Where's the beef?

Meat does funny things to people. As I stood at the butcher's counter that welcomes visitors to this new Battersea hotspot, waiting interminably for a table (a sought-after spot outside on the Ransome's Dock river inlet requires the patience of Job), I earwigged as party after party came in and said, simply: 'Wow.'

Glistening, deliciously marbled beef sits in chilled cabinets; it's an impressive sight, reminiscent of the great American steakhouses like Peter Luger or Harris's. Sadly, this promise isn't made good on the plate. There's no denying the quality of the meat (from Highfields Farm in East Sussex) but, well, it just isn't big enough. Call me a greedy cow but when I want a steak, I want it thick, oozing, mooing out its artery-hardening credentials from a pool of its own blood. My 8oz sirloin was good value at a tenner but it looked like a rasher compared with its Stateside counterpart. We could have, it turns out, ordered from the butcher's counter but who knew?

Fillet, too, was properly seared and flavourful but a bijoux nugget of a steak. Only the 8oz burger delivered the anticipated carnivorous satisfaction. The Butcher & Grill is a cool space (formerly a Sloane-infested Cafe Rouge) and a great addition to meat-lover's London but I'd welcome a greater choice of steak sizes on the menu - and would happily to fork out for them. So three stars, but only just.

The Butcher & Grill
Parkgate Road, London, SW11 4NP