It's because they really know what they're doing when it comes to cooking meat.
And perhaps ordering the fish isn’t the best idea.
With over 150 years of history, the Quality Chop House has been under new ownership since 2012 and head chef Shaun Searley’s cooking is consistently lauded as some of the best in London by many people whose opinion I respect. That includes Mrs G, who much to my chagrin, has been a couple of times on her own without me.
During the pandemic, we had one of the Quality Chop House’s superb eat at home kits, and I resolved myself to one day visiting to try their legendary confit potatoes.
Located in the slightly weird hinterland of Farringdon, Quality Chop House’s pair of characterful dining rooms have some lovely original features, including wooden bench seating and ornate cornicing.
Their menu is gripping across the board from snacks such as Cotswold gold chicken skewers with XO sauce to starters like Suffolk lamb shoulder with beef fat paratha, and desserts including sticky toffee pudding with vanilla custard. When it comes to mains, the focus clearly lies with hunks of meat such as Tamworth pork loin chop and Aberdeen Angus sirloin, many of which are served in sharing sized portions.
Excellent glasses of blackcurrant rich QCH Wines house red (£6), Domino de Punctum viognier (£8) and Holder Vineyards chenin blanc (£10) kept us busy throughout the meal.
Snacks and starters were all top drawer.
A slab of fat rich mangalitza brawn (£15) was big on buttery tongue and flecked with sweet carrots and the acidity of gherkin. Crisp and mustardy remoulade was the ideal accomplice, but it was served in the weeniest of portions.
Mrs G’s monkfish (£36) in comparison was sadly veering towards the rubbery. It’s one of the most unforgiving of fish at the best of times and it didn't quite hit the mark. However, full marks go to a silky swede puree with the caramelised richness of brown butter and a glistening bordelaise sauce, which was seasoned with the meaty smokiness of eel instead of bone marrow.
A couple of pieces of enjoyably creamy fudge were a prelude to the bill's arrival.
With the superb lamb chop, my lunch at Quality Chop House more than lived up to its name. However, despite Mrs G's underwhelming fish, the rest of the excellent cooking, first class service and delicious wines mean it’s still a restaurant that we’d both gladly return to any day of the week.
Located in the slightly weird hinterland of Farringdon, Quality Chop House’s pair of characterful dining rooms have some lovely original features, including wooden bench seating and ornate cornicing.
Their menu is gripping across the board from snacks such as Cotswold gold chicken skewers with XO sauce to starters like Suffolk lamb shoulder with beef fat paratha, and desserts including sticky toffee pudding with vanilla custard. When it comes to mains, the focus clearly lies with hunks of meat such as Tamworth pork loin chop and Aberdeen Angus sirloin, many of which are served in sharing sized portions.
Excellent glasses of blackcurrant rich QCH Wines house red (£6), Domino de Punctum viognier (£8) and Holder Vineyards chenin blanc (£10) kept us busy throughout the meal.
Snacks and starters were all top drawer.
A slab of fat rich mangalitza brawn (£15) was big on buttery tongue and flecked with sweet carrots and the acidity of gherkin. Crisp and mustardy remoulade was the ideal accomplice, but it was served in the weeniest of portions.
Smoked short rib croquettes (£6) were filled with shreds of tender smoky meat and had a textbook crisp crumb. What really elevated the snack were big dollops of red eye mayonnaise with a good savoury pokiness.
Finally, the creamiest of Angel Delight textured smoked cod’s roe (£8) was served with light and crisp hot doughnuts that were seasoned with the zip and zing of salt and vinegar.
Onto mains, and we had a good old wait. By way of apology, we received complimentary top ups of our wines – the first example of the Quality Chop House’s consummate hospitality.
A Barnsley chop (£34) was a handsome beast with its crisp fat and glistening meat. It was bang on in terms of its beautifully pink tender flesh and rich lamby flavour. I’d go so far as to say it was one of the best lamb chops I’ve ever eaten.
A Barnsley chop (£34) was a handsome beast with its crisp fat and glistening meat. It was bang on in terms of its beautifully pink tender flesh and rich lamby flavour. I’d go so far as to say it was one of the best lamb chops I’ve ever eaten.
Mrs G’s monkfish (£36) in comparison was sadly veering towards the rubbery. It’s one of the most unforgiving of fish at the best of times and it didn't quite hit the mark. However, full marks go to a silky swede puree with the caramelised richness of brown butter and a glistening bordelaise sauce, which was seasoned with the meaty smokiness of eel instead of bone marrow.
When Mrs G fed back that it wasn't quite right but at the same time didn't want to wait 40 minutes for a whole new main, the excellent front of house team deducted both desserts and coffee from our bill.
Sides were absolute belters.
A generous portion of al dente purple sprouting broccoli (£8) was topped with a decadent combination of salty and creamy warm Caesar dressing and crisp breadcrumbs.
A generous portion of al dente purple sprouting broccoli (£8) was topped with a decadent combination of salty and creamy warm Caesar dressing and crisp breadcrumbs.
Quality Chop's confit potatoes more than delivered on their reputation. Perfectly crisp with distinctly thin layers of soft and buttery spud on the inside, I could eat them by the bowlful. Thankfully, there were five bricks of them for £8.
For dessert, a slice of chocolate tart (£10) was pretty good with a fruity and bitter dark chocolate filling that was balanced by the sweetness of a flurry of caramelised white chocolate. But, it was sadly lacking a crisp pastry case, which would have provided some welcome texture contrast.
Blood orange cheesecake (£10) was the far superior pud with its crisp buttery base, light and tangy cream cheese filling, and fragrant blood orange jelly top. A dappled pool of orange sherbet really made the dessert pop, delivering lip-tickling acidity with each mouthful.
A couple of pieces of enjoyably creamy fudge were a prelude to the bill's arrival.
With the superb lamb chop, my lunch at Quality Chop House more than lived up to its name. However, despite Mrs G's underwhelming fish, the rest of the excellent cooking, first class service and delicious wines mean it’s still a restaurant that we’d both gladly return to any day of the week.
The Details:
Address - The Quality Chop House, 92-94 Farringdon Rd, London EC1R 3EA
Telephone - 020 7278 1452
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