I have been wanting to dine at Chop House ever since I heard about them and first read their menu; I was instantly hooked. This only intensified when I attended their Wild Turkey Masterclass in July last year, were adventurous cocktails were paired with delicious nibbles such as rare, tender strips of steak soaked in a basil and mint marinade that melted in your mouth.
When i read that the team were opening another venue in Brunstfield i was over the moon and signed up to know when the earliest i could book was. After waiting what seemed like an eternity, booking opened and the rest is history.
While looking at the menu we sipped a delicious medium bodied red called The Guv’nor, a mix of grenache and tempranillo grapes from Castilla y Leon from Spain, this gorgeous wine will blow your taste buds right off your tongue. If you are a red fan then order even a glass of this to try, I beg of you, you will not look back.
Normally a fillet or a rump gal, for the thickness of the cut, I decided to try something different and ordered the 350 gram rib-eye steak; beautifully marbled with rich fat, most places will (or should) recommend medium rare so that the fat melts into the meat, leaving only delicately succulent steak that breaks easily under your knife.
Chop House served exactly that; each piece melted in your mouth, deliciously tender and juicy and I could have happily enjoyed it by itself however their selection of sauces were too tempting. The peppercorn sauce had the perfect amount of spice and consistency while the blue cheese, my favourite, was thick, creamy and wonderfully tangy making an indulgent accompaniment to the meat.
And of course the sides; I had been recommended their mac cheese and green beans and chilli butter but it was their gem lettuce and whipped blue cheese which caught my eye so naturally we had to order all three.
The mac cheese was almost milky in it’s creaminess and with plenty sauce, I strongly disagree with dry mac and cheese, and the top was golden brown, crispy and stringy – everything you want in a great mac and cheese.
The green beans with chilli butter had a glorious crunch and fiery spice which contrasted perfectly to the gooey mac cheese.
Not being a big blue cheese fan I have recently started warming to blue cheese sauces as they are normally milder than a hunk of the cheese so I was curious to try their gem lettuce with whipped blue cheese.
I was slightly disappointed with this dish as when I think whipped i think of a light, creamy dip or dressing with the sweet crisp gem lettuces. Instead the lettuce was tossed with chunks of blue cheese which my other half wolfed down and is tasty if you are a hardcore blue cheese fan but alas i am not quite there yet.
The staff were super friendly, chatty and looked after us brilliantly, giving advice on cuts, flavours and pairings; with their expert help you are sure to never have a bad meal at Chop House.
Fortunatly for my taste buds and greedy nature but unfortunatly for my bank account i now live ten minutes from a Chop House. I will definitely be visiting every couple of months to work my way through their mouth watering menu which also offers delicious steak alternatives such as blackend tuna, burrata salad, lobster and cauliflower steaks.
Thanks to the team who made our night such a treat with wonderful food, great service and the desire to come back as soon as possible.
