The Steak Frites Gold Standard

Some meals are great. Others become an obsession. And when it comes to steak frites, there’s only one place I keep going back to: Le Relais de Venise l’Entrecote. It’s one of those meals you find your self craving every so often and has been one of my go-to spots for 12+ years. Consistent, efficient and so damn delicious.

No menu and no fuss – the kind of effortless dining that never goes out of style. Aside from the queues (which I’ll come to at the end of this article), it’s a very straight forward dining experience. Once you sit down, the only thing you need to think about is how you want your steak cooked. It’s then straight into the perfect sequence of events: a simple mixed-leaf, walnut salad with a sharp mustard vinaigrette to start, along with a plate of (sometimes) warm, crusty baguette. After that, it’s the main event. A plate of perfect steak frites: ultra thinly sliced and grilled entrecôte steak, a mountain of golden, crispy fries and a generous pool of the best steak sauce in the game.

The sauce is magical and very much a closely guarded secret that no one has yet fully uncovered. A deep green hue and a silky but slightly grainy consistency, it’s velvety and rich, with just the right amount of punch. Comforting, addictive and never enough. I always ask for extra sauce here. You’ll be able to taste all sorts of ingredients in it but unlikely to be able to figure out exactly whats inside. My guess is that there are lots of herbs at the forefront (probably parsley, sage, chervil and tarragon amongst others) with heaps of butter, mustard, anchovy, Worcestershire and god knows what else. It’s a harmonious mix of things that hits all the right corners of your tastebuds. Perfectly balanced and well-guarded. Funny thing is, even the owners of the London group don’t know the ingredients. It’s shipped in frozen from France and kept a secret from them too. Crazy stuff.

You’ll quickly realise after finishing your first plate of steak frites where Le Relais truly shines. Just when you think it’s all over, when you’ve savoured every last bite of steak and that voluptuous sauce, they come back for round two. A second full serving of steak frites, fresh fries, and even more of that glorious sauce. No need to ask, no need to order – it just arrives, like some kind of beautiful ritual designed to ensure maximum satisfaction. One thing I recommend is having a dollop of that Dijon on your plate and adding some cracked black pepper. It completes the bite for me.

Now, for drinks, get whatever you like, but if you’re doing wine, I couldn’t recommend their house red enough. At £26 a bottle, it does just what you need it to do. The Le Relais Bordeaux is an easy-going red that goes down very smoothly but also has enough of a weight and well-rounded profile to it to complement a meal like this. It’s a blend of cabernet sauvignon, cabernet franc, merlot and petit Verdot. A solid bottle for the price.

As for the queues... they can get crazy. You can pretty much guarantee that there will be a 1h+ queue to dine here at both lunch and dinner, every day of the week. That being said, there are a few tricks to secure your seats. For dinner, doors open at 5:30 and so you want to be outside by 5pm as at that time, there is usually minimal queue. Arriving 30 minutes before the opening time will more than likely get you in at first seating right when doors open. Same rule applies at lunch time. I only really go for first seatings as CBA for the queues - so use these timings as you wish.

Let me know if you’ve been and what you think!