There are some challenges in life you just can’t pass up. So when the Heliot Steak Restaurant – based in London’s Hippodrome – started offering a two kilogram burger – yes, that’s almost four and half pounds of meat – we felt we had to try it. So I took my family down to the Hippodrome to give it a shot.
The Hippodrome in London is a casino. So under-18’s are not allowed. It’s also quite noisy and not particularly romantic – so it’s not the place for a first date. But the Heliot Steak House – which is upstairs and overlooks the gaming tables – has got a reputation for great steaks and also does half price wine on Sundays. Like most casinos, the Hippodrome makes its money on the gaming,so the food is good value.
I took my wife with my son and daughter (aged 18 and 20). We made our way through the main casino floor and up to the galleries where the steaks were being served. We had to book in advance – because it takes an hour to prepare this massive chunk of minced-meat. We knew it would be big and when it came we weren’t disappointed. It was huge – like a large birthday cake. Madgid – the chef – told us that the beef has to be minced twice and the bun has to be specially baked because you can’t buy them commercially at that size. It came with cheese and bacon and lovely little bits of pickle. And the chips, which are hand-cut were excellent. I was very impressed by the attention to detail. It looked exactly like a normal burger – with sesame seeds on the bun – but just several sizes larger.
The burger was an absolute monster. We gawped at it for a couple of minutes and then attacked it. My daughter cut it into slices and handed them out. It was tasty and well seasoned with herbs, but even four hungry members of our family couldn’t finish more than about half of it. Truth to tell, it’s not something I’d order again. The burger costs £70 and it is more like an outsized meatloaf than a regular burger. It lacked the lovely seared crust of meat that you get on a regular burger. And frankly, the sight of all that meat is a bit off-putting.
But the Heliot is a good place to eat. We sat on leather swivel chairs watching the action below. And we spoke to the two guys on the next table, who come every week for a good steak and a good bottle of wine: a 10 ounce sirloin costs £18 and looks marvellous. We drank Spanish beer and the desserts were excellent – I had gin and tonic sorbet and my daughter had a superb millefeuille.
The Hippodrome is an interesting place to visit. There is an attractive woman cavorting in a cage downstairs and on most days there is a burlesque show. Unfortunately on the day we came, the burlesque show had been cancelled because it was the NFL (American football) final and the place was full of Americans watching the match on a big screen. But even without the risqué dancing, it’s still a good evening out.
