John C.
Yelp
"A memorable experience from start to finish"!
This was, for my wife and I, our first visit to a Goodmans Steak house and like many, after reading reviews, was very much looking forward to our experience at Goodmans. I decided to resist any food during the day in preparation for my date with what I can only describe as one of, if not, the best steaks I have eaten.
A lovely warm welcome awaited us as we entered and after our coats and shopping were put into the cloakroom, we were both shown to our table and informed that our drinks order will be taken shortly. As for the decor, I quite liked it, it seemed very much in tune with what the restaurant is all about. Dark wood, low lighting and just enough class to know you were not inside one of those god awful Aberdeen steak house joints that quite frankly should be prosecuted for false advertising!!
Our waiter along with our drinks offered us the menu as well as the blackboard proudly showing "cut of the day", allowing us to view what was on offer aside from the standard menu. He then proudly displayed in its raw format, various cuts explaining how the flavours vary from corn fed USDA to grass fed cattle, how the marbling affects flavour etc... We were then left to make our choice.
I was dying to see the display of cuts showcasing in a big glass fronted cold store that incidentally, are all aged on the premises and after striking up a polite conversation with a waitress, she asked if I wanted to go inside and have a better view. Well I was not about to turn that offer down and after a few minutes the head chef led my wife and I into the kitchen and through to the cold store to view the outstanding array of ageing beef all carefully labelled awaiting there turn to hit the famous "Josper Grill"! The first thing that hits you when you enter the cold store is the unbelievable smell, very beefy (ya don't say) but also a sweetness which definitely had the saliva glands working overtime, it was a carnivores delight.
He then unexpectantly led us on a tour of the kitchen showing us the grills and answering any questions we had to offer. You do get a sense that the staff are proud of what they do at Goodmans, which can only be beneficial to the end product that is served on a plate.
As we both prefer the Rib-eye cut, we were advised by our waiter to opt for the bone in USDA 850g to share which was cooked medium rare along with sides we chose of truffle chips (gorgeous), mac n cheese (heavenly) and Josper onions (superb).
I'm all for sharing, however just not very good at it according to my wife, so I would probably choose to have my own steak next time in order not to confuse matters of what's mine and what's yours scenario that could inadvertently lead to steak knives at ten paces!!
All was cooked to perfection when it arrived at our table and there was more than enough rib-eye to satisfy both our needs including a cheeky gnaw on the bone which I could have quite happily taken onto the tube for our trip home to further enhance what I already had experienced at Goodmans. The juiciness and flavour of the steak was exceptional, just the right amount of char on the outside to give a little crunchy texture and the soft meaty middle that quite literally sent my endorphins into a spin! I think the waiter got the message after politely asking if all was to our requirements, just by the look on our faces. He simply chuckled and moved on!
Two tips: 1. Make sure you have an empty stomach before visiting!
2. We had a reservation for 18:30 which is probably why we were treated to a little tour as it was not overly busy around that time.
We have already planned our next trip with friends so the sharing option is definitely out of the window! Well, you wouldn't want to become enemies now would you.