London’s Mayfair is filled with hip haunts, so it’s hardly surprising that the recent opening of Rextail, called for its reference to ‘T-Rex’ and ‘oxtail’ has fit right in and become one of them.
To begin, a basket of warm grilled slices of sourdough toast drizzled with olive oil arrived with a plate of creamy chicken pate, chutney and cornichons, followed by our starters: perfectly prepared octopus salad with crunchy French beans and diced potatoes, a melt-in-your-mouth ball of gooey Puglian burrata cheese with sweet datterini tomatoes and yellow fin tuna tartare soaked in a soya based koshu dressing.
With such satisfyingly light and fresh starters, we moved on to sample heavier main dishes of prime cuts of steak, which are presented on a wooden board and explained to you beforehand to help make the right choice. We went for the Argentinian fillet however, US Wagyu from Nebraska, Irish black Angus Tipperary 40 day dry aged and Inverary dry aged Scottish Shorthorn (as well as others) all feature on the menu.
We enjoyed our beautifully seared rare cut with sides of fries, green vegetables and green peppercorn sauce. There’s also the option to come out of your comfort zone to try roast goat kid, taste something Asian with the yuzu scented black cod and feast on a hearty stew with the braised oxtail with red peppers.
For dessert, we highly recommend trying the chocolate soufflé with praline ice-cream (enough served for two but we aren’t complaining) and equally taking a look at the desserts table near the front desk, where we noticed a mouth-wateringly mighty Napoleon – the Italian equivalent of French mille-feuille – layers of puff pastry filled with Chantilly cream and dusted with icing sugar.
As well as the dining area, Rextail has a very welcoming, intimate tapas-style bar, where you can head to as a pit stop to enjoy the extensive list of cocktails, with or without some nibbles.
For more information visit: www.rextail.co.uk
See more of Rextail by clicking on an image below: