Halal Food Guy

I like meat, then who doesn’t? I particularly like steak and like it when it’s thick, juicy and delicious. It’s also something I’ve been cooking a lot at home, due to its simplicity and price.

That’s the pointless intro here’s the review.

Meat and co formally known as meat and wine company is regarded to have the best steak in the UK and it’s a place that has long as been on my list. Recently I met a friend who is shared a passion for food and he suggested a visit to meat & Co, I didn’t need much convincing. I booked a table online for Friday night and counted the down days.

Meat and co is situated just outside Westfield Sheppards Bush, upon arrival we were shown to our table upstairs and even the halal menu.

The restaurant definitely looked expensive, the decor was of a high standard with a view into the open kitchen.

For starters we both shared some BBQ chicken wings, these were good, a strong deep flavour and very tender, but only 3 pieces for £8.95 and I would say that I have add better, but I was not here for the chicken wings!

So on to the steak! There is a lot of choice on the menu. The steaks here are not your average halal steak, there are 2 different types of aged meats, wet and dry. Look up what each means in more detail, but in short, the process of ageing meat costs extra and releases natural flavours from the meat itself from the way the enzymes break down meat fibres.

As you can see from the menu, different cuts and different prices. I consider myself to be a lover of good meat and I really wanted to treat myself. On the opposite page of the menu is a listing for Wagyu beef. Again, look this up, but basically Wagyu is one of the top cuts of meat you can get. Famous for  incredibly high level of fat marbling, And it’s not just any fat – this is a soft fat with a low melting point, due in part to its high proportion of monounsaturated fats. Find out more here – http://www.telegraph.co.uk/foodanddrink/11406635/Whats-all-the-fuss-about-Wagyu-beef.html

So here it is.

I ordered the halal Wagyu, medium rare.

What did I think? Well I didn’t like it…. I loved it. Wow. Omg. Insert superlative here. When I cut my first piece and it entered my mouth the meat felt like it melted in the tongue. The flavours of the naturals fats and meat where incredible. It was like eating little bits of soft and tender clouds that were main from meat. It was cooked to a perfect medium rare. Im naturally a fast eater and I really savoured each mouthful. I decided to get the steak with no sauce, it’s served with a house basting of the natural juices over the meat that’s just wonderful

Honestly guys, I’m finding hard to describe how epic and awesome eating this meal was. Steak was also served with a side of chips.

So how much did this steak cost?. Well on the menu there is no price, just market value. On the day I went it was £55. Now, halal also means not spending beyond ones means and gratefully I was happy to pay this.

In most people’s book £55 is expensive for a piece of meat and there were other options that start at around £30, but it was worth the experience in my book.

My friend had the beef burger, I can’t you how it was as I only tried a little bit and didn’t want the taste of burger to conflict with my Amazing Wagyu!

The service was very good, from the moment you walk in you are greeted by staff at the front desk, top floor, then table. Our waiter was personable, attentive and friendly, and allowed us time to order and decide what to have.

After the meal I spoke to the manager in detail about the process of the way they manage the halal meat in great detail. He spoke with us about the halal aspect and the impact halal diners have had on the restaurant.

Anyway, I had a great experience and totally recommended Meat and co as the best halal steak in London, that I’ve had hands down.

My part of the bill was £65 Inc service. No drinks shared starter.

Just another thing, I want to mention the rareness of Halal Wagyu, you can’t get it easily here. If you go to your halal butcher, you can get a 300g rump steak for £4 and its around £15 for the same thing in a restaurant. Now look up the price of Wagyu from a butcher, i found it at £70 for 2 x175g, the price is £200 per KG. Compared to £8.99 for rump steak. So my value score takes this into account.

Steak and Co offer only one halal option in the menu. The halal serlion steak. It’s 6 to 8 week wet aged cut from Argentina. @steakandco

You get to pick and choice of butter and seasoning. The steak is served along with a hot stone. You get to cook the steak to how you like it. I like mine rare to medium rare. Whats nice is with the hot stone you are in control of how the meat is cooked.

 It was very juicy, soft and tender. They don’t serve the meat In a sauce or marinade, it’s all about the taste of the aged beef. I also got a side of sweet potatoes fires as well. Very nice.

However, something was missing. I got the 8oz steak, but was still hungry. It didn’t hit the spot for me. The price is £18.95, so it’s on the pricey side. However there are reasons why.

I spoke in depth with manager, who was very passionate about meat in general. It costs a lot to import wet aged meat as it needs to be regulated at a certain temperature to avoid the meat being spoilted by bacteria. Also, he mentioned that last year they only sold 4 halal steaks a week. This year they have sold 3000. Which means that they plan to introduce new Halal options in the next 2 months. So keep an eye out.
*Only one item on the menu is halal