Is This £18 Steak And Wine Deal Worth It?

Some of the prices for a slap-up steak meal in the West End are enough to make carnivore turncoat to veggie. Even at good-old Angus Steakhouse, the simplest slab of meat — orphaned from sides and sauce — can set you back well over £20. So a £18pp steak and wine menu (chips and sauce thrown in) is tempting, even if it is dished up in a hotel grill.

In actuality Amba Marble Arch's tourist-baiting bargain is something of a mixed bag: at first glance, the well-laden board promises much; and indeed, the mini-deep-fryer-basketed chips come fat, juicy and well-salted; the grilled tomato is a nice touch. Though our peppercorn sauce screams out for the pizzazz of whole peppercorns, our companion's Bearnaise is as silky and buttery as it should be. The wine too — a measure of Between Thorns cab sav — is probably better than it needs to be, especially as it's advertised as 'complimentary'.  

It's with the steak that we have beef: both the sirloin and the rib-eye are decent are generous enough 227g cuts. But one comes over-zealously cooked, while both contain fatty rinds that our teeth are unable to tackle. It's frustrating when a meal's clean-your-plate tasty, yet your gnashers won't let you.

Steak and wine deal,  Amba Hotel Marble Arch, daily, pre-book only