjoyed this grilled Salmon dish too. Perfectly cooked with an ultra-crispy glazed top, the salmon steaks were tender and juicy. A great alternative if you’re looking for something other than all that meat.

Caramel Peanut Crepe – Crushed peanuts, peanut butter, chocolate flakes & caramel drizzle, £6.50

These crepes weren’t bad, but they weren’t that outstanding either. The non-crispy crepe was soft with a thick layer of gooey peanut butter on the inside.

The combination of this along with the chocolate flakes, vanilla ice cream, and peanut sauce made for a tasty end to the meal.

Chocolate Brownie Crepe – Warm chocolate brownie with chocolate flakes & vanilla drizzle, £6.50.

Again, this crepe had a lovely thick layer of chocolate brownie on the inside with a slight bitter aftertaste. Quite tasty when combined with the rest.

Mango & Coconut Waffle, £6.50.

There waffles had more of a cake-like texture than the familiar lighter texture of a freshly cooked waffle. Having said that though, it was okay.

We didn’t quite pick up on the coconut flavour. And we would have also preferred the mangoes to perhaps be grilled and, thus, slightly caramelised to bring an additional texture to the dish, rather than just added on top.

Banana Toffee Waffle – Banana, chocolate flakes & toffee drizzle, £6.50.

Again, having bananas lazily cut up and plonked atop of a waffle doesn’t make us want to jump up and down in joy.

Why not do something different, like grill them to add a sticky, caramelised texture that would then properly complement the cold vanilla ice cream. For what it was though, the overall combo of flavours were pleasant enough.

Is this Pegasus street art genuine?

This piece of art was apparently there since before MHL moved in. What do you think, a genuine Pegasus street art?