1. It goes down the hoedown route with cowboy paraphernalia and cheap steaks that tend to be as tough as the cowboy boots hanging from the wall. 2. It serves premium-quality steaks, but charges a fortune and serves them with four chips and a splodge of sauce.
Roxie, though, is a different beast.
This unassuming South African south-west London spot (we were at the new branch in Putney, but there’s also one in Fulham and Earlsfield) has a cosy and casual interior: the kind that doesn’t strike you as anything special, but seems to somehow emanate a warm glow, making you want to settle in for the night. And the steaks? The steaks are the holy grail of meat: top quality and yet very well priced.
The grub: I had my doubts when I saw the 250g fillet for £13.95, thinking the meat would be poor quality. I was wrong. My knife sunk into the steak like it would into warm butter, and the superbly charred exterior added that delicious smokey taste to the rare softness inside. Granted, if you want it with sides (which of course you do), you’re looking at an added £2.95 for mash (creamy) or double-cooked chips (crispy on the outside, hot and fluffy on the inside) and from £1.95 for a sauce. But it’s so hard to deny them their extra coins when the manager admits they make a small margin on the meat, but it brings the punters in. And we can see why.
Behind the bar: My near-bucket of South African red Pinotage lasted me through the whole meal, so the near £10 price tag actually turned out to be good value. Oh, and don’t forget to end your evening with a Kahlúa-spiked milkshake. Delicious.
Bill please: Starters from £4.75, steak from £10.95, other mains from £8.95, burgers from £6.75. Beer from £3.75, wine from £4.85.
Verdict: Just how a great steakhouse should be: no crazy theme, quality meat and respectable prices. These South Africans sure as hell ain’t cowboys.
Click here to find out more.
