Although thousands of hurrying tourists will never see it, London Steakhouse Company - City is situated just a short stroll from Liverpool Street Station in central London.

Tucked away down a small side-street it is quiet, secluded and a great place to relax away from the bustle of the city.

Officially re-opening its doors earlier this year, the restaurant offers an opulent split-level dining space enveloped with timeless British style; this is a place of dark red leather, plush carpets and subdued tones.

High ceilings complement the sleek dining space, while a raised mezzanine seating area with its own bar offers a private dining space for up to 20 guests.

On the ground-floor guests are greeted by an aura of energy and professionalism in the 85-cover restaurant.

Taking our seats on a recent weekday evening, the atmosphere is quiet, but with a sense of whispered intrigue in some of the darker corners.

The renovations saw a new marble-top bar installed, and it lines the length of one wall showcasing the finest spirits while suspended lighting complements the sparkling glassware.

The walls are adorned with luxurious Farrow & Ball paints, while artworks by ‘Jak’, one of Britain’s finest political cartoonists, are dotted around.

Our table is decked with a pristine white linen table cloth alongside a charming miniature lamp, Robert Welch cutlery and RIEDEL wine glasses, while waiters ferry dishes displayed on Bauscher crockery.

Although co-owner Marco Pierre White gives the London Steakhouse Company its claim to fame, it stands alone without his star power.

Its carefully curated menus feature seasonally changing classic British dishes, with each one made from scratch on site everyday – as you would expect.

Meat is very much the central attraction here, with the chefs priding themselves on serving some of the finest meat cuts in London.

To start we select chicken liver parfait with toasted brioche and the special of the day, a beetroot and goats cheese plate with caramelised popcorn and beetroot reduction.

The former is not the faint of heart; this is a place of strong flavours, packed with character.

The parfait is rich, silky and utterly delicious, melt in the mouth gorgeous, and perfectly offset by the sweetness of the bread.

While a little less dramatic, the beetroot and goats cheese serves to whet the appetite for what is to come.

The mains are the real strength here though - the reason the London Steakhouse Company has won such a strong reputation.

Benefiting from a long-standing partnership with esteemed butcher Aubrey Allen, all steak cuts are dry-aged for 28 days and served with a choice of Café de Paris butter, peppercorn or béarnaise sauce.

I play it safe with a 14oz ribeye, while my guest goes for the prime rump of beef wellington.

Certainly a hearty challenge, the ribeye is a serious piece of meat, coming (medium-rare) dripping blood and bursting with flavour.

The real success of the evening though is the beef wellington.

A notoriously tricky dish, it is here served to perfection, with crisp pasty surrounding lightly browned meat.

Heavy on the seasoning, the surrounding mushrooms pack a punch on the palate while the meat dissolves gently. An unadulterated pleasure.

Eschewing dessert we skip straight to coffee cocktails.

Served in delicate martini glasses they provide a delightful digestif to a very robust, full-blooded meal.

On the agenda…

The London Restaurant Festival is taking place in the capital this week and to celebrate London Steakhouse Company will be holding a special wine pairing evening on October 7th.

Held in collaboration with Thelema Mountain Vineyards, the wine pairings are priced at £20 for three 175ml glasses of wine to complement the £25 London Restaurant Festival set menu.

At the same time the location has partnered with Fairtrade chocolatier Divine to launch a Toblerone cocktail for National Chocolate Week (October 10th-16th).

The chocoholics dream is an indulgent concoction of Divine’s milk chocolate toffee & sea salt and milk chocolate with whole almond.

Find out more on the official website.

Chris O’Toole