Blacklock Soho: what to order and when to go

Blacklock Soho is a steak and chop house in the basement of 24 Great Windmill Street, a short stroll from Berwick Street. Chops and steaks are cooked over a real charcoal grill, the meat comes from Cornish butcher and farmer Philip Warren, and the room is moody and low-lit, with industrial-looking posts doubling as blackboard menus, as The Infatuation describes it.

A little history

Blacklock began here, in a Soho basement with a past. The Good Food Guide says the space was once occupied by a brothel and a notorious lap-dancing club. Gordon Ker, a lawyer turned Hawksmoor waiter, is named by Manchester's Finest as the founder; The Nudge calls the founders a trio of ex-Hawksmoor staff. The name comes from the vintage Blacklock irons used to grill the skinny chops. Early on it was more rough and ready, with a menu that was almost all chops. It has since grown into a small group with sites in Canary Wharf, Covent Garden, the City and Shoreditch.

What to order

Go All In. It is £28 per person for two or more: pre-chop bites, then beef, pork and lamb skinny chops piled onto charcoal-grilled flatbreads, with a side each. Hot Dinners recommends exactly this, with the chop juices dripping into the bread, and suggests watching the specials board for steaks.

If you would rather have one big thing, The Infatuation's pick is the porterhouse chop, large enough to share, best with the chilli hollandaise, which it calls the best sauce in the house.

• Steaks (dry aged up to 55 days): Denver £16, Bavette £18, Rump Cap £20, Sirloin £22, Sixth Rib-eye £24, Blacklock Fillet £25.
• Sides: beef dripping chips £5, garlic bone marrow £5, Blacklock gravy £3.
• Sauces: chilli hollandaise, green sauce or béarnaise, £2 each.

The Infatuation finds some of the sides underwhelming, so spend your money on the chips and the marrow. There is a meat-free main for vegetarians, and gluten-free options are available.

To drink, cocktails are £5 and wine is on tap. The bar works on a zero-waste, pip to peel principle.

When to go

Hours on the official site: Monday to Friday, noon to three and five until half ten; Saturday, noon to half ten; Sunday, from quarter to twelve, with last seating at eight.

• Monday, all day: Butcher Price Monday. Big Chops (porterhouse, prime rib, bone-in sirloin, lamb rump) are £8 per 100g. It gets busy, so book.
• Saturday: open all day until half ten, and dinner will be busy.
• Sunday: the All In roast is £28 per person for two or more, with beef, lamb and pork plus trimmings, and a meat-free roast too. Sundays book up quickly. Reviews of the roast are mixed: The Infatuation calls it a letdown, while one blog praises the beef and lamb and suggests the 2pm slot.

Booking

Book through the official site or OpenTable, or ring 020 3441 6996. Groups are welcome, and the restaurant says it keeps a few tables spare for walk-ins. Cards are accepted.

For after: Ronnie Scott's

Walk round to 47 Frith Street for Ronnie Scott's, the jazz club that has run nightly since 1959, with two shows a night, late sets, cocktails and dining. The Late Late Show starts at quarter past eleven, Thursday to Saturday, and is the move once the chops are done. Check the programme for tickets before you set out; November sits within the EFG London Jazz Festival. Sit at the club for the late set, with a cocktail in hand.

If jazz is not tonight's plan, Bar Américain at Brasserie Zédel, 20 Sherwood Street, is the backup for a cocktail.