The original 'Smiths' of Smithfield is across the road from the titular meat market in Farringdon. This Cannon Street branch may be a junior version, but the fabulous, top-quality meat remains. The aroma of charred, meaty goodness hit me as soon as I walked through the venue’s brawny, pop-style bar and into the classier restaurant. Getting the steak here is a no-brainer – there are nine cuts to choose from, including a 12-ounce, 30-day-aged chunk of rump. It was paired with a tangy wild salad and the best chunky chips I’ve had in ages. Spinach, nicely heated with a liberal seasoning of chilli and garlic, was a great side to round it all off.
If you’d rather kick things off with a starter, you can’t go wrong with a fancy pick like the octopus carpaccio with passionfruit dressing. Not only was this multicoloured flavour-fest gorgeous enough for the ’gram, but it tasted divine. A shame, then, that a few balls were dropped come dessert time. A brill-sounding espresso soufflé with brown-butter ice cream should have been a party in my mouth. Instead, it was hot and watery. Oops. Not a good vibe given the prices, so do yourself a favour and just splash out on the main event – joyful meat sweats, guaranteed.