This Anglo-American Roast Comes With 'Empire State' Yorkshire Puddings

Sunday Roast Dinner at STK ★★★★☆

Laura Reynolds
By Laura Reynolds Last edited 62 months ago
This Anglo-American Roast Comes With 'Empire State' Yorkshire Puddings Sunday Roast Dinner at STK 4

Two of us are seated in a booth that could seat six in comfort, eight at a push. "Seems excessive", we think to ourselves. But the reason for all this space becomes clear, once our gargantuan roast rocks up.

STK's Sunday offering is a British roast with an American twist. Traditional roast vegetables are served alongside American sides including mac & cheese and parmesan truffle fries. The meat is spice rubbed rib-eye (there's no choice of other meats, but it's a steakhouse — why would you want anything else?), cooked either medium-rare or well done. We opt for the latter.

A steakhouse this may be, but the meat isn't the centrepiece — that prize goes to the Yorkshire puds. The 'Empire State Puddings' are each the size of a full dinner plate. And that's where the other American influence comes in — size. As we gaze in trepidatious awe, three members of waiting staff — yes, three, for the two of us — rush around with plates, bowls and boards containing the rest of our meal.

What have we agreed to?

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Those Yorkshire puddings are so sizeable, they become the vessel into which we load spoonfuls of food from the 'family-style' sharing platters before us. One slice of the thickly-cut beef would be ample, yet we're given two each, which sets the tone of excess for the meal. It's well-cooked, the one duff note being the heavy-handedness of the pepper crust (although between the two of us, opinion is split).

Purists, look away — there isn't a single roast potato on this Sunday roast, and yet, once we've tasted their substitutes, we don't miss them. Potatoes come in the form of parmesan truffle fries, which turn out to be thick cut chips. They're rich, creamy, fluffy — and again, we've been served twice as many as we could possibly eat.

Gravy's missing — a bold choice when serving roast-loving Brits, but again, the trio of sauces (horseradish, peppercorn, barbecue) mean we barely give it another thought.

Further richness comes in the form of the truffle mac & cheese, the absolute highlight in this outstanding meal. It's warming, rich — without being too overpowering — cheesy and absolutely addictive. Carrots and sweet potatoes are honey roasted, upholding the British side of the bargain, although our carrots are a touch too al dente.  

The cornbread is... inoffensive. It doesn't add much to the experience, and we wouldn't miss it if it wasn't there. In a lesser meal, it may have had more of a look-in, but with so many options fighting for the attention of our taste buds — and room in our stomachs — it's bottom of our priorities.

We keep on eating until we're full... and then past full... and then starting to feel a little bit sick. But almost every component of this meal is so compellingly moreish, it's hard to stop. Thankfully, the friendly staff are more than happy to package up our leftovers.

In a couple of days, when we're finally feeling hungry again, we look forward to doing it all over.

STK London at ME London Hotel, 336-337 Strand, WC2R 1HA. Sunday Roast costs £24 per person.

Last Updated 14 January 2019