Chef Marco Pierre White’s London Chophouse earns top review

Describing our last visit in 2018 to Marco Pierre White’s east London steakhouse as disappointing would be a massive understatement.

Given the Chef’s legendary status, we went into Mr White’s English Chophouse quite unsurprisingly with certain expectations.

Having eventually rated it an underwhelming 3.5/5, you’ll understand that our attitude going in this time round was, how might we say, more cautious and guarded.

Rated 3.5/5 in 2018, how will Mr White’s do this time?

For those who don’t know, Mr White’s English Chophouse in Whitechapel is situated in and is part of the boutique New Road Hotel.

This spacious 90-cover venue is rustically decked out, having retained the original brickwork from the former textile factory the hotel took over from, with pictures of Mr White adorning the place.

As for their menu, then we were here to not only try their new summer release, but to also enjoy some of their steaks.

Bee’s Knees - Raspberry lemonade, strawberry, honey, lemon; Pineapple Cobbler - Strawberry, lime & pineapple, club soda - £4.95 each

Black Cow - Blackberry, lemon, Burdock lemonade, £5.95; Paradise - Apple & pineapple, elderflower syrup, grenadine & lime, £4.95

While the Paradise delivered a refreshingly eye-squinting sweetness of floral flavours, the Black Cow turned out to be the most intriguing, with its liquorice base giving way to the taste of the cola, before ending on a pleasant bitter note. Brilliant.

Both the Bee’s Knees and the Pineapple Cobbler lived up to the high standards achieved in our previous outing. While the former offered a more sweeter profile that ended on a nice tangy note, the pineapple in the latter came through subtly alongside a hint of zestiness.

Classic Meatballs – Toasted garlic sourdough, rich tomato sauce, aged Parmesan, £9.50

A superb little dish that comprised of succulent, soft-textured meatballs, which were presented on crispy garlic sourdough bread, and covered in a lightly piquent, thick tomato sauce.

Caponata of Summer Vegetables – Aubergine, red bell peppers, Piccolo tomatoes, celery, sultanas, tomato dressing, £8.95

Despite its lightness, the complexity of this Caponata of Summer Vegetables revolved around sweet and earthy flavours, with the smokiness of the peppers pleasantly lingering in the background. Just wish there was more of it.

Chilled Tomato Soup Andalucian Atlantic Prawns – Cucumber, egg white, red bell pepper, chives, £9.50

Served just below room temperature, this simple Chilled Tomato Soup Andalucian Atlantic Prawns was defined by the familiar taste of the small tender prawns.

Cocktail of Atlantic Prawns (a la carte) – Marie Rose sauce, brown bread & butter, £12.95

It was all about the tangy richness of the sauce that made this Cocktail of Atlantic Prawns from the a la carte menu one of the best prawn cocktails we’ve had.

With a bed of finely grated lettuce, as well as segments of hard boiled egg, this was a dangerously addictive dish, with the brown buttered bread used for mopping things up at the close.

Ribeye Steak (10oz) – Koffmann chips, roasted vine tomatoes, £33.50

Given the nature of a ribeye, we got to enjoy a range of textures across this gorgeous cut of meat.

We especially enjoyed the more pink and juicier segments on the inside being complemented by the satisfyingly crustier parts on the outside.

More importantly, this steak was expertly seasoned, with the sea salt helping to enhance its overall taste profile.

Add to that the big chunks of Koffman chips, with their delicately crispy exterior and uber-fluffy interior, and this we recommend all the way.

Fillet Steak with Garlic King Prawns – Béarnaise sauce, confit potato, £37.50

And if things couldn’t get any better, we were served this exquisitely tender fillet of steak that was topped with garlic king prawns.

The joy of cutting through that medium cooked, jiggly soft steak was only surpassed by the sheer delight of sitting back and slowly enjoying its umami goodness.

You can then conclude with those beautifully grilled prawns (pro-tip: just be sure to suck out the innards of the head).

As for the four sauces – Béarnaise, Peppercorn, Garlic Butter, Clawson Blue Cheese Sauce (£3.95 each) – then while they were decent enough, we’d go au naturel with such a wonderous steak.

Pan Fried Monkfish Tail – Cockles, petit pois à la Française, nut brown butter, £28.95

It was the apparent simplicity of this plate of food that made this such a memorable one.

While the monkfish is more firmer in nature, the crispiness of the batter that surrounded it really worked well as a contrast.

Add to that the zinginess brought in by the pickled pearl onions, the freshness of the peas, and the pleasant touch of the chewy cockles, and this turned out to be a tremendous munch.

Steak Frites with Garlic Butter – Butcher’s steak, rocket leaves, Parmesan, balsamico, Koffmann Fries, £22.50

The Steak Frites, however, turned out to be one of the highlights of this review.

WARNING: Dangerously addictive!

With the slices of tender and chewy pink steak boasting a crusty perimeter that was sprinkled with just the right amount of sea salt, this was incredible.

We’d also suggest giving each piece a good mix in that gorgeous garlic butter sauce to help elevate things.

The medley of greens, which were drizzled in balsamic vinegar and covered in flakes of parmesan cheese, also helped complete arguably the dish of the review.

As for the skin-on fries, then this ultra crunchy accompaniment was the perfect textural foil.

Grilled Sea Bass Fillet Alla Sicilian – Caponata, tomato dressing, extra virgin olive oil, soft herbs, £21.95

When you have a sea bass that’s executed this well, before being served on a more chunkier version of the Caponata we initially wished we had more of from the starters; life as a reviewer just doesn’t get any better.

Crispy skin, flaky flesh, smoky notes, a hint of heat, and the sweetness of the tomato; this was as summery a plate of food as you could hope for.

Hell’s Kitchen Cheesecake – Fresh blueberry sauce, £9.95

While we had something similar during our first review, this current version called the Hell’s Kitchen Cheesecake managed to deliver those extra levels to make it a memorable one.

What caught our attention was the amazingly smooth layer of cheese, which was topped with a blueberry sauce that delivered that refreshing sweet and sourness.

Traditional Summer Pudding – Chantilly cream, £8.50

This was somewhat of a one-dimensional dessert. Although the sponge pudding was saturated well enough in a blueberry sauce, there wasn’t much else to speak of other than a tiny scoop of ice cream precariously nestled on top. Just needed something complementary.

Mr Coulsin’s Sticky Toffee Pudding – Vanilla ice cream, toffee sauce, £7.95

A really satisfying sticky toffee pudding this, with little bits of date to offer that extra bite.

Although the toffee sauce was light and silky, we needed more of it to match up against the size of the pudding.

And what better way to finish off a review than a cup of hot cappuccino.

Of course being part of a hotel setup, Mr White’s offer an extenstive range of hot beverages.