One lasting gift of the Olympics will be the huge amount of big new hotels opening up in London this year. And of them, one of the more interesting is ME by Melia, opening up in the old BBC Marconi building on the Strand. And it's particularly of note to us as it contains the first opening of NYC's STK brand outside of the US.
The restaurant's run by the One Group, also behind the Heliot at the Hippodrome, and who despite running an American steakhouse have a British background. The restaurant itself is a steakhouse with, as they put it "a fresh, feminine interpretation of the dining staple". So that means a "waistline conscious" menu and decor that mirrors the New York original - "plaster cast horns, curvilinear black platform seats and a palette of black gloss and cream" with plenty of mirrored surfaces for enhanced people watching (note - the image on the right is of the US version). It's a steakhouse with more of a nightclub feel than we've had so far in London.
The "waistline conscious" menu doesn't mean there won't be plenty for steak lovers to get their teeth into. Starters include "Lil’ BRGs" (wagyu beef sliders) or prawn rice krispies in a shellfish bisque or jumbo lump crab salad (with melon, avocado, mache greens and kefir lime). There will be the usual cuts of USDA prime grade steak – divided into small, medium and large brackets - with optional black truffle or lobster toppings and sides which include lobster mac & cheese or sweetcorn fritters and spicy ketchup.
If you're looking for something other than steak, you can try the roast pork shoulder with bourbon peaches, seaweed salted roast sea bass with baby fennel or seared tuna with aubergine caviar.
Meanwhile, desserts include ‘A taste of the fairground’ - doughnuts, chocolate peanut popcorn, toffee apples and marshmallow kebabs. There is also a chocolate brownie with spiced chocolate sauce and the ‘Manhattan mess’ sundae with ‘candy store’ toppings.
The room is laid out with a bar lounge in the centre surrounded by a raised dining area - and the whole place will fit 240. In the bar, you can expect STK's signature cocktails like ‘Not Your Daddy’s Manhattan’ (bulleit bourbon, montevina zinfandel port, sweet & dry vermouth) or a local originals like Miss Mable, named after the famous British burlesque dancer.
STK opens at the Me by Melia hotel on October 2.
