Sophie’s Steakhouse in Covent Garden: service with a smile

29-31 Wellington Street, WC2E 7DB

I really love steak, but a good steak is often hard to come by. Sometimes, places that boast about the superiority of their cuts can let you down (*cough* MASH *cough*). It’s often a trade-off between price and value and some restaurants tend to forget that the sides and sauces can be just as important as the meat itself.

With that preambling introduction, let me preface this blog post by saying that Sophie’s Steakhouse far exceeded my expectations. From the service to the cocktails, the chips to the Béarnaise, and finally the steak itself, everything was wonderful. Add to that the company of the amazing Baking Medic, and you have the perfect evening.

It’s really the little things that make all the difference. Sophie’s Steakhouse has a luggage rack above or near most of the tables, which allows guests to place their bags and coats out of mind, but not out of sight. The giant fridge with beef cuts breeds intrigue before ordering. The service is not only courteous but genuinely friendly, something that is hard to come by in London. Dishes and drinks were recommended without being too pushy, and the smiles never seemed forced.

But the most important thing is that the food lives up to all of the above. Nothing needed additional seasoning, which is rare, especially for me! A shared platter of ham hock and mackerel terrine came with minutely sliced crispy bread and a smattering of gherkins. Without even asking, we were offered more bread when the proportions didn’t quite match up, so we could finish off the terrine in style.

For the main event, I opted for the fillet, whilst my friend chose the rib eye, and both were melt-in-the-mouth delicious. Perfectly cooked to medium rare and medium, respectively, and seasoned just right, it was the best steak I’ve had since the solomillo in Cordoba! The Béarnaise sauce was subtle, but complemented the steak in the best way.

The side of chips was crispy yet wholesome, and packed so densely that they were still hot at the end of the meal. My companion declared that they rated ‘extremely high on the chip scale’, which is quite an astounding compliment.

And let’s not forget the cocktails! I ordered Kiki’s Mojito by default, as Kiki is my nickname, and we also tried the Covent Garden and the Passion Fruit Spiked Lemonade (we may have decided to forgo dessert in favour of another cocktail…). Every cocktail was differently flavoured and each one was delicious in its own way. I could definitely see myself visiting Sophie’s Steakhouse just to indulge in these marvellous concoctions.

The restaurant was a little noisy, and the slightly dark interior means my photos aren’t as good as I’d like, but overall it was an immensely enjoyable dining experience, mostly due to the food, but also the fantastic service. I look forward to returning soon!

These meal was offered courtesy of Zomato UK and Sophie’s Steakhouse. All views are my own.