In normal times, running a takeaway service for a serious steak house would be unthinkable. You want your rare steak to be whisked off the grill at the perfect time to rest for a couple of minutes, before being on your plate at the perfect temperature a few minutes later. Getting rare/medium-rare steaks to your house warm, but not overcooked, takes some finesse and logistical acumen.
But yet Boxmoore Steakhouse, has stepped up to the plate. They are running an impressive offer, a meal kit for two for £60, which includes a ribeye, sauce, chips, salad, a side, dessert, plus a bottle of decent plonk. When you consider their a la carte ribeye steaks are £24, it's really impressive value, even if you think to yourself, 'bloody hell that's expensive for a takeaway' - which it is. But when you break it down, it is excellent value for money.
Boxmoor Steakhouse is a family run business, now in its 10th year. As well as the standard beef cuts, they also offer some amazing exotic meats like zebra and water buffalo (although obviously not available at the minute, sadly).
Given the aforementioned logistical headache of getting steak to you warm but not overdone, they give you a 40 minute delivery window, along with a £5 delivery fee. It felt a little bit like British Gas when first mentioned ("We'll see you between 9 and 6!"), but when you realise how quickly they have to move when the steak is ready, it is actually quite a sensible policy. But still, if you need to eat at a specific time, you'll need to give this option a miss and collect the food.
The steaks (rare for C and medium-rare for me), arrived warm, if slightly on the cold side. I suspect they missed their delivery sweet spot by around five minutes - but still acceptably warm.
Let's talk about the ribeye: 300g of very high quality Australian Black Angus beef. It was cooked to perfection. Both steaks had the perfect amount of grill char on the outside, whilst not compromising the flavour inside. They were juicy and minimal blood escaped when cutting into them, which meant it had been well rested, which really added to the flavour. It's such a waste when you cut into a nice chunk of meat to see the flavour running away down your plate. These are seriously impressive steaks, and well worth the price.
Another excellent feature was the sauce. We both went for peppercorn, and again the quality was high. It was thick, rich and creamy - some peppercorn sauces are watery and a bit sad, not so here. The portion size was also generous. Perfect for dunking chips!
The other parts of the meal kit were... Not as good. The chips were fine to be fair, as was the wine: a perfectly drinkable house red merlot. The garden salad and the mac n cheese were pretty sad however. The salad was just a leaf collection and the mac n cheese had -C thought- a slightly cheap cheese flavour, almost like vegan cheese although I expect that's not the case! C wished there was some buttered greens or creamed spinach instead of the salad for a more wintery, traditional steak experience. This kit is incredible value for money, and it's clear where they save!
The apple tart desserts were also pretty poor; it looked like a mass-produced tart case with some stewed apples inside. Not unpleasant, but it considering how good the steak was, it was a bit of a disappointment.
But who in their right mind leaves a steakhouse talking about the salad and sides? It's all about the meat - and Boxmoor Steakhouse really delivered (quite literally), in very challenging circumstances. You can taste the quality of the meat from first bite to the last. I am really looking forward to eating there in person one day - if it's this good after it had to be driven here, I bet it's even better in the restaurant!
Service:
If you're going for delivery, you'll have to pay a fiver and block out 40 minutes for the delivery. It's not ideal at all, but to be fair I don't see how else they could get the steak to you warm and well cooked short of airlifting it to you!
Quality:
The steaks are amazing. Which is, frankly, the only thing that matters. The sides were a bit meh, but the ribeyes were to die for.
Value:
The £60 meal kit is really impressive. You can see where they save the money, but a great steaks, generous sauce and a drinkable bottle of wine for £60 is good value (plus the other sides and dessert thrown in).
Price:
£60 for the meal kit for two or £24 - £26 per premium steak a la carte is pricy, but the meat is worth every penny. There are also cheaper options like burgers available too. But you really should try the steak. Trust us on this one.
Overall:
GOOD - Exceptionally good quality meat, cooked to perfection. If the sides had been better this would have been a 8 or even a 9. But let's be honest, you'll come for the meat, not the sides... And you won't be dissapointed.
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