Quality Chop House

A self-styled ‘progressive working-class caterer’ back in Victorian times, the Quality Chop House is still providing a great service under its current custodians, and its spirit is buoyant. QCH is moving with the times too – although the Grade II-listing ensures its heritage will always be faithfully preserved. In the main dining room, a central walkway with chequerboard flooring is flanked by oak benches and narrow tables with cast-iron legs, while an arched doorway offers a glimpse of the kitchen. The walls are partially panelled, with mirrors and chalkboards above. We thought the food was excellent, well-considered and ‘unapologetic in its excess’, with a few defiantly British faithfuls such as game and hazelnut terrine or Yorkshire mallard with January king cabbage rubbing shoulders with Euro-accented ideas including Suffolk lamb osso buco or Brixham pollack with brown shrimp grenobloise and celeriac. True to form, steaks and chops are the headliners: the fat cap on our mangalitza bacon chop was three-quarters of an inch thick and effortlessly melted in the mouth with an intense savouriness, while the lengthy wait for a slab of Hereford sirloin was justified by the appearance of the steak alone. Served sliced off the bone on antique crockery, the deep-brown crust lightly glistened in its own juices, while the flesh was deep-pink and cooked evenly throughout. To accompany, the much-imitated confit potatoes were wonderfully crisp, and Brussels tops made a welcome appearance gilded with Parmesan. If you still have room, desserts offer high-calorie comfort in the shape of, say, treacle tart with clotted cream or Pump Street chocolate mousse with Seville orange. Service is warm and attentive, with everything running seamlessly; staff are also spot-on when it comes to recommendations from the wide-ranging wine list. Quality Wines next door is also worth checking out.

The Quality Chop House of today was opened in 2012 but the site on London’s Farringdon Road has been home to a restaurant since 1869. And it feels it: the Grade-II listed Victorian décor and church pew style seating don’t exactly scream comfort and modernity. But then you don’t go to The Quality Chop House if you want to lounge around in soft furnishings amid low-hanging lightbulbs – you come for chef Shaun Searley’s modern and innovative cooking, not to mention the restaurant’s legendary chops. Despite being open less than a decade (in its current form, at least), The Quality Chop House already feels like a London restaurant institution, such is Searley’s seemingly effortless ability to put together a menu that is so satisfying. Simplicity is the key here, with the restaurant serving an à la carte menu for lunch and dinner. Dishes change daily although you can always expect a chop on the menu as well as a large steak and its legendary confit potatoes are seldom missing either. Beyond that you’ll more than likely come across options such as smoked cods roe accompanied by some crunchy radishes, some sort of parfait or terrine and fresh fish. Dishes come served on all manner of vintage crockery and the friendly intensity of the small kitchen to the rear is palpable. And with its wine list of interesting New World bins and some more esoteric drops, you may linger longer than at a more ‘comfy’ restaurant.