Flat Iron has opened in Brighton and has instantly secured itself as the best spot for steak in the city. Flat Iron is a brand that knows what it is doing: a simple menu focusing on quality over quantity. The main event: Flat Iron steak cooked how you like at a flat £15. A choice of six sides: Homemade Beef Dripping Chips (£4), Crispy Bone Marrow Garlic Mash (£4.50), Creamed Spinach (£4), Green Salad (£3.50), the famous Truffled Macaroni Cheese (£5.50) and Roast Aubergine, Tomato, Basil and Mozzarella (£4.50). The choice of sauces: Bernaise, Peppercorn, Homemade Smoked Chilli Mayo or Wild Mushroom (£1.50). Then the Beef Specials: Green Chilli Cheeseburger made with Flat Iron herd beef and can be made non-spicy (£14), Scottish Bavette £18 or Wagyu Steak of the Day (from £23).
Alongside this winning menu are changing specials. The Wagyu on the day we visited (during opening week) was Denver for £23, or Sirloin was on offer for £27. There was also a special side: Kale and Parmesan Salad (£4.50).
Flat Iron Brighton is in a prime location, 34 Ship Street, which means as you turn from North Street, it’s directly ahead, between The Ivy and Pizza Pilgrims, in a buzzing hub of food options in the centre. The restaurant has been decked out stylishly with well-spaced tables, low lighting and wood interiors. We received a warm welcome from the staff, who seemed joyful and excited amid the hubbub of a new restaurant opening. At Flat Iron, you get a cup of popcorn on arrival, which you can ask to be refilled any time through the night. It’s a good idea to satiate the salivation stirred by the wafts of mouthwatering steak on arrival.
Our lovely server expertly and enthusiastically talked us through the menu, explaining the story of the flat iron cut, discovered by the Flat Iron founder, just below the shoulder of the cow. She also explained the Denver special cut, recommended the Bavette and the Truffled Mac Cheese. We decided to start the night with a cocktail each (£9). I went for the Aperol Bellini and my partner chose a Classic Old Fashioned. A nice touch with this latter cocktail is it comes in a tiny hip flask. This is quickly whisked away to avoid being pocketed. In fact, the Flat Iron menu includes a plea not to swindle the lovely cleavers that adorn each place setting. They cost £15 if you would like to buy one. My cocktail was sweet and refreshing. The Classic Old Fashioned lived up to its name and was satisfying.
At our candlelit table in the far corner of the restaurant (it’s bigger than it looks) I thought I should probably try the Flat Iron Steak as its the signature item on the menu. My partner went for the Wagyu Sirloin. The Flat Iron was cooked just as I asked – medium rare. A great quality, tender, devourable steak, sliced on the board and enjoyed with the creamy and rich Peppercorn sauce. Excellent value. I swapped three slices with my partner and his medium Sirloin was a cut above the rest. Delicious, melt in the mouth and perfectly cooked. I was slightly jealous. For sides, we shared the chips, which were both crispy and fluffy at the same time, the beef dripping giving the iconic flavour. The mash was creamy and full of garlic, with liplicking crispy bits on the top. The star of the show was the Truffled Mac and Cheese. I loved how the cheese stretched from dish to mouth from a fork enthusiastically dipped into it. The truffle flavour is very light and this one, we scraped the dish clean. We also went for the kale salad special and as my partner said: anything tastes good when you slather it with cheese. This had a Ceaser salad vibe about it, but Kale. I had imagined the kale might be crispy but it was not cooked. Tasty and refreshing but not what I imagined.
Throughout our meal, the staff were incredibly attentive, chatty and swift to help. It helped sitting near the kitchen. I have never known mayo to appear so quickly when I’ve requested it for my chips. Once we’d enjoyed this delectable feast, we sat for a little longer and enjoyed one more drink. My partner had a Helles beer (£4.50) and myself a Chilean Merlot (175ml – £7.50). My top tip if you’re ever unsure on wine comes to you from my late 91-year-old relative who lived and worked in Chile: You can never go wrong with Chilean wine. This top tip has never failed me. Flat Iron’s Chilean offering was full bodied and complimented the steak flavours well. What I love about Flat Iron is they also have their own Malbec Reserve. It’s available by the bottle at £45 and I didn’t try as I only wanted a glass this time.
The Flat Iron menu has a selection of wines starting at £6 a glass. Carafes and bottles are available. You can get a bottle of champagne for £40, not a bad price at all! There’s also a selection of beers, non-alcoholic cocktails (£5 each) or £3.50 non-alcoholic house fizzes: lime and mint, apple and rhubarb, or rose lemonade.
Another lovely touch from Flat Iron is that at the end of your meal, you get handed two Flat Iron cleaver shaped token for free soft serve ice cream in a cone on the way out. The flavour at the moment is vanilla and brown butter. It’s homemade and is made from The Estate Dairy’s milk and cream, Bordier butter and Tahitian vanilla beans. If you’re too full, you can save your tokens and pop back to get your ice cream another time. We couldn’t resist the opportunity and stepped out into the dark, wet and windy Autumn evening, clinging onto our ice creams. The flavour is light and lickable and yes we opted for chocolate sprinkles… no regrets.
As my colleague Elise found out on a recent trip to Flat Iron’s flagship in London ahead of Flat Iron Brighton’s opening, the founder Charlie Carroll found the flat iron steak cut when he set out to find an affordable cut. Flat Iron is just that. A stylish and high-end feeling for a reasonable price. My partner, who’s never tried Flat Iron before, said it was much better than Hawksmoor.
Another thing to know about Flat Iron is that it has its own herd of cows based near Thirsk in North Yorkshire. Also it has a charity – the Flat Iron fund, matchfunding a 10p donation per steak for a great cause. And, it prides itself on giving 100% of the tips to the staff.
They thoroughly deserve it. Not only is Flat Iron Brighton top notch food and a quality steak dining experience, the staff are incredible and really make the visit memorable. Don’t miss out on the hottest new dining spot in our city.
Website: https://flatironsteak.co.uk/restaurant/brighton/
Address: 34 Ship Street, Brighton, BN1 1AD
Wahaca Brighton’s New Winter Menu – Review
Pink Moon: Brighton’s Art Café Bringing People Together
Read more: Things To Do In Brighton In November
