CHOP SHOP, HAYMARKET

Another reason I had a great weekend (other than the discovery of the Dirty Bones Mac and Cheese Burger) was that I went to the theatre to see Jersey Boys. I don't go to the theatre as often as I'd like to, probably because it is super expensive once you factor in drinks and supper, so when we do go, it is a real treat. I know it would be more sensible to do a "theatre dinner" but I had other ideas and instead Pascal and I went to try Chop Shop. It has been opened exactly a year and I have wanted to go since before it even opened.

It is a steak house bought to us from New York - and as a American fanatic, I thought the whole thing looked great. It has a very relaxed atmosphere - you can pop in for cocktails and bar snacks, share various "planks" (such as a cured meat platter) or "crocks" (such as chicken wings) or "jars" (such as liver mousse). Then there are also salads on the menu, steaks, chops and even pasta. I had absolutely no idea what to have!!!

We started with a cocktail - I am never sure that I don't prefer just a gin and tonic but I decided to be adventurous and so ordered a Royal Blush which was Absolut vodka, mint, fresh lime and morello cherry sparkling wine. I was a bit dubious about it but it was yum - not too sweet and very refreshing.

If you have drinks at the bar you can order "The Butcher's Platter" which looks awesome - think a combination of scotch eggs, cheese and oxtail croquettes etc however as we were sitting at a table we weren't allowed it. Pretty disappointed. However we rectified the matter by ordering 4 starters!! We ordered the cotechino scotch egg with salsa verde - this was very good, meaty but with a perfectly runny egg. The salsa verde was also yum however I prefer it with mustard.

We also ordered the pulled pork sausage roll which was served with a bacon and tomato relish - absolutely delicious. Moist stuffing, light pastry and the relish was incredible….I guess it is what bacon jam tastes like (something I have always thought was seriously weird)!

Crab is one of my all time favourites so I had to order a jar of crab cocktail, avocado and marie rose sauce served with sourdough. It was so flavoursome - a perfect combination of all the ingredients. Pascal doesn't like crab so I was very happy to polish the lot off by myself!!

Our forth and final starter we ordered was the prosciutto and mortadella meatballs baked in tomato sauce. These were great although definitely lacked in Parmesan (they only had the smallest of sprinkling). However they tasted fantastic with the tomato sauce and crusty sourdough bread.

For mains I was tempted by the beef patty sandwich / burger but we decided to share the Cumbrian aged bone-in sirloin (with béarnaise sauce) along with some fries and a salad of baby gem, creamy Gorgonzola, pancetta and marinated string beans.

The steak was huge and perfectly cooked blue in the middle for Pascal and rare on the edges for me, it was really appetizing. However the béarnaise sauce was a real disappointment - they need to work on that, it was basically just creamy with no flavour whatsoever.

The salad was delectable - really good - I wish more restaurants did a blue cheese salad. It had a great amount of sauce, fresh lettuce and crispy pancetta….the beans were a good addition but not really necessary.

Finally the fries were great but by this time I was fit to burst so I could only fit in a couple…..unfortunately!!

It was an incredible meal - staff were very helpful and friendly and I noticed they could do some big group bookings too which is always helpful to know. They also have live music and can hold large parties in the basement. Despite the disappointment of the béarnaise sauce, everything else was top notch. It was definitely worth my year wait and I will definitely head back again - even if it's just to sample this butcher's board and more cocktails! PS I have seen on Facebook they also have a burger of the week….I "need' to try that too!

Chop Shop

66 Haymarket,
London
SW1Y 4RF
Tel: 020 7842 8501
Email: enquiries@chopshopuk.com