Harden's says
Neil Rankin reinvents his temper restaurant brand once again as a pizza and vermouth offering in Covent Garden. The Soho original specialises in grilled meats while the City outpost gives things an Indian twist.
Harden's survey result
Summary
“Fire-cooked” steaks, supplied from North Yorkshire, aged in-house and supplemented by “inventive” side dishes (tacos, parathas and more), are what put Neil Rankin’s BBQ group on the map, with its fifth site opening in Paddington Basin last winter followed by a smashburger spinoff in White City. But even fans can note that what “was once a firm favourite has declined” – service is often “a bit all over the place” and dishes can arrive “lacking genuine flavour”.
Summary
An “open-plan kitchen” complete with fire pit is the theme unifying Neil Rankin’s four-strong BBQ-group, which takes all its supplies of beef, pork, lamb and chicken from Yorkshire farmer Charles Ashbridge. Despite some favourable steak suppers being reported, ratings took a further dive in our latest poll, continuing last year’s themes of “chaotic” service and a feeling that the overall experience can “promise more than it delivers”. Lack of value, in particular, inspires repeated gripes (“plates were minuscule at ridiculous prices…”; “we joked that you needed a microscope to find the portions…”)
Summary
“Sitting at the counter with all of its theatre is amazing” at Neil Rankin’s “noisy, buzzy and fun” outlets, whose “really cool (well, hot) feature are the ‘fire pit’ cooking stations”, from which they offer “a great mix of meat dishes” (including rare-breed steaks), plus fish options. There were some “off days” reported this year, though: in particular, service has sometimes been “under pressure” or even “shambolic”.
Summary
Neil Rankin’s trio of venues all centre on cooking over fire – with fire pits more and less on display – and the choice of an array of steaks (rare breed, from UK farms), fish and other meats, backed up by a selection of tacos. Sunday roast, bottomless brunch and steak supper clubs also feature in their list of attractions. All reports are positive this year, although even those who consider the food “outstanding” can quibble over the pricing. A “lovely new outdoor space” in WC2 has been a great addition.
For 33 years we've been curating reviews of the UK's most notable restaurant. In a typical year, diners submit over 50,000 reviews to create the most authoritative restaurant guide in the UK. Each year, the guide is re-written from scratch based on this survey (although for the 2021 edition, reviews are little changed from 2020 as no survey could run for that year).
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