More than Just Steaks
Not content with just mastering steaks, Sophie’s boasts one of the city’s most delicious Sunday roasts, which features slow-roasted beef and all the trimmings you would expect from this most traditional of British lunches. There are even smaller sized roasts available each Sunday for kids, which are free in the Covent Garden venue.
Then there’s the 10oz Black Angus burger, made with cross rib and minced carpaccio-style. Served inside a fluffy brioche bun beside hand-cut beef-dripping fries, this burger is so exquisitely prepared that it can be cooked from blue to well done, just like a steak, a process that Sparling is proud to offer. ‘Mincing in-house allows us to prepare the beef in our own way,’ she says. ‘Carpaccio- style burgers are quite unique – a lot of other places can’t do it – but it means we can cook them just the way people like it.’
The man behind the beef is head chef Sam Hafri who leads a 20-strong team in a kitchen that never stops. Hafri’s hands-on approach to cuisine is well-suited to Sophie’s, which is known for preparing virtually everything in-house, from the mayonnaise to the ice cream and the house wine which Bathgate and Powers crafted themselves in France. The bar staff even infuse their own spirits.
‘The Chilli Martini is incredible,’ says Sparling of Sophie’s 10oz Martini menu. ‘It’s made with chilli-infused vanilla vodka.’ In London, 10oz Martinis are not a usual sight, but then there’s nothing about Sophie’s that screams ‘usual’.
‘It’s not your standard dining experience,’ agrees Sparling. ‘It’s more like: “We’re having a big party, come and join in.” That’s our vibe.’ And on a visit to London, that’s just the kind of invitation you want.
