Me and my girlfriend had been meaning to come here for ages and my birthday rolled around, so we figured this was as good an occasion as any to spend that little bit extra. We really weren't disappointed.

We received a warm welcome and were initially going to be sat upstairs but they were very accommodating when my girlfriend explained she wasn't great with stairs. It was quite busy for a Thursday but testimony to the good reputation of the place.

The food took just the right amount of time you'd expect for something of this quality. I went for rump (medium rare w/Béarnaise sauce, pictured), girlfriend had fillet (medium w/blue cheese sauce), dripping chips and the 'cabbage in the coals' for side. House wine to drink.

This was one of those rare occasions it felt like every last morsel of food was brimming with flavour. The steaks even smelled incredible when they arrived. They just had this otherworldly smokiness like nothing I've had before, this normally very fast eater carefully savouring every last morsel. The sauces got full marks and the dripping chips were a very appropriate pairing.

The 'cabbage in the coals' was basically a big chunk of cabbage (maybe a 1/4 slab, I dunno) that had been probably cooked in the same bit as the steaks, with a charred outer layer and a bacon butter topping that if I recall correctly had been blowtorched so it became more like a powder but in a good way. Bit of an effort to cut with the steak knives but still incredible. All in all, it was one of those times where you just wanna lick your plate but you can't because polite company and all that.

To top it all off, I was given a complimentary scoop of ice cream as a birthday treat. I'm told it was some kind of 'milk' flavour ice cream, which was very interesting, as were the wee coffee/choc type granule stuff it came with. All part of the magic.

Waiting staff were polite throughout. Some may perhaps seem more brisk in manner than others but it was late and forgivable with how busy it was, and we'd already decided what we were having. Only my girlfriend visited the toilet and she even remarked how good they were, nice soap and everything.

The only tiny bit of constructive criticism would be that as a matter of personal preference, keeping the music along the chill/smooth/jazzy lines would be best for the ambiance. Stuff that's more 'lively' can be a bit of a sensory overload, especially at busier times. But that's just me, and it did get more appropriate later on.

In short, if you can budget for this place, definitely give it a shot, but do book ahead to guarantee yourself a table, regardless of what day it is. It's popular for a reason!