Best steak in London

Steak and chips used to be an easy option, with just rump, fillet or sirloin to choose from. But with New York-style steak houses cropping up all over town our menus now offer a bewildering array of unfamiliar cuts, breeds and cooking methods. Confused about the difference between strip and skirt steak? Wondering whether you want your fillet broiled or blue? Prime yourself with our guide to the latest T-bone terminology.

BREEDS
Aberdeen Angus, reared throughout Scotland and Argentina, once set the standard as the breed of choice. It remains popular, but smaller UK producers are turning their attention to lesser known rare breeds such as Hereford, White Park, Galloway, Longhorn and Shorthorn. Another regular on London menus is Wagyu or Kobe beef from the US, famous for its marbled texture thanks to the cows' rich diet of high-quality grain. Producers are also going back to old-fashioned farming, raising cattle as naturally as possible — free range and fed on grass.

GRASS OR GRAIN FED?
A 28-day aged Longhorn beef from trendy British butcher The Ginger Pig (thegingerpig.co.uk) is on the menu at Hawksmoor in E1. The company's grass-fed cattle hail from small farms in North Yorkshire. "It's the old taste or texture debate," says Hawksmoor owner Huw Gott, for whom flavour comes first. He swears by grass-fed beef for its loose, open texture and full flavour. Over at Maze Grill in W1, head chef Jason Atherton serves both grain- and grass-fed meat. He says grain-fed beef, such as his Creekstone corn-fed steak, aged for 35 days, is drier and firmer. He is also a big fan of Casterbridge beef, a top-notch product from cattle that are grain-fed in the West Country.

HANGING
Ageing or hanging time is now common parlance on menus. It's widely agreed that good beef should be hung for up to 35 days to help tenderise it and improve the flavour. The longer meat is aged, the more it costs to store, which is reflected in the price. If you're not an avid meat-eater, opt for steaks aged 21 days, the minimum you'll find, but for stronger flavours try 25 days or more.

THE NEW CUTS
As meat prices rise, more economical cuts are back on the menu. At his new Hix Oyster and Chop House in EC1, Mark Hix favours "hanger" steak. "It's not the most tender but has a great flavour due to the way it hangs close to the kidney," says Mark. Bavette, or skirt steak, cut from the flank, is another popular cut that has made its way here from New York. The other US newcomer is "strip steak" — the Stateside moniker for sirloin.

An increasing number of steaks are now cooked on the bone, which helps to control the transfer of heat during cooking to stop the meat shrinking or toughening up. Look out for classic T-bones (sirloin and fillet served on the bone), or the newly fashionable porterhouse version — a massive T-bone for two people to share.

BROILING
Another debate among steak cognoscenti concerns grilling methods. "Broiling" is the latest buzzword in London's steak lingo thanks to chef Jason Atherton, who installed Britain's first broiler at Maze Grill. It goes beyond the traditional charcoal grill, taking the steak to an ultra-high 650C, super-searing the meat on the outside while it remains pink and juicy on the inside.

HOW DO YOU LIKE IT?
Finally, a word about "cuisson", the French term for "done-ness". In general, the more tender the cut the rarer it should be cooked. So while fillet is best served rare, sirloin or rib-eye are better medium done, as their higher fat content takes longer to melt, so they need extra cooking time.

London's best new steak houses

HIX OYSTER AND CHOP HOUSE
A chophouse serves everything on the bone and Mark Hix's Smithfield eatery offers a great range of cuts.
Hix Oyster and Chop House, 35-37 Greenhill Rents, Cowcross Street, EC1 (020 7017 1930)

MAZE GRILL
High on theatre, with vast slabs of steak presented for your selection before they're dispatched to the open kitchen. Prices start at £10 for Casterbridge beef onglet.
Maze Grill, 10-13 Grosvenor Square, W1 (020 7495 2211)