Heliot Steakhouse

The last couple of months have been trying for me to say the least. I was in need of a lift as much as 32 floor tower block, so when a friend invited me out for an expensive steak my reply was to be heard slightly before he finished the question.

The Heliot steakhouse is situated inside of the Hippodrome casino on the edge of Leicester Square. Las Vegas casinos generally have several dining options inside and as the Hippodrome is rather an ersatz recreation of that experience, it makes sense for it to do so as well.

The Heliot is situated on the first floor next to the Penny Bar and accessed by a stairwell from the main gambling hall. The décor is dark, masculine and club like, though the openness to the casino does give it a slight dining in a shopping mall feel.

As my benefactor was running late, I was seated first, and this gave me an opportunity to study the menu and wine list. The starters are composed of the usual list of seafood and salads that you see in many steakhouses, though there is a good selection of main course steak alternatives, from the ubiquitous surf and turf, through a burger and a couple of fish selections.

The wine list is extensive, but not too extensive. It obviously has it’s share of look at me, look at me wines with price tags to match, but there is also a good selection around the mid and lower slopes.

I decided to try something different, and so after I had put my trousers back on, I opted for a Uruguayan tannat, having not to my definitive knowledge tried either the country or the varietal in wine before. At £59 a bottle, this is probably more than I’d pay for the unknown, but the waiter seemed very pleased I’d chosen it, though this could have been that they had a job lot they were having difficulty shifting. The tannat was a powerful wine in terms of alcoholic content and flavour, but it did as the waiter suggested go very well with the steaks, and I was impressed enough to subsequently research where I could get some for home consumption.

As me and my host were on a mission to consume as close as possible to our body weights in a steak as we could, the starters were forgone, and we opted to share the platter of USDA steaks. For £130 you get to share a 300g sirloin, 225g of fillet and a 400g ribeye, so close on a kilo between us.

For those of us not in the know, USDA beef is grassfed for much of its life and then cornfed to increase the fat content. In theory this should increase both the tenderness and flavour, and this was the case in practice as well with all 3 cuts presenting moreish examples. Of the three it was difficult for me to choose between the sirloin or the ribeye as my favourite. The fillet was also good, but I have to say did seem a tad undernourished for what was purportedly a 225g steak.

For sides we went for broccoli, arrived cold and therefore disappointing. Mac and cheese, arrived at about 70% of the temperature of the sun, but was flavourful, and sweet potato fries again good.

My friend it turned out, is a member of the casino. I should have been alerted to this when he banged down a little tower of chips (the betting kind,) when he arrived, plus all the nervous tics and other tells he was giving me whilst studying the menu (just kidding.)

This meant that we received 50% off the cost of the steaks, taking a heart stopping £130, down to a tachychardic £65. Of course, they still get you with the cost of the wine, sides and service…but hey ho I wasn’t paying, the question is, would I?

Hmmm to be honest I’m not sure. The quality of the steak itself was top notch and the wine, well being honest one of the most enjoyable I have whilst dining out for ages. The venue though is bit like dining in a shopping mall, I was half expecting the seats to be covered with bags, and whilst the service was great it is very much aimed at casino patrons.

Would I go again, well then again maybe. The Hippodrome on the inside, like a mini Vegas casino has all sorts of options for the fun loving, non-gambling alcoholic. A wide range of bars, smoking/roof terraces, a male striptease show (not really my thing,) and another restaurant (Chinese.) I’ve found myself in the Hippodrome generally 1-2 times a year anyway as it’s about the easiest place to get a drink after 11:30 in the vicinity (honest.) So, despite the cold broccoli, the open seating and that my friend ordered a Pina Colada for pudding, yes, I’ll probably be back and this time I’ll try the tomahawk.

Address: Hippodrome Casino, Cranbourn St, Leicester Square, London WC2H 7JH