I remember the Observatory in Leicester – an ex of mine used to gig there. Sticky, swirly carpets and uninspiring artwork were the order of the day. So, when I was asked to go and eat there as part of the Beefeater rebrand, I really didn’t fancy it. In fact, I delayed responding. After all, Beefeater isn’t really right for Gingey Bites… or so I thought.
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| Check out that funky new logo! |
Anyway, curiosity got the better of me so I accepted their kind offer and the hubby and I headed over there last week. We walked in to a light, airy space with a slight American diner feel to it. This is one of the first in the new look ‘Beefeater’ chain and fun quirky ‘cow’ artwork throughout made it clear that its all about the steak. Of course there is plenty of other stuff on the menu but the real focus is undoubtedly the 21 day aged beef, the chefs grill skills and the choice of steak types.
We started with a flat-bread to share whilst we perused our choices. New to the menu, it was totally yummy – brushed with chimichurri and topped with cheese, it came with a chimichurri sauce, very garlicky and moreish! The hubby opted for their midweek evening value menu – £13.79 for three courses! He started with garlic and herb breaded mushrooms – giant slices deep fried – a real modern twist on traditional garlic mushrooms, served with a dill and a bbq sauce. He then had a 10oz rump steak with big triple cooked chips and peppercorn sauce. For pud, he went for brownie and ice-cream. Pretty standard for him – fortunately it magically appeared with 2 spoons and tasted lovely (although the brownie would have been nicer warm).
I chose to eat off the main menu and started with calamari, followed by an 8oz sirloin steak. Both of our steaks were well cooked and really tasty, especially considering how much they cost. They age their steak for 21 days and all their meat is British, two facts I was surprised and impressed by. My sirloin was really tender, better than the hubby’s rump in our opinion. I had mine with their own Beefeater sauce too – a rich herby wine jus served in a fabulous little cow jug. My tip – skip the usual suspects and go for the Beefeater sauce.
The bill for 2 of us with a glass of wine and a lager came to £49.70. In my opinion, this was great value for a tasty meal in a nice environment. Add to this, the fact that Beefeater has just joined Gourmet Society and it’s well worth the trip. The Observatory’s position next door to the Vue cinema at Meridian also makes it my new favourite choice for dinner before a film.