Dining Out: Flat Iron Delivers Quality

The rising cost of living has touched every part of our lives, and none is more noticeable than eating out. Visiting a casual restaurant for a bite to eat at lunchtime or a weekend treat seems to have doubled in price recently.

If you’d like a good steak, the prices have more than doubled in some restaurants. One menu in Leeds offers a 225gm fillet steak for £80; yes, you read that correctly. In the interests of balance, restaurants are having a difficult time with the costs of ingredients, energy and staff all shooting up and margins squeezed.

One new entrant to the Leeds market has cracked the code. Flat Iron is a hugely successful chain in London and is now expanding nationwide. It offers a flat iron steak for £14 and sides from £3.50. As a result, the Leeds venue was heaving on a Tuesday lunchtime in January. The service is friendly and knowledgeable.

Guests are treated to popcorn when they sit down, and the food arrives quickly. The flat iron steak was lean, full of flavour and well seasoned. We asked for it to be medium, and it came perfectly cooked. In addition to the steak, the bone marrow garlic mash was a triumph. The truffle mac and cheese is worth a visit on its own, while the creamed spinach was elevated with the addition of nutmeg.

The highlight of the meal was the Bernaise Cheeseburger (£13), which comes from the company’s own Yorkshire herd in Thirsk. The burger is juicy, and the sauce balances well with the meat, onions and crunchy pickles.

The Flat Iron Yorkshire herd numbers about 40 head and uses rare and traditional breeds to produce high quality beef. The team is currently undertaking a Life-Cycle Assessment (LCA) to understand the carbon footprint of the herd and identify ways to reduce on-farm emissions.

The wine list starts at £5.50 for a glass of Italian red and rises to £10 for a glass of Rioja. A wide range of non-alcoholic options are available, with some interesting and refreshing house fizzes.

Flat Iron is worth a visit and deserves a big pat on the back for delivering a quality product at a great price point.