Rowley’s original branch is something of a West End institution. It occupies what was once the original Wall’s butchers shop, in Jermyn Street. Steaks, however – not sausages – are the house speciality. It now has this offshoot, in the Mayfair premises that were once called Deca. The new venture is elegant and soothing, in creamily-neutral style, but without the character of the original. We reviewed another steakhouse – Relais de Venise in Marylebone – on this page last week, and the price similarities between the two are striking. In fact the ‘headline’ steak/frites prices are, to within a pound, the same – around £17 (Relais) or £18 (Rowley’s). Rowley’s would no doubt say they charge £16.25, but they also – rather oddly – charge a £1.75 cover charge, which we have included. In either place, 25cl of wine will set you back about £6, and an espresso £2. Other differentials – a couple of pounds on the puds (around £6.50) and a few per cent more on the service charge – tend to make the Mayfair joint just a fraction pricier overall. This new Rowleys might fairly justify its modest price differential with its better service and greater comfort. Why, then, was the Relais hopping – and Rowley’s largely deserted – the lunchtimes I visited? We don’t need Sherlock Holmes for the answer. The steak/frites at the Gallic import have lingered – in the nicest way, you understand – in my mind ever since my lunch. What I consumed in Mayfair, on the other hand, I ate simply as a duty (oh yes ,it’s tough writing a restuarant column). The seasoning of the steak wasn’t right, it wasn’t cooked as ordered (though, to be fair, you can cook it a bit more on your own spirit burner), and the chips didn’t scream “Eat Me”. And, in a steakhouse, that’s really all there is to it.
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