The Black Cow is an intimate yet informal eatery serving accessibly-priced steaks in Camden's shiny new Hawley Wharf development. Headed up by chef team Shiri Kraus and Amir Batito, who combined have experience spanning The Barbary, Palomar and The Machneyuda Group, The Black Cow describes itself as a middle-eastern steakhouse. The concept behind The Black Cow is based on a Hebrew phrase meaning ‘opening a table’ to guests, where a warm and welcoming attitude to dining is encouraged.
Quality is key here, but so is a little drama. The restaurant takes pride in serving only 100% free-range, grass fed steak, while the steaks themselves are cooked on a flaming charcoal grill, with guests invited to take a look behind the curtain to watch the chefs work the hot coals.
There are three steaks on the menu to choose from: the Katan (£13), the Benoni (£23) and the Gadol (£71) which all come served medium-rare, with a burnt herb oil and flaming herbs. Their aim is to mix the style of an American steakhouse with the bold flavours of midde-eastern cuisine. And with prices starting from £13 for an onglet steak, this is refreshingly affordable, too.
The sides are just as reasonable. Choose from the likes of a spicy merquez corndog (Not So Corny), chilli and mint halloumi (fittingly named ‘McDreamy’) and spicy cauliflower cheese (Cheesy), which range largely between £5-11. The dessert options are twofold: take your pick from the Danny (chocolatey) or the Quincy Jones (fruity).
If you’re not looking for a sit-down affair – the restaurant is more of a seated bar and caters for a maximum of 17 guests – The Black Cow offers a takeaway lunch option, The Casbah, which sees pulled steak, Monteray Jack cheese and a soft egg stuffed inside Brik pastry. There's a vegetarian option too, The Jaffa, for those who are looking to skip the steak without missing out on the flavours of this Middle-Eastern kitchen.