Even though most of the recipes I post on this blog happen to be vegetarian/vegan (thank my laziness and love of vegetables for that), I do love a good steak.
Preferably one that’s been seared to rare, smokey perfection by a pro (aka. not me).
In my quest of London’s best, I had heard much praise about the Macellaio RC ‘butchery with tables’ mini group.
Many of my Italian friends had named it as their favourite restaurant in London. No small fate.
In true Italian spirit, Macellaio RC is all about simple dishes made incredible through a dedication to the excellence of Italian produce.
In the franchise founder’s own words, “Macellaio Roberto Costa […] aspires to be a praise to the animal, but above all to the work of the artisan farmers that devote their lives to this passionate world”.
The restaurants themselves, set up as modern, welcoming, warm Italian trattoria, mirrors this objective.
With brick wall, wooden accents, a myriade of trinkets reflecting the diversity of Italian crafts, big windows looking into the ‘meat room’, an open-air Ligurian bakery and a stage dedicated to butchery and carving, the Union Street restaurant looks like a dining theatre dedicated to the cult of good food.
Wanting to make the most of it all, we went for a bit of everything…
Starting with salami and house-made, cloud-like focaccia, drenched in super fruity olive oil.
And a couple of glasses of good Italian wine, of course!
We then tried Macellaio RC Union Street’s specialty – the pissa.
A form of pizza originating from 15th century Genova, the pissa dough is made from very strong flour and risen at cold temperature for 60 to 90 hours, resulting in a super crispy thin crust.
Topped with just a smearing of cream, it’s the perfect little nibble before moving onto the main event.
The meat!
Being a greedy little French girl, I couldn’t resist the tartare.
Served very simply with Tuscan extra virgin olive oil, salt, pepper, it allows the quality of the Fassona breed beef to shine.
But the true star of the show – Macellaio signature Fiorentina T-Bone steak.
Aged for 6-8 weeks, butchered and grilled in house and served with fluffy triple-cooked chips, it’s a meat lover’s dream come true.
Cooked to perfection, with crispy fat on the edges and deep, smokey-umami flavours…
The rumors were true – London’s best steak is at Macellaio’s!
After that beast of a meal, you might be tempted to skip pudding.
Don’t. Get the basil panna cotta. It’s light and fresh, wonky in all the right ways and an absolute must-try.
Be-leaf me!
Macellaio RC Union Street, Arch 24, 229 Union Street, London SE1 0LR
What else to do/see/eat in Bankside?
A British cocktail masterclass at Hixter Bankside
I dinned as a guest of the restaurant for this visit.
Cake and Whisky 